Rising inflation brings confusion and uncertainty for small businesses. This quarter, 53% of small business owners stated that inflation is their largest challenge—a trend that has been consistent since this time last year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Our enrollment is up 15% compared to last year, but what I’m seeing is that […]
It’s worth the investment to showcase your dance business with fresh, high-quality visuals on a consistent basis. If you’re new to working with a visual artist, here’s what to expect. If your dance business is not yet annually earmarking funds for professional photography, you’re missing out on an important advertising strategy, says Jill Tirone, a […]
Look at the faculty roster at any ballroom-focused studio in the U.S. and you’ll more than likely see at least one teacher who hails from Ukraine. The country, now embattled in an unprovoked war with Russia and a resulting humanitarian crisis, has a rich history of excellence in ballroom styles, and many Ukrainian dancers move […]
What’s it like when your boss has known you since you were 2 years old? Or when your workplace is the same place you met your first set of friends in and where you learned your first dance steps? Strange as these scenarios might seem in any other industry, it’s a situation many dance teachers […]
These days, Chantelle Bruinsma of Studio Expansion helps studio owners around the world find unprecedented freedom in running their businesses. But once upon a time, she was a choral conductor who guided young singers to sound their very best (in venues like the Sydney Opera House, no less). So it makes perfect sense that Bruinsma […]
The current pandemic has studio owners everywhere rethinking business as usual. One dirty little secret that’s been exposed? Before COVID-19, many of us weren’t giving our floors nearly enough attention. As Derryl Yeager, founder and artistic director of Odyssey Dance Theatre in Draper, UT, says, “A lot of times, the floor wouldn’t be deep-cleaned more […]
I recently spent a Saturday night with my husband and my 17-year-old dancing daughter, who sobbed at the foot of our bed. My daughter revealed her experiences with implicit bias and overt racism in school, and especially in the dance studio. For six years, she has danced at a classical ballet school tied to the […]
Small businesses across the U.S. are keeping careful tabs on their states’ reopening schedules and making changes to their business models accordingly. As pandemic-related guidelines and timelines evolve, it’s important that you have a multilayered plan for the gradual reopening of your studio—one that prioritizes your dancers’ and staff’s health, reassures families that it’s safe […]
Talk about being close: Dana and Hugo Adames have been together 18 years and have two kids who love to dance—and the couple owns The Talent Factory Performing Arts Centre, with two locations, 550 students and a third site in the works. Dana, artistic director, and Hugo, general manager, have a method for how they […]
As COVID-19 forced state after state into some form of lockdown this spring, most studio owners realized right away that they needed to evolve quickly—or else watch their enrollment plummet. Online classes became the key to business continuity, but with so little time to adapt material to remote learning and train faculty members on new […]