Q: I’m trying to think of ways to maximize studio space and revenue during the summer. What has worked for you?

A: We do private and semiprivate classes four to six weeks out of the summer. During these weeks our staff sets up 30-minute sessions of jazz, acro, tap or ballet that run from noon to 5 pm, two to three days per week. These classes can be private, or shared by up to three dancers. Each 30-minute session costs $40, and of that, the studio gets $10. With four studios running at once, we get $80 per hour, and the teachers get the rest.

In order to sign up for these private classes, dancers must also register for classes held in the evening between 5 and 8 pm on the same nights. These classes are $15, and the total is split between the teachers and the studio. These weeks of classes are very popular. The parents even line up on sign-up day to get a space.

We also do a three-day intensive during the summer for our more competitive dancers, where we bring in reputable outside faculty. We run this in conjunction with two other studios to help offset the cost and space. Many studios also do birthday, superhero and princess day camps for the little dancers during the summer, which help bring in extra money, as well as some new dancers for the fall.