Dance Studio Director Gone Wild!

"Auld Lang Syne"

2011-12-31T12:21:00.006-05:00

Does anyone really know the words to the song that blasts over the tv when the clock strikes midnight?!?!?! Regardless, it just seems fitting for today!

My only New Year's Resolution for 2012 will be to blog regularly! I think I can manage to keep up with one promise to myself. In fact I already have a blog that's 90% ready to post relating to Dance Moms, since I know everyone is dying to hear my opinion about it!

All in all 2011 has been a pretty amazing year. My studio is doing really well and we're in the process of building a brand new studio for many years of dance to come. My best friend of 27 years got married and I had a wonderful vacation in Punta Cana to witness it. I turned 30 and threw myself a fabulous grown up birthday party. My sister gave birth to my niece, who is officially my favorite person on the planet. My good friend Jordan won the final season of 'So You Think You Can Dance Canada', and countless great times we're had with my friends and family. I even recently found out some really exciting news from my BFF that I am unable to share on the internet just yet (but YAY! anyways!). Sigh... when did we all grow up!?!

I plan to make 2012 very abundant and fun. There will be more weddings, more babies and more wonderful memories to be made. It's going to be the year of MORE...

I have big goals for the upcoming year, some business related, some personal, which in turn will lead to accomplishments I hope to share as the year goes by. I also hope 2012 brings me new episodes of Grey's Anatomy since it's been well over a month since they we're on (seriously!). So let me start by sharing this gem I found on the internet, which is perfect for this evening, and it happens to be gloriously perfect!

Many blessings and well wishes to everyone in the dance industry, and my 'outside of dance' life for 2012!

"Good Life"

2011-07-20T16:37:00.011-04:00

Well today is my big 3-0... the dirty 30... or as my mother would put it, the day that makes her really old now!

My need to celebrate has changed from the times that I wanted to go out and party all night, and I feel like a lot of reflection on my life so far is good enough for me today!

Last weekend I threw myself a very grown up dinner party, with just my grown up friends on a patio, eating delicious vegan food, drinking great wine and talking. I don't even think I talked about my dance studio once... unless you count the fantastic 'Df HOLLA' license plates that I received as a gift from some of the parents!

Today, on my actual birthday, I just spent the day relaxing at home. I have actually been anticipating my sister going into labour today with my first niece, as we were supposed to share the same birthday, but that has not happened yet. With each hour that goes by the odds of us sharing our special day is looking slimmer and slimmer, but I'm sure we will celebrate our birthday weeks together every year from now on.

I can't really find anything to complain about today, or in general in my life! Sure, I'd like to have more money, drive around in a convertible all summer, and take a random trip to Paris for Christmas... but seriously, that's all just ridiculous details! I have had the same best friend for 27 years, I have a generous and loyal teaching staff at my studio whom are also my good friends. I have the most supportive family, and extended studio family there is, and truly great friends who care about me for who I am, and not what I will never be! I have my own house, my own dance studio and more pretty dresses than BCBG does at their Outlet Store!

So, as I enter this next 'grown up' stage of my life I know things are only going to get better. So many new people I'll get to meet, new experiences I'll get to share, and new goals I'll reach to accomplish. Tonight I will blow out 30 candles, make a wish and hope it comes true... and even if it doesn't, I'm still going to make this year awesome!

30 is looking pretty awesome already!

"Someone Like You"

2011-07-13T11:03:00.011-04:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you're familiar with the phenomenon that is So You Think You Can Dance! I'm proud to say that Canada also has a great version of the show, of course nothing is quite like the original, but we have some incredible talent on the show this year that everyone needs to check out!

A good friend of mine, and an honorary member of my Df family, Jordan Clark happens to be a member of the Top 22 contestants on SYTYCD Canada this year! Sure, I know quite a few of the Top 22 this year, but I really have to support my girl this time around and tell you there is no one more deserving than Jordan to be named 'Canada's Favourite Dancer!'

I attended the first taping on Saturday, and I'm sure I just ruined some dreams there by telling you it's taped in advance! Hopefully nobody really thought they taped those performance shows live... do you realize what could go wrong! I took about 50 people from our studio and basically we bombarded the audience with love for Jordan. She is such a great role model and mentor to the kids at my studio, and the parents all adore her. She got paired with another friend and fellow Contemporary dancer, Joey Arrigo and they basically stole the show with their first duet... check it out here! Sure, it seems convenient that these two got paired together, but can you really deny either of them the fact that they are as close to 'perfect' as you can get?

Last night I also attended the Live Results Show with Jordan's mom. I wasn't really nervous leading up to the show, as I knew Jordan would be safe based on her performance. However, as the show started we still clenched onto each other as they got around to Jordan & Joey on stage. There were heavy sighs once they were announced as 'safe' and then Jordan's mom cried in relief. I'm actually concerned about how she's going to get through that every week, or maybe it will become more normal and it won't be so stressful in the future. We got to have dinner after with Jordan and I enjoyed the time to sit down and really gauge from her how well she was handling the entire experience. She is so humbled by everybody's support and gracious about all of the love she has been receiving.

Jordan and her partner Joey have been labeled by some of the judges, several newspapers, other contestants and television shows as the early favourites, but I hope that stigma does not detract viewers from assuming they don't need to vote for them every week. The reality of this show is that they're not crowning 'Canada's Best Dancer', they're naming 'Canada's Favourite Dancer'! It's basically a popularity contest, like high school, but in sparkly bra tops on television!
I couldn't think of anyone who is more of the total package for this show than Jordan. No amount of fame would ever change her loving personality or her nurturing charisma around kids. She is one insanely talented dancer, but she is also a fabulous teacher/choreographer and most importantly an outstanding human being.

The point of today's blog is really just to get you to vote for Jordan on the show... but I'm assuming you already knew I was going there!

So let the shameless promotion continue...

Follow Jordan on Twitter - @Jordan_DCS4

Join her Official Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/JordanClarkFanPage

And please watch her dance every Monday @ 8:00pm on CTV, and then VOTE FOR JORDAN!

Now I'm not expecting everyone to order t-shirts, hand out flyers to strangers or even decorate your car with Jordan's posters... but please feel free to do so if you'd like! Because mark my word, if Jordan wins a new car as the winner this year, she will be driving around in it with my picture blocking her entire rear window!

"To Make You Feel My Love"

2011-06-29T19:42:00.007-04:00

So, I've failed at blogging lately, which wouldn't shock anybody who understands the business of the Competitive dance and Recital seasons... but I'm back now! It's officially summer time and I've got the urge to spill about my likes and dislikes of the dance year!

Today though I just wanted to share a special little something with everyone...

I met this guy Matt at a dinner party recently, who owns a Production Company, and we quickly became Facebook friends! Coincidentally Matt was looking for some young dancers to use in his PSA shoot for Toronto Pride Week 2011... which sort of works out great if you're me at this dinner party who owns a dance studio! So I sent 5 of my Junior Company dancers down one Friday night, to a busy Toronto street corner, dressed up in pink corsets and tutus, to go do some funs shots for this PSA.

Well this video turned out to be way more amazing than I had ever anticipated it being, and I'm not going to lie, I got a little emotional watching some of my young students doing such amazing things on the spot. I knew the feedback I had gotten from everyone involved, including the girl's parents, was exceptional but I really didn't understand the magnitude of what they were doing.

So, in honor of acceptance and love, I wanted to share this video with the world! Not only so everyone can see how wicked my students are in it, but also because they are part of a video that shares an important message with everyone.

I'm a proud mama bear watching this video today... on repeat, of course!

"Turning Tables"

2011-04-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

The entire dance world is right in the midst of the competitive dance season, and I get can't enough! I actually turned the tables on myself this past weekend as I became a dance spectator on the competition scene, almost like a 'dance mom'... ugh, did I just say that!

Shouts out to Hall Of Fame Dance Competition who live streams all of their Regionals, including multiple stages from some events. I know this is not a new concept for dance events, and there are many other competitions doing it, but I just wanted to say how impressive that amount of live coverage is from them! I like the idea of sitting at home in my pj's and watching dance on my iPad! You'd think I'd need a break from over-the-top lyrical solos, hair pieces and rhinestones on stage, but honestly I don't! With this live feed I get to watch the routines that I want, while lying on the couch. The schedule with studio names that they post on their website is also very helpful with the live feed, since that way I can totally pop the screen back up when a routine is on that I want to see!

I'm very impressed Hall Of Fame, and I even went as far as emailing the US Competition I attend to tell them that they needed to jump on this bandwagon! I think it's great for family members and friends who can't travel to competitions to be able to watch it online. But it also fills the void for crazy, insomniac dance teachers like myself who just need our weekly fill of it!

So, not only did I teach on Friday night but then I stayed up all night watching live streaming from the West Coast Time Zone. I woke up Saturday, on very few hours of sleep, to head to the studio for 9 hours of work and then you'd think I'd want to go home and crash... oh contraire my friends! I headed over to a local theatre to watch another dance competition live!

Now, I don't normally talk down on others too much on my blog (well I try not to), but I really have to say that this competition was a train wreck. From the fact that you couldn't buy programs, to the long pauses between dances, to the boring awards ceremonies... seriously people! It is not a large US competition organization that was running this event, but it was an exam organization hosting a competition for their members/studios. Regardless to me, I expected the same amount of effort to be put into it. I'm sure the entry fees for the dancers were just as much as any other competition, so why would you expect anything less in quality?!?!?! This could get me off an a tangent about how 'old school' this organization's syllabus is, and therefore, the studios competing were among the same lines, but there could have still been a fun announcer hired for the kids!

As much as I was disappointed in the level of the dancing and the quality of the competition organization itself, I still went back on Sunday for more. I opted to go over during lunch time for a bit before the live streaming from Hall Of Fame got into the groups I wanted to see. It didn't get much better on Sunday by any means, but it definitely got me thinking about a lot of things going on the dance industry. I have blog post after blog post just swirling around in my head regarding everything. I've already started four of them, but I have to sit on them for a while and check back on my tone before I post them!

I literally felt more passion, enthusiasm and energy coming through my computer screen from the dancers and hosts at Hall Of Fame then I did live from the B.A.T.D. Competition I went and watched. So who creates that feeling... the dancers, the teachers, the competition, or everyone involved in general? I think I even acquired some sympathy for dance parents who sit through days and days of dance competitions as spectators. Normally I tend to watch the bare minimum at competition (besides my own students) so this was a whole new experience for me. One that reminded me why I opt to use my time off during dance competitions doing other things rather than spectating! I don't say that to be rude, but my eyes can only take so much, good or bad.

We still have two weeks off before our next competition, so I'm sure I'll make my way over to another local event before then. Luckily for me the theatre closest to our studio hosts a dance competition every weekend, or maybe that's unlucky?! Good news is that they're free to attend... oh wait, I heard recently that there is a competition (cough, 5678 Showtime) that still charges an entrance fee per day for audience members. Just while were on the subject of talking about competition features that I like and don't like!

"Rolling In The Deep"

2011-03-08T10:28:00.004-05:00

Let me just start off today by saying how much I LOVE the new Adele album 21. I'm also really happy that I had not started one of my kid's solos until it was released last week, so that I could actually use one of her new songs for a number! Some of you might think that's cutting it pretty close to competition time, but it's just cause you're jealous that I got to use a new Adele song and you didn't!

So we have our first competition of the year starting this Thursday... insert small freaking out sound here!
I'm excited to see all of my creations on stage for the first time this year, but I also have an overwhelming sense of 'the first day of school' syndrome. Will they like me (meaning my work)? What will everyone think? What should I wear? Not that what I wear is important, but more like which pair of sweat pants and shoes can I physically run around in all day?!?!?!

I think regardless of how long you've been doing competitions or shows as a studio owner there is always a sense of wanting to be appreciated and acknowledged for the work you've done that year. Of course parents are going to love their kid's routines, cause it's their kid, but do they love what you've done with them? Can they see improvement and appreciate changes and risks you've taken as a choreographer? Sure, not everyone is going to love everything you put out there, including the judges, but there is always my pride that makes me want to try!

At this point what's going to happen at the competition is going to happen. There is nothing more I can clean up in the next two days that will make a difference. It will be more of a statement of how I have prepared my students for this throughout the entire year. We can't just expect the kids to pull off things on stage that they've never done in the studio correctly. I have to be confident that I have done my job all year and therefore my students will be able perform to the best of their abilities.

So the wine for my hotel room is packed and the Starbucks route has already been mapped. My trusty little red iPod has been filled with our music and the camera batteries charged. Minor detail that I'm still waiting on 36 tutus to arrive, but then I remind myself again that the wine is already packed!

It's going to be a great week regardless of naked back sides!

Cheers.

"What's My Name"

2011-02-16T12:17:00.003-05:00

I think I'm back on track here with my blogging... so stay tuned for lots of great stuff while I'm away on vacation!

Yes, you heard me vacation... 3 weeks before competition! Sigh. Dates didn't work out so great, but my best friend is getting married in Punta Cana and I am being forced to go! Sigh. Not only do I think it will help ease my stress before competitions start, it will also be a great time for me to catch up on my writing.

I figured it might be a good time to start a new weekly tradition here, we'll call it - the best parent email of the week! I know all studio owners have tons of great ones stored away, but I figured this one was very appropriate for this time of year!

I spend quite a bit of time re-typing competition schedules out for my students so that it is on a chart for them to clearly see. It lists their call-times (their be there in costume, hair and make-up perfect, in the rehearsal hall stretching/practising, without their parents time!) and the Awards time for that session and everything. I think that's pretty generous of me considering I could just post it on the studio bulletin board and let them all fend for themselves. But, that's beyond the point.

So I wanted to get the first competition schedule out before I left on vacation. Just another thing to cross off the to-do list. Thanks to the organization of the competition director I was able to do so for all of my parents. Sure, I could have held onto it and sent it out when I got back, but I do like to help my parents get organized too.

I emailed out the schedule as soon as I had it completed this week so that parents could book their hotels right away and plan accordingly. I also always send home hard copies at the studio, just to make sure that everyone got sufficient notice and nobody can ever say 'I didn't know!'

This year I have a very large Production that includes all 45 of my competitive students. It is the only routine they are all in together, and for some of the students it is even their only routine. It is very clearly themed and titled, but I figured I would BOLD it on the competition schedule as it pertained to everyone. It wasn't even an hour later that I got an email back from a parent, who's child is only in the Production this year. I'm almost sorry I wasted the extra ink bolding that section!

Hi Robin,

Thanks for the schedule but you didn't put performance on it. I'll get her to look at it again, but she doesn't even know what dance she's in. Can you send us her specific schedule.

Thank you.

I have since invested some time in learning how to use Photoshop on my new computer so that I can add images to the schedule and change the color settings for each child's routines. That way there won't be any confusion moving forward.

I wish I would have received that email while I was on the beach, with a margarita in hand. My response would have been so much more appropriate.

Cheers everyone!

"A Little More Of You"

2010-11-17T09:40:00.005-05:00

It has officially been over 7 years since I've had a roommate, which kind of scares me to think that I've been living on my own for that long. However, over the past few weeks I've actually had to learn to co-habitate once again!

I met Kirsten Wicklund (from SYTYCD Canada Season 3) this past summer at a dance Convention. I didn't know very much about her, except for that we had a lot of mutual friends, so that made it easier! She returned to my studio a few weeks ago to assist Tokyo while he was teaching for me. I went to pick Tokyo up at the airport and Kirsten decided to meet him there and drive up with us. Since Tokyo's flight was delayed me and Kirsten had an hour to kill together driving in circles around the Toronto airport and that's when we basically realized that we were the same person, in different bodies of course!

Kirsten needed a place to stay in Toronto for a while before she returned to her hometown of Vancouver and I politely offered one of my spare rooms to her. She was thrilled and I picked her up that weekend with her 4 suitcases in tow. I feel bad that my place is outside of the city so much for her, and she has had to rely on public transit every day to get downtown, but I don't think it worked out too badly. We both crave Mexican food, we have the same weird and random sense of humor, and we both enjoy daily doses of Booster Juice... so it was a match made in heaven!

What really amazed me about Kirsten is truly how devoted she is to dance and her training. Every day she wakes up early to go downtown to take a ballet class and then heads in other directions for Contemporary Classes, or whatever she can fit in. She preaches to me about consistent ballet training and how much she loves to take class so that she can continue to learn. I don't think I know of very many dancers who are trying to make a professional career who seriously go out of their way to train in ballet every day. It's no wonder her technique is so beautiful and why she is so strong in all facets of dance. She really was brought up to understand that having a solid foundation in dance is the most important thing.

I know that on SYTYCD this season Kirsten was portrayed as this ballet chick, who was kind of a one trick pony in Contemporary... but we all know what some fine tv editing can do for people! Kirsten actually only got serious about ballet at the age of 15 and decided to dedicate herself to becoming great at it. She wasn't naturally gifted at it, so she claims, but she worked harder than everyone else so that she could be.

I think while Kirsten was staying with me I was being a little harder on my older kids at the studio. I noticed myself pushing them to work harder, and tried to get them into the studio earlier to work on things by themselves. I don't know where that suddenly came from, but I guess I'm just trying to get them to see that hard work is what really pays off and being dedicated to your craft is a skill you shouldn't take advantage of. Then I have to sit back and realize that they're still just kids, and that will come with maturity and growth as dancers. Students have to make those decisions for themselves... How hard do I want to work today? How hard can I push myself? Is that the best I can do? What do I need to work on? Fortunately for Kirsten, she has realized that those questions actually have no limitations or answers, so her growth is consistent and constant.

I can't expect everyone to just go into the studio and do a ballet barre on their own and self correct, but maybe a little bit of Kirsten will rub off on the kids and they'll realize that learning to love plies and tendues can really help you to get where you want as a dancer one day! The thing that me and Kirsten both agree on about the industry is that we dislike that sometimes it's not about the training or the dancing at all... it's about the networking and the other social aspects of dance that can get you jobs sometimes. That frustrates her, and I can understand that when you're so dedicated to training, but it doesn't sway her from ballet class every day. She wants to be a great dancer first and foremost and then will worry about all of the other stuff later!

Kirsten headed back to Vancouver not that long ago and I miss having her around already. I liked having a roommate again, but I'm also happy to reclaim my bathroom back!

Just wanted to share how awesome I think Kirsten is, and how much she helped me remember why I love my job so much!

Miss you girly!

"Us And Them"

2010-10-22T14:28:00.002-04:00

So, I know I've blogged about this in the past, but I have to again!

I have never bothered to make myself an account on the Dance Mom website, first of all since I'm not a mom, but secondly because I would write some pretty rude comments of these people regarding their ridiculous comments. A few parents at my studio that I know of go on there and email me over links to funny posts, or topics they think I would get a good laugh out of. Now, of course I find most of this hilarious and a big waste of time, however, there is a wide variety of topics on there that really just make me angry as a studio owner.

Besides the fact that they have created their own language and lingo on there, I think the fact that dance parents are getting together to discuss dance is completely relevant. People on there become friends and meet up at competitions, and that is all fine and dandy. It doesn't even bother me that they post how their kids do at competitions or things about their studios that they enjoy. There is minimal studio bashing between the 'moms', however, they have no issue bashing numbers they see at competitions from other studios not present or every studio owner on the planet!

One of my favorite previous topics they have discussed was the 'what type of car does your s.o. drive?' post. Let me translate for you quickly - clearly your studio charges too much money if your studio owner drives a fancy car! I personally drive a Toyota Matrix, but now that I think about it, a BMW convertible would be a nice upgrade! Costume fees have suddenly just increased this year!

Today I decided in my boredom at the chiropractor's office to browse on the community board to see what's "happening" in the dance industry! Clearly these moms are more in the know that I am! I came across a topic in the Competitions board that was titled competition entry fees in Ontario. I actually thought this might have something to do with new HST tax applicable to Ontario based competitions, and I was hoping to find some enlightening information. I should have known better than to assume there was an educated conversation going on about it!

Instead, I come to find posts from many parents about what their studios charge for entry fees, and which studio is obviously banking the most cash off of over charging for these entry fees! One poster even asked 'why don't the competitions post the fees on their website?' I think in posting on this website she kind of answered her own question! Competitions don't post their fees on their website for many reasons. One, being that of course dance studios are going to up the fees. Are you really surprised? We run businesses! I spend many of endless days at competitions, as do my staff, and you think we're going to do this pro-bono? I wonder if the lady who complained about her studio making a few dollar off of each of her kid's group entry fees does her job for free?!?!?!

One trending idea on this board is very clear to me, parents have forgotten that dance studios are also businesses. Sure I can teach dance, but I am also a business owner. I do endless amounts of paper work every day, I pay bills, I pay staff, I maintain my facilities and I manage all of my clients. Then on top of that, I cut music, I design costumes, I plan Recitals, I design advertising, I work on choreography... oh and I eat in between some of those things!

I am honest with all the parents at my studio about costs and fees for all parts of dance and competitions up front. I show them approximate entry fees costs for each event for specific dances and I don't try to hide extra expenses or fees, as that would be a poor business decision. However, it's also not really the business of the parents at my studio to know how much I pay my staff to come to competitions, how much money it takes to get all of the money orders prepared to send to the competitions, and all those types of things associated with the extra money I might be charging. That's part of my business structure that is a personal choice and every studio has a different approach to that. Some studios charge a lot extra per routine to go to competitions, but that's at your studio owner's discretion, and also your choice to dance at that studio. There are no regulations for fees in regards to dance, so we are all flying solo in making the best decisions for our businesses.

What parents really need to understand about the dance studio business is that all of those demands you tend to make come at a price. If parents expect that their studio staff all be present at competitions, then realize that those people need to be paid to do that. My staff don't work for free... and frankly neither do I! As much as I love dance, and teaching dance, my passion does not pay the rent every month. My landlord doesn't care that we won Overalls at our last competition, he wants his cheque to clear! I always say that if I won the lottery I would still continue to teach at my studio. That is of course true, but it doesn't mean dancing at my studio would suddenly be free!

I'd like to challenge all these parents making assumptions and rude comments about their studio owner's making money to think about it in the same relative terms as you do your own job. I'll bet this parent who started this specific topic on the message board is also the same mom who buys her daughter $128.00 sweaters at Lulu Lemon! You're paying that company what they feel their product is worth. At my studio, I feel my product is of a certain value and I will charge accordingly. The dance competitions we attend charge what they think is appropriate for a soloist to compete, and then it is my job to charge my clients that price plus my time.

The same is true when it comes to costumes and Recital tickets, and the list goes on and on. Clearly some parents are under the assumption that running dance studios is just a hobby and our "real" day jobs pay all of our bills.

I would always encourage parents from all studios to talk to other dance parents and have educated discussions about anything dance related. I think message boards are a great way to share information and they can be a great advertising tool as well (that's my business owner side talking there!). However, I don't think the intentions of dancemom.com were to created a place for parents to continually complain about everything their studio owner does or charges for. If you hate your studio that much... then go somewhere else and shut up about it! If you really have concerns about fees or you don't understand what you're being charged for, then go and speak to your studio owner. Highgolddancemom45 doesn't have the answers for you!

So tomorrow when I'm at my "real" job, at the hospital, performing brain surgery, I'll get my personal assistant to create an account for me on dancemom.com so I can help enlighten parents on such topics. I might even start writing a dance mom handbook to help you all out! Anyone know of a publisher who would print it for free? Cause, obviously I couldn't charge for the book!

"Everything Old Is New Again"

2010-10-06T23:18:00.004-04:00

I'm back!
I have actually really missed having an outlet for all of my issues/questions/insights. I am having a little bit of a dilemma lately and I figured writing about it would help me talk it out, get some advice, or just satisfy my eagerly waiting fans for more dance industry shenanigans!

What are your thoughts about "recycling" numbers for competition at your studio? I'm starting to have very mixed feelings about it, but also very strong opinions about it either way.

If you would have asked me a year ago what I thought about a studio re-doing a group for competition that they had previously done I would have immediately told you I thought it was a cop-out as a choreographer. Lately I'm starting to sway a little to the left!

As a teacher/choreographer sometimes you can really just hit the mark with a group, and it's a combination of the music, choreography and the dancers that really brings it all together. You then try to duplicate it the following year by doing something similar, but it just isn't the same. So why not re-do the exact same number on new students? I know of a lot of studios who do the same groups two years in a row, especially if they are going to different competitions. If that group was really successful the first year, they will just do it again. Maybe keep the same students in it, or add a few new ones. Maybe even change the costume. I don't have a big issue with all of this in general, but my major concerns come up as a business owner. Can you really charge students two years in a row for the same choreography? Is it really fair to make them buy a new costume for a dance they were already in? What must that feel like for a new student to just be put in a group the rest of the students have already done as basically a filler? Are your students really learning anything or growing as a dancer from doing the same choreography again for another year?

So many questions, and really no direct answers that everyone will agree on. As a teacher, choreographer and dance studio owner I could never justify to parents at my studio charging them for a group for two consecutive years. It means to me that not only are their children now growing by learning new things, but it also tells me that I'm relying on my previous success as a teacher/choreographer and not growing myself. However... can I re-do a group for competition and make it fair for everyone involved?

This year I'm taking this "reuse & recycle" concept in two different directions to see how successful I can be with something I was previously successful with. Last year I choreographed a Contemporary Small Group that a group of Inters/Seniors only did at our National Competition. Now, I'm sure this is against all of the rules of Regionals and qualifying for Nationals and blah blah blah, but that's besides the point! The group turned out to be really exceptional and the girls won 2nd Overall Teen Groups for the effort. Now, a part of the success of this group in my opinion comes from the fact that this group reflected the growth my students had during the year, as well as my own as a choreographer. So, I decided that I'd like to 'recycle' this group again this year. I have kept the four remaining members of this group in tact, and have also added a few more students to replace those who are no longer at the studio. I have not charged any of the students who were previously in this group for the choreography time, but they will need to purchase a new costume this year and of course pay for competition entry fees for it.

In the same breathe, I plan on changing the majority of this group piece to now reflect even more growth and new skills from everyone. The dance left how it was in July would probably be stale by March for competition, so I will virtually start all over again in terms of choreography. Same song, same concept, same basic conclusion... but different. Truthfully, if it wasn't different, I would just be bored working on it again!

Now, along the same line, I choreographed an amazing tap group about five years ago that I have never quite been able to top. It was done with a bunch of 10-12 year old students, and ever since I have tried to replicate the success of that group, but I have never quite gotten there. So, this year I have a group of students, ages 8-10, whom I have decided will be the lucky recipients of my past moment of genius! Of course, I have to take into consideration the obvious age different in this situation, but I feel as though these younger students have the talent now that this piece warrants. I don't remember the exact choreography for the entire routine, and I have stopped myself several times from popping in the DVD to remind myself, mostly so that my approach can be fresh this time around. Same song, same concept, same brilliant sections, but an entirely new group of dancers this time around.

I'm not trying to justify my decision to do this, but I don't want to do wrong by my students either. I want them to be excited about new pieces of choreography for the year, keep the parents excited to watch them, and keep myself excited to work on it as well. Heck, I'm not even trying to pretend that I'm not doing it! But, how many teachers can honestly say that they've never re-used a piece of music and approached it with a mindset of doing things that maybe worked previously with that song... I'll bet no one!

I'm sure every dance teacher could talk themselves in circles around reasons for re-doing certain numbers, and maybe that's all I'm doing. But, this is my blog, so I'll justify whatever I want to myself! I will honestly say in regards to this issue that I don't think any piece of choreography is ever as good the second time around. I went to watch another competition last year, as I heard that a studio was going to re-do one of my favorite group pieces I had ever seen at a competition from two years ago. However, much to my disappointment, I did not like it the second time around. The concept and the song were the same, but there was just something magical missing in all aspects that made the dance have less impact and be less memorable. Maybe it was the new group of dancers they had performing it, or maybe even it was because I knew what was going to happen. The group was still fantastic as a whole and they did really well at competition, but I'm going to say not as well as it had previously done.

I don't think the general idea here is any different then what I'm planning on doing, but my intentions in doing so are not to try and match the success of any groups previously. I don't want to re-do that tap group to help myself win more choreography awards, or so the kids win more Overall Awards with it. I don't even really want people to be able to recognize that the group is the same, but maybe that's unavoidable! There are some competitions that have rules about winning Overalls at their competition with the same routine two years in a row, and that I fully respect. Luckily for me that's not an issue, but I'm sure it can be for some people.

At least if I'm going to win another Choreography Award for one of these groups it will still be my choreography that's awarded. If you're going to 'recycle' a group that you saw another studio do last year... well, that's a whole other pile of garbage!

"When You Were Young"

2010-07-27T17:03:00.003-04:00

I know it’s been a while, but I needed a quiet post-Nationals break without too much thinking… which unfortunately, hasn’t worked for me!

I am currently attending Coastal Dance Rage Summer Intensive here in Toronto and the talent here is just ridiculous! Everybody, who is anybody is here, and I’m really honored Shannon invited me here as a guest to be part of it all.

Sitting watching the Senior room right now I am reminded of a very interesting concern of mine, that is ever present in any and all workshops I have ever attended. It actually was an issue that came up while I was away at Nationals as well, so I promise this will all tie together in the end!

When we registered for Workshops at Nationals, the classes were split into two levels, Junior (12 & under) and Senior (13 & over), which is the norm. However, they always state that placement is at teacher’s discretion so the ages are just guidelines. Now I have some 11/12 year olds who I put in Senior level classes as I knew that they were mature enough to handle that level of a class. Then I also have some 11/12 year old students who I didn’t put in Senior level, which seemed to confuse some of the parents, but c’est la vie! Now, a few days in I had one mom come and ask me if their child could go and take the Senior Jazz class with their Junior bracelet… the answer was obviously no, but I found it interesting that she phrased it that way! What she meant to say was that her child didn’t want to go take class with the Junior level students as they felt they were too good to learn anything so they wanted to go take Senior level class with their friends. Well at least I’m pretty sure that’s what she meant to say!

Now, this is not such a big deal, and normally I would let students go take whatever level classes they wanted to, but it’s the attitude behind it that I have a major issue with. To me, the first sign that a dancer is finished really “learning” anything is when they deem themselves too good to take class with people who are younger than them, or not as advanced as they are. I wish someone had told me when I was younger that it wasn’t about how easy the combo was, but it is about what you do with that combo and take from the class that really is important. I understand that the whole 'coolness' thing kicks in for kids, and they want to dance with older students so they look really wicked, but is that really the reason you signed up to take a class?

So there were two resolutions to this issue I had at Nationals, either let this student go take Senior Jazz class or say just say no… and I said no! I figured there would be the same outcome either way, but how this dancer handled themselves would give me clear signals about their maturity in terms of dance. One, they would go to the Junior Class and basically stand in the back and act way too ‘cool’ to participate and learn to their fullest. Two, they would go to the Junior class, stand in the front and really work hard to prove to me and everybody else that they deserved to be moved up. Or three, they wouldn’t take any classes at all, almost in spite of my decision. And option three was their choice, which was a huge disappointment to me.

I had the same issue arise early last year with a student who no longer dances at my studio now. She declared herself too good to dance in a group with some of the other dancers she was in a Company with, so already on that note you know as a teacher that she won’t bring a positive energy to class… which makes her invaluable to any group! I guess all my lectures on attitude and class work ethic didn’t rub off on her yet. Why don’t kids understand that they can learn something, even from the simplest plie exercise? You should be constantly working on self-growth and development, as it is the only way to become a better dancer. It isn't about who you take class with, it's about what you do in class.

So back to today… the kids were split up here into 2 levels, Junior and Senior, which was still just a basic guideline. In the Senior classes there are several young girls, maybe 10/11 years old, who have deemed themselves too advanced for the Junior Room. However, they are now in a room with 300 Senior level students doing very mature combos, and they are having a hard time keeping up. They would have clearly been able to learn something in the Junior Room, and probably would have also gotten way more attention in there as there is only about 25% of the number of kids in there. I’m sure these kids think that they’re learning more, but the truth is that they’re not. They’re too busy worrying about picking up choreography to have time to fully listen to corrections or incorporate style as required. To me, these young dancers would have gained much more knowledge and improved their own dancing had they gone and taken class with dancers their own age. But maybe that’s a growth and maturity thing that I have a sense for now as a teacher.

One of the fabulous teachers here, Tokyo, talked to the Senior students here today about them being old enough to decide for themselves how much work they wanted to find in any class. Meaning, they can be the dancer who is sweating from the first warm up exercise, because they are finding so much to work on and strengthen in their own dancing. Or they can be the dancer who is skilled but just moving through class because they think they have it. He wanted them all to find more to work on themselves in every movement of his entire class, so that they were constantly working to their full potential regardless of how easy the tendue exercise is.

I second that emotion!

"This Year's Love"

2010-06-26T10:01:00.004-04:00

Well, it has almost been a week since our Recitals and I think I have really now had a chance to reflect on how truly successful they were. This isn't a brag blog today... well maybe a little. But I do put on one heck of a professional show for a studio!

Of course in the days following our shows I get tons of messages congratulating me, thanking me, and basically a whole lot of stroking my ego emails! However, I seem to get the same comments annually about wanting to see me dance in the show?!?!?!

This year for my Competitive/Teen Show I decided to hire some professional dancers to guest perform to help ease the need of the staff performing! In fact, one of my younger staff actually was one of the soloists, which was fantastic, but I guess that prompted everyone to think that I would be making some special appearance next... not going to happen!

I don't know how studio directors or anybody running Recitals can find time during a busy show to even worry about performing themselves. I'm concerned about the class on stage, pinning in the tiara of the next little class, cuing the lighting change and making sure everyone is in sync. I'm not saying that the show would fall apart without me for two and half minutes, but it's not something I want to add to my plate of things to do that day.

To be honest, I don't want to take the focus off of the kids by performing myself or having other people steal the spotlight. In our Recreational Recital this year I even had very few performances by our Competitive students. It's supposed to be a time where those respective parents can celebrate their child's accomplishments and enjoy them performing. Sure, I can do more pirouettes than a 10 year old, but does that really matter! I want the kids to feel like the stars, and I really don't need that self satisfaction anymore. I actually get more excited seeing the psyche screen change in exact unison with the music cue now!

I do realize that the parents at my studio wouldn't be judging me as a dancer if I did perform. It's not like they're going to tell me I was horrible! I even understand their curiosity and desire to see the staff perform... but I'm quick to remind them that I'm a teacher now. I teach their kids how to dance, so they can perform well on stage. It's a totally different state of mind, and one that has taken me a long time to embrace. For a lot of teachers/studio owners it might be the only time of year they ever get to perform, and I can understand that itch. However, I think I'm proud to say now that I have students who are exceptional enough dancers that no one is wondering how good I am. They know how good of a teacher I am, based on what they see on stage, and that's enough for me!

I feel really fulfilled about the shows that I put on this year, and now I have to start planning next year's show already! Maybe if I started practising now I'll be in good enough shape to dance next year... but don't count on it!

"Another Opening, Another Show"

2010-06-20T08:17:00.003-04:00

So it's 8:00am on the morning of our show and I've been awake for hours! I have the car packed, all of my stuff in order, and I even laid out my clothes last night just in case I missed my alarm and then had to rush out of the house. Well no such luck!

I'm excited for my upcoming shows over the next two days, but also really nervous. As a dance teacher working at a studio you can see how important a Recital is to all the students. However, as a studio owner you realize that your entire year and all your clients are depending on this one day to be outstanding! It's a whole different sort of pressure. I obviously deal with pressure by drinking a lot of red wine, and then not sleeping all night... but to each their own!

I realize the importance of this show as the first Recital for a lot of our younger students, who may just look back on this day when they're professional dancers as the beginning of it all! It's also just as important to the 12 year old Recreational Jazz student who has been anxiously awaiting to show off her new and improved split jumps on stage. And I know that a lot of my Competitive students view this as a fun type of show in comparison to a regular competition, but they're also looking to impress!

So, cross your fingers for me, that nobody wets their costume and the ring pops I purchased with suffice for crying 3 year olds backstage.

It's a tough job... but somebody's gotta do it!

"Hot Lunch Jam"

2010-06-13T20:29:00.013-04:00

Today I met up for a wonderful lunch date with two of my dance industry friends, Mitchell and Eryn. We had the most delicious meal complete with mimosas, eggs every way and a side of the best homefries in Toronto... oh, and the company was pretty good too!
I'll just do a little plug here for Insomnia as the place to be for brunch on a Sunday in downtown Toronto!

What's interesting about the three of us being friends is that we each bring such a unique perspective regarding the dance industry to the table... yet we all have the same goals and integrity in regards to it! I am a dance studio owner, who teaches and choreograph as part of owning a studio, while dabbling in adjudicating and choreography for others. Eryn is a free lance choreographer, who does teach at several studios, but concentrates her talents on professional choreography and has hopes of starting up her own company. And Mitchell is a teacher, who works at several studios, and is still working as a professional dancer. So, pretty much you're getting every perspective at one table!

We talk about our studio work and the kids we teach, but we talk equally as much about dance outside of the studio walls... for those of you who didn't think that existed! Being a studio owner I am very involved in every aspect of my studio, where as Eryn and Mitchell are both employees of studios who can walk in, teach, and then walk out. It's not saying they're not emotionally attached, but we are coming from different angles in relation to topics regarding the dance studio business. What I like about talking to these two is that I get to hear their interpretation of a lot of my decisions and learn other ideas from different studios they teach at. It's really enlightening, and I generally walk away feeling really motivated to do great things!

I'm not clear on how the conversation started regarding hiring teachers for my upcoming summer intensive, but it did, and we found ourselves equally as aggravated in this regard. I get a lot of inquiries and resumes every spring from people who are looking to teach at summer intensives, or offering their services out for workshops at my studio. I also get a lot of contacts for things like this through Mitchell, as I know his phone is a dance rolodex! I started throwing out names of some of the people that I had spoken to, or whom had contacted me and I realized they all had one thing in common... they weren't actually teachers!

I don't mean that they've never taught a class before necessarily, but these people are all young dancers making the most of their recent fame. I would say I've spoken to or been put in contact with a half dozen people recently who have all been on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. That's kind of cool right! As a business owner I'm going with the idea that having these people teach at my studio automatically draws more students. Kids want to take class from that dancer they saw perform on television, and that would give me an edge popularity wise. Then the dance educator side of me says, WAIT! The majority of these people are very young, 19 or 20 years old, and really don't have any teaching credentials to bring to the table, they were just dancers on the show. That doesn't automatically make someone a great choreographer or teacher, does it?

Neither Eryn or Mitchell disagreed with the fact that as a business owner they can see the selling feature of coming from a popular television program. So You Think You Can Dance has done great things for our industry, and for that we are all grateful. However, it also comes with a price to those of us who are helping to educate the next generation of young dancers. My major hesitation in hiring all of these people is due to the fact that their teaching rate is completely beyond my budget. I had one 19 year old female dancer from the show tell me that her rate for teaching at my studio was $400/hour. Maybe someone out there doesn't think that's unreasonable, but in comparison to professional teachers and choreographers that I have had teach at my studio I don't even know what to say to that. In my opinion, Eryn is one of the best freelance studio teachers and choreographers we have here in Toronto and besides her rate being well below that, I also know what I'm getting. I'm getting a seasoned teacher in my studio who has put in the work before class to make sure that my students will gain something from her class, besides learning a cool combo. She watches them during the entire class, makes corrections, develops a relationship with them, and helps them grow as dancers. It goes back to one of my main issues with hiring professional 'dancers' as teachers in my studio in general. I'm not really that interested in your fame or your personal dancing abilities, but I'm mostly interested in what you can teach my students.

I will be the first to admit that dance on television has produced some amazing choreographers who were on shows originally as dancers. I'm not saying that you can't be good at both, but becoming a great teacher and choreographer takes as much work and dedication as it did for you to become that talented dancer. Teaching is a skill... some people have it, and some don't. If you're a choreographer who is looking to use a type of television program to launch your career by you dancing on it, then that's your choice. Eryn made a bold statement to me that she won't ever be auditioning for anything as a dancer, as that is not her path or ultimate goal.

As studio owners, I think we need to sit back for a second and really decide what we are saying when we hire dancers like this to teach in our studios. Are you hiring them to get more business at your studio? Or, did you really just never think about the fact that they might not be the greatest teacher to have in! Admit it, you were starstruck too! I have learned that in general I can hire two or even three really great teachers to come to my summer intensive for the same price as one of these really great dancers from a tv show. So then I have to decide what is most important to me as a dance studio owner, but also as a dance educator... since I do harness both roles. Now, maybe a $400/hour teaching rate is what these people think they deserve, and I can respect that. But, maybe it should just make all of the freelance teachers rethink their rates. I know it made Eryn think about hers!

Regardless of whether I hire some of these people or not, there are lots of other studios who will. These dancers also need to find work beyond dancing on television, and I can see how teaching/choreographing is a popular path to explore. However, I also don't think it's fair to consider every great dancer a great teacher. I will probably hire one of these popular dancers for my summer intensive this year, but I have also hired 7 or 8 professional teachers/choreographers for the week as well. That way I can fulfill everybody's needs. I'm giving the kids a little bit of what they want... but also giving them a lot of what they need! I hope that this professional dancer will inspire the kids in a totally different way than a regular teacher might be able to. They will have stories and experiences to share with them that I will never have, and for that I see it's value. It's a fine line to navigate, and I think that as the dance industry grows in popularity and stature we are all still trying to find our way. But, if you are a professional dancer who is looking to transition into teaching, or even if you just want to make some extra money to fund your dance career, read my previous blog about selling yourself as a teacher!

So after a wonderful four hour lunch date I was full of yummy food and new a found pool of information about many issues. I think it would be refreshing for a lot of people who have labelled themselves in the dance industry to talk through their ideas or concerns with people coming from another angle. Even if you don't see eye to eye with someone else on every issue, you can at least say that you had a great mimosa. Besides, everybody can make a good point after a few mimosas!

"Put It In A Love Song"

2010-06-03T09:32:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again... the month where I put out ads looking for new teachers and get hundreds of resumes sent to my inbox!

I'm trying to get a faculty together for September now so that I can utilize the summer to really form relationships with these new staff while getting them on board with my studio philosophies. It will also help me sleep a bit better at night knowing that my classes are all taken care of when I have Early Registration in June!

I always post an ad on a website in Toronto that plays hosts to teachers and dancers a like looking for work. It's a really useful website and I'm happy to pay my membership fees to every year so that I have access to posting ads and meeting new people. Then almost immediately that day I'll receive dozens of resumes, head shots and bios from people looking for work.

I find it really easy to sift through them at first glance. I weed out out the dancers, who are looking for a teaching gig to help pay the bills. Those are the people I know are not going to be dedicated to my studio or really teaching the students, since they're still concerned with their own dance careers. You know... those 'teachers' that spend the entire class doing every move full out and only watching themselves in the mirror! Teaching is about educating the kids who are in that class, and that's the kind of person I'm looking to hire! I quote Rhee Gold on this one, "the weaker you become as a dancer, the better you are as a teacher!"

If you're applying for a specific type of job in any field, why don't you tailor your resume for that. Kind of like when you apply for a job at The Gap, let's say. You want to show that you have experience in retail or customer service, and some knowledge or comfort in fashion. So when you're applying to a studio as a dance teacher, why don't you focus your resume on your teaching/choreography skills. I don't care that you were a dancer in the cruise ship version of "The Pyjama Game", and neither will the kids in your class. If those experiences on the cruise ship have led you to become a better teacher, let me know about that. I'm not interested in how many pirouettes you can do, but how many you can teach the students to do!

I get a lot of resumes with an objective at the top, basically stating what they are looking to achieve. If your objective in applying for a teaching job is something like, looking to become a working professional dancer, that's a red flag to me. Try something more like, looking for a teaching job where I can apply my years of knowledge and experiences as a dancer to better the education of my students. Then I will get in touch with you for an interview!

So when you hire somebody for a teaching job, do you have them come in and teach a class for you? You should! It doesn't make sense to me any other way. I want to see how you teach, I want to see your style, I want to see your objective as a teacher first hand, and I want to see if you will be a good fit in my studio. Just sitting down with you over coffee and going through your resume tells me nothing. I'm going to be paying this person a lot of money every week to come in and teach students how to dance, so I want to see you in action before I sign a contract with you. I've been hired for several teaching jobs in my life where teaching a class was not part of the criteria. Luckily for those people I am a really great teacher, but they didn't know that when they hired me! People can sometimes be impressed with what studio you trained at, who you've taken classes from, or what competition awards you have won, but I'm not.

Most importantly in terms of interviewing prospective teachers at your studio I think you should offer them a bit of a challenge. I get a lot of people wanting to come in every year and work with only the competitive students. I get it, they're easier to teach, they're more advanced, they learn quicker... I hear ya! But, at my studio I've logged the hours to get those kids to that level and you're not just going to come in and choreograph routines for them. You have to earn those stripes with me! Letting a prospective teacher do a class with your Senior/Advanced Competitive class is actually not going to tell you anything about their teaching skills. They'll just do a combo, and the kids will probably make it look good. I want this teacher to come in and teach my Junior Jazz Class of 7-9 year olds who need discipline in class, structure and 100% of the attention. Let's see how good of a teacher you really are! You keep those kids amused and enthusiastic about learning for an hour then I really know what you'll be able to accomplish with the more advanced students.

At my studio I am personally looking to hire people who have expertise in at least one style of dance, but who can also teach other styles. I have a Ballet Teacher at my studio who teaches all the ballet classes. That way I know there is consistency across the board and I'm getting the same level of classes for every age. Some studios may have the luxury of having more than 1 great ballet teacher, but I'm a firm believer that somebody should be the leader of that group. Maybe that's the studio owner, or Artistic Director, but maybe even you can have 1 of the ballet teachers in charge of the others who sets the tone. So, when I'm hiring teachers I want to know what you're really great at teaching. You can't be a jack of all traits, but a master of none! If you bring several styles and skills to the table, it makes you more appealing to hire. My ballet teacher is also an amazing jazz and tap teacher, but that is not her focus. So, when I ask you what you are looking to teach, don't just say, I'll teach anything! It makes me think you're actually not sure of what your strengths are. Be clear, state the truth, and be proud of it.

I always write in my ads that my studio is looking to hire teachers for both Recreational and Competitive level classes, who are strong teachers and can choreograph as necessary. That way I feel I'm being open to the different types of people who can apply, so I can be more selective. I have yet to receive a resume or teaching reel highlighting to me that somebody enjoys teaching Recreational students, but I'm not really shocked about that. When you send me your choreography/teaching reel, know that I'm not looking to hire just a choreographer, or I would have just put out an ad for that. I'm looking for a teacher who can choreograph, for all levels (key point here!) I'm glad that you can choreography a foitee turn section to go with the music for a Senior Company, but that's not impressive to me. Why don't you show me a DVD of what the routine of this group of kids looked like 2 years ago and where you have gotten them to now. That's impressive to me... really impressive! If you've taught them strong technique, gotten them to progress really quickly and showed improvement with your choreography, then I want you on my staff. You're an asset to me and my studio. Maybe I should be more specific when putting out an ad, but I bet I'd still get the same number of resumes regardless.

In my opinion I think people need to be more creative when it comes to applying for teaching jobs. I probably just gave away a great tool there in presenting videos showing what you've done with a group of kids over a year, so hopefully someone will do that for me this year. I'd love for someone to walk into my studio with some originality, enthusiasm for what the prospects of my studio bring, and be happy that they get to show off how great of a teacher they are. I actually had one teacher once come in and hand me an invoice for them teaching for that hour of the interview right away. I don't normally pay a teacher coming in for an interview, since I don't know of any job interview where they pay you to go in and apply. I know some people might disagree with me on that one, but that's my opinion about it. If someone let's me know in advance that they do charge for teaching interview classes I am generally more than happy to accommodate them within reason, but I tend to steer away from that.

It's really telling to me when I ask someone what their expected pay rate per hour is. Of course, I get varying answers each year, but you as a teacher should know what you think you're worth. Don't just say, I'm open to whatever. Decide what you think your teaching is worth, or what your bottom line is at least. What is the minimum amount of money you feel you deserve per hour? For everyone that will vary, but it's a good thing to at least know. Are you going to be travelling far to work, gas money, transit money, planning time outside of class, it all ads up, so know your bottom line that includes all of that taken into consideration.

As an employer I don't like people who are uncertain of themselves or wishy-washy with their answers. It's not like the questions I'm going to ask you are so out there I've thrown you off guard. If you're going to a teaching interview they're going to ask you about your past experiences in dance, maybe your favorite/most challenging teaching moment, what your schedule is like and what you want to be paid. Know the answers to those questions! I've even started asking people those types of questions in response to their emails right upfront, or on the phone before I meet them. I like to get that kind of stuff out of the way, so when they come in they can focus on teaching the class and I already know in the back of my head what the answers are. That way I'm not shocked afterwards by your answers and I haven't mis lead you in terms of my studio expectations and what I have to offer you.

That's not saying I haven't received a few great resumes lately, but they are few and far between. This isn't meant to hurt the feelings of people who might have recently sent me a resume, but the reality is that this is a job like any other and I'm looking for some professionalism. Just because you're a dancer does not excuse you from having a proper resume. For me, I'm not biased when it comes to the age or sex of the teacher applying, I am just looking for quality people. You can be 19 or 39 for that matter and what is still the most important thing to me is that you love teaching and you have skills to bring to the table that can benefit my studio. It's not necessarily the person with the most experience on paper either, which a lot of people can confuse with skills. Maybe you've taught at 17 different studios for a reason, you can't keep a job at any of them!

I will share with you the best line I recently received in an email with a resume attached, applying for a job at my studio... I saw your studio competing at competition this year and I knew that I had to be a part of your teaching staff. Your students were well trained, you had great choreography and I loved their passion for dance. I think I have a lot of skills and experience to share with your students of all ages, but I also would love a chance to learn under you as a choreographer. Please find attached my resume, including words from my former employer, current and former students and their parents regarding my classes and my dedication to them.

Flattery won't always get you noticed, but I'll just point out that this teacher is coming in for an interview next week... just sayin'!

"100% Pure Love"

2010-05-31T00:32:00.005-04:00

I know it's late here in Toronto, but I needed to share some pure awesomeness as quickly as I could!

Our Company photographer Greg Tjepkema just emailed me some rough copies of 2 pictures to wet my taste buds tonight...

Above is one of our Lyrical Groups entitled "Bird Girl", and the other picture is of 13 year old Savanah in her Jazz Solo costume! I mean, I loved both of these numbers regardless of what the pictures would have turned out like... but I think I just found a whole new appreciation for my work!

I'm going to need to find a mop quickly to clean up my drool off the floor!

"We Belong Together"

2010-05-30T11:05:00.005-04:00

So yesterday was insane... which for those of you who don't follow cool lingo, means really great!

We had an unbelievable photo shoot downtown for our Company students with Greg Tjepkema and I can't wait to share the photos with everyone. I really tried to push the envelope this year, so I can stay a step ahead of everyone following in my footsteps! We used a gorgeous row house as a backdrop, an abandon train, the hood of my car and pretty much any cool place we could find to create magic. We did head shots for all the kids, and decided to get a 'dance shot' of each of them in all black on a white brick background. We got all of our group shots done in all various places and then we finished up at the beach in water with balloons and climbing trees. It was a lot work, but it was worth it!

Then we decided that after the Photo Shoot would be a perfect time to have our annual Company end of year BBQ Pool Party. We always have several get togethers a year for our Companies, including a Christmas Party, but everyones favorite is always at the end of the year. We are all done our competition season and everyone can really let loose and have fun. Were lucky enough to have a great family in the Bellchambers at our studio who lets us use their house every year. They have a big backyard with a heated pool, a hot tub and a fire pit, so the kids are amused for hours. The dads BBQ, the kids run around and the moms work on their contemporary dancing while all the staff enjoy the show!

Now in the past when we have had Company parties with everyone included it has always seemed a bit disjointed. The older kids would always hang out together in a separate area of the backyard then the younger kids. They would hide up in small groups in bedrooms upstairs and it just didn't seem like a big group atmosphere. And to be honest, I never really noticed it was like that until I experienced how different our party was yesterday!

There was one point in the evening when every kid from our studio was there and every parent was as well, including my own parents. Everyone was gathered out on the deck while every kid was in the pool together, from age 5 to 18. The moms were doing a Rockette line and the kids this time were cheering on their parents instead of being totally embarrassed by them. We started a fire and all the kids gathered to roast marshmallows and make smores. I went down to help them out only to find the Senior girls handing out the supplies and making the smores for the younger kids. The Inter kids were all roasting marshmallows for the Juniors and everyone was sitting in each other's laps around the fire.

I went back up to the deck and sat down with a group of parents spanning all the Companies and commented on how nice this was... they all quickly agreed. A parent who has been with my studio for many years commented on how great the atmosphere was and how happy she could see her daughter was. I guess sometimes you forget how much an 8 year old at your studio really idolizes a 13 year old. Just being able to ride on their back in the pool or to share a marshmallow with them around a fire really makes them feel included and special. I'm sure you can all understand how a younger student can look up to an older student as a dancer, but can you say the same about them as people? Yesterday I could say that I had 32 kids who all felt special and included, as well as about 50 parents who could not have been happier with that reality.

We leave for our Nationals trip in about 4 weeks and now I could not be more excited. The parents planned an evening out in Rhode Island, while the older kids agreed to babysit for the night. We also decided to have a bonfire at the beach the night before we all leave and I know that every family will be happy to participate. Nationals would have been exciting regardless, but now that everybody is more familiar with each other, it will bring an entirely new element of fun to the trip.

Maybe it's the combination of people at your studio in a year, or the group of kids you have at one point, but I feel it all kind of coming together for us right now. It won't necessarily effect the way the kids dance at Nationals, but I don't think how they perform will necessarily be what they remember most about our trip. They're going to remember the sleepover party they all had crammed in one room, swimming all together in the pool, and improv dancing on the beach at night. I like having meals out with the parents and I enjoy sitting by the pool having a Mojito with whomever is around. I'm glad that I can enjoy studio activities with all the families instead of just encouraging them all to do things together and not being included. It's also nice that I can be involved in all the fun and still be shown respect. After all, you can't really respect somebody that you don't really know!

"Picture Perfect"

2010-05-27T23:32:00.006-04:00

So tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the entire year... Company Picture Day!

Now, normally I detest picture day at the studio. Every student in our entire studio in and out of the building at least once, including the entire entourage they show up with. Loose sparkles from one end of my studio to the next, bobby pins everywhere that clog my vacuum, and of course parents think it's the day to address every other issue they have. I loathe the forth coming of Picture Day every year... which is why this year I have opted out of it!

Instead, we are offering a professional photographer on site at our Recitals with a photo booth set up in the lobby area. Students can then have individual pictures done there at their leisure and parents can preview and order everything right there on the computer screens. We are also offering stage shots of every one of our classes, just like they do at competitions. That way were helping people to preserve those really special moments on stage that you can't duplicate. I feel as though it's a really great compromise to having Picture Day, which I know a lot of parents don't enjoy either, especially while the weather is so nice on the weekends.

However, I do like the pictures that come out of all of this, so I have found a suitable compromise to satisfy my needs!

Last year I hired a friend of mine, photographer Greg Tjepkema to do some more professional like photographs for the Competitive Team. I was tired of the same old poses in lines, in front of a grey cloud background in the studio... and I'm sure the kids and parents were as well. So, we rented out Berkley Church in downtown Toronto instead for an evening and decided to take advantage of the natural settings and the beautiful architecture. It ended up turning out better than I could have ever imagined!

We only took a bunch of our Intermediate & Senior student last year to try it out and see what would happen. We did a quick sitting for all of the kids to have some head shots done, instead of doing a solo picture in every group costume. We did all of our group pictures in various locations around the building and we tried to get some really special shots that took a lot longer to process, but turned out beautifully. I tried to make the pictures more like art, so people could be proud to show them off to their friends, and frame them on their walls as more than just another dance routine photo.

One of the great things about it was that a bunch of the kids actually needed head shots done to send to the National competition we were attending for the Title Competition. So it was kind of like killing two birds with one stone. They got a few shots taken, then Greg touched them up and we sent in what looked like head shots worth hundreds of dollars. We are doing the same again this year with the head shots, as about 7 of the kids need them for the Title Competition again this summer at our Nationals, so I make a lot of parents happy by taking care of that for them!

We have planned to do this again this year with Greg, but with our entire Competitive Team now, and we have moved to a different location. We've rented out a loft downtown for the day, where we have access to a great indoor space, but there are also a lot of outdoor areas to take advantage of around it. A really extraordinary picture day like this requires a lot of planning so we have already organized a lot of group shots before we get there. However, some of the greatest pictures last year came from the kids doing some improv around the space and Greg just snapping shots of them as they went. We'll do quite a bit of this on the fly, but I do have a concrete idea in my head of what I'm looking to accomplish before I get there.

Check out some of our pictures from our 2009 Company Photo shoot!

I have recently noticed online that a lot of my dance teacher friends have also started to get creative with their studio pictures and are having them professionally done. I'm glad that I may have inspired people to take another approach to something that might seem so insignificant in the grand scheme of the year, but these pictures do represent an entire year of work and growth in the kids. I take a lot of pride in showing off these pictures as a representation of my studio and how creative I can be with all aspects of what I offer. Sometimes it's the little things that you can do differently in your own studio that really shows people that you care and can set you apart.

When I look back at these pictures years from now I will be reminded of the great routines I choreographed and the wonderful kids I worked with. And even if the routine wasn't that great, at least I have a really nice picture to convince myself otherwise!

"The Moment I Said It"

2010-05-17T22:41:00.004-04:00

I guess I was writing my blog about the "Single Ladies" jazz group as the entire world was watching them on tv! Well this video has clearly stirred up more controversy in the dance world than I have ever seen, and the only practical conversation I've heard about it is regarding who to blame here.

I saw this blog posted on Twitter about the controversy and I actually have to say that I think this writer hits the nail pretty close to the head. It really isn't the fault of the kids, the parents, the teachers or the competition. Everyone is just doing what they were told to do in order to be successful in the dance industry. She than goes on to blame dance on television, which I think is a bit of a stretch here, but she's heading in the right direction. She's saying it is the fault of mainstream dance... but honestly, who really is mainstream dance?

It got me thinking about a conversation I seem to be having a lot lately with parents in my studio regarding who is making decisions for the dance industry? Well hold on to your hats here people... but nobody is the ruler of all things when it comes to dance!

I'm not trying to start up a discussion about whether or not I think dance is a sport versus art, but when I am talking about dance competitions I approach it with a sport mentality. We train the kids and then they compete against other kids, which mimics the sports of soccer or hockey. However, in all other sports, and even some fields of art, there is a "governing body" or an association that is in charge per say. For instance, in hockey the NHL is of course the ultimate goal for hockey players, but there are sanctioned leagues run by the hockey association that determines teams based on ages and abilities. They are all accustom to the same standards and rules across the board, to keep some sort of flow and consistency. In figure skating, they have Skate Canada, which is organization that all skating rinks pay dues to in order to coach by their standards, etc, etc. Even in piano lessons, they have a standard set of levels, books and testing to go by. You don't have to learn/teach piano lessons by the grade levels, but it is how you can achieve the same certificate for a level as a fellow piano player on the other side of the country would.

It has become painfully obvious that in the dance industry there are actually no rules, no standards and no one telling anybody else that what they can or cannot do. A lot of dance parents actually don't seem to know these kinds of facts... so here they are! Every competition (like every dance studio) is individually owned and therefore, comes up with their own set of rules and standards. So if this dance in question is deemed inappropriate by one competition and thus is disqualified, that same group can still go and win Overall High Score at another competition. Let's just call a spade a spade here - the dance industry is open for anybody to make money in, and what it boils down to at the end of the day is money. Anybody can make a buck in this industry, but the successful ones can make a lot more.

Enter John Smith, a 30-something fresh out of dental school who opens up a dance studio because he sees an opportunity to make money, even though he has no previous dance experience. He advertises some fun classes in a really fancy building with large studios and a "state-of-the-art" sound systems. He puts some funky letters beside his name denoting that he obviously know what he's doing and then parents will think he does so they pay money to send their kids there. They will pay for lessons for ten years or so and then their kid will go audition for SYTYCD and will be one of the people Nigel politely tells on tv to "go ask your teacher for a refund!"

I had a new parent once come into my studio during Registration and ask to see the credentials of all of my staff that would be working with their daughter. I looked at him and asked in return, "sure, what kind of credentials are you looking for?" Well he wanted dance teaching credentials obviously... so I elaborated, "what sort of credentials do you think it takes to teach dance?" I don't think he appreciated my sarcasm, but the truth of the matter is that they came from another dance studio where they were told that their exam syllabus association were the people who had to give me a piece of my paper saying that I am able to teach dance. Or maybe this other dance studio truly believes that themselves!

So, I'm going to say something now that will shock a lot of parents... the whatever Association of Dance that you pay money to every year to examine your kid, is run by a group people just making money off the dance industry, similar to everybody else. They are not the knowers-of-all-things-dance-teacher related and nor do they distinguish who is a successful dance teacher or choreographer. They are people who set up a syllabus of exercises, sold it to studios to train their kids with, and then charge studios and parents alike to basically be judged on the work, kind of like a dance competition would. The idea works in theory, as it does in a lot of other sports, but there are more than 6 dance exam associations that I could name you off the top of my head with opposing dance ideals... so their goes that theory!

We are all entrepreneurs in the dance industry, which I have no problem with, but I don't like that we can't be honest about it. We cannot just hide behind titles or certificates if we really want to make a change in this industry and set some standards. It has to come from everyone, and unfortunately when were dealing with millions of entrepreneurs, it probably won't happen. Someone will always be selling what you won't, or be doing what you don't agree with, and thus someone will always be willing to pay them for that. I'm not saying it won't happen, but it's going to take something catastrophic to bring an industry so vastly large together when it comes to standards.

Now, I am not pro or against this young group of dancers making headlines, as maybe the dance industry has made me so desensitized when it comes to appropriateness. Much like in life, we all have a different set of standards that we live our lives by. What one parents might deem as too young to wear half tops on stage, is not a common consensus. What one dance studio is telling their parents will win a dance competition, might disgust another dance studio. But, that's also beauty about it all... you get to decide. Not the people producing So You Think You Can Dance, or America's Best Dance Crew, or not even the people responsible for all those music videos supposedly inspiring these types of dances. They are all allowed to put dancers on television in whatever costumes they want, and do whatever kind of sexy moves they want, but you don't have to! No one said that was the all aspiring highest achievement of dance you want your kids to mimic, or do we just assume it is since it's on tv?

I really do think it's great that the small world of dance competitions is getting such media attention, but I just wish it wasn't for this one controversial episode. A lot of people unfamiliar to the dance industry only know about it what they do see on television, and now we might have completely deterred any of them away from ever letting their kids take dance classes at a local studio. I'm not saying that I have all of the answers here, but because this industry is so open and seemingly accepting, I am able to write a blog pretending that I do!

What I do know for certain about this entire situation, is that this studio that has come under so much heat lately is probably laughing all the way to the bank from all this publicity... and I'm sitting at home with a glass of wine wondering why that 7 year old in my tap class still can't do buffalos after an entire year of classes. Guess I better return my 'can be a dance teacher' certificate!

"Paparazzi"

2010-05-13T09:43:00.008-04:00

If I showed you this YouTube video of these young dancers, what would be your first reaction? "Single Ladies" - Jazz Group

I had seen this video posted on Facebook by a friend about a month ago and I was the first to comment in return that I wanted to be in this dance! As a dance teacher and choreographer I was in shock of the skill level of these 7 & 8 year old kids. I know a lot of my 'dance teacher friends' might disagree with me on this one... but that's the beauty of this topic!

This morning I read a tweet by Gayle King (who is better known as Oprah's BFF!) posting this article about the same group and asking if it was too much? I'm going to assume this is a topic of interest on Oprah Radio and it seems to be getting a lot of web attention from many sources. I can't say that I'm really shocked that people may find this dance offensive, but I'm surprised that this video is the one to really threw everyone over the edge about appropriateness at dance competitions. So, I figured if Gayle King was talking about this dance, than I should be too!

Over the years I have seen countless routines at dance competitions where 'age appropriateness' should be in question. As much as people might be disgusted by a young group of kids "gyrating" on stage, so they call it, I am equally offended by a 13 year old dancer performing a "rape" lyrical solo in a black bra and underwear. I think it's literally the same thing! Disagree with me all you want, but it's not my choice if this group of kids performs to "Single Ladies" in bra tops and knee highs and wins at a competition. My students don't have routines like this, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it for what it is!

As a dance studio owner I spend a lot of time worrying about what I think is 'appropriate' in terms of routines, costumes and music at my studio in general. But the same part of me is also applauding the choreographer of this routine, as I don't know how she got this group of young dancers to perform like that. Now, whether or not it would be acceptable to the parents at my studio is another story... but I can't worry about that! How parents at any other studio feel about this dance is really only relative to what you're doing as a studio owner. If your parents feel strongly about the in-appropriateness of this routine then you should feel satisfied as a studio owner knowing that your parents are happy with what you are doing with their children and leave it at that. I know for a fact that this isn't the first time this studio has been in some YouTube controversy over age-appropriateness of one of their dances, but the reality is that their students keep coming back, they keep improving, and they keep producing really great routines year after year. Are the teachers at this studio just pushing the envelope? Or are they trying to be shocking? Either way, everything about this dance was the choice of the teacher/studio, who are probably loving all this attention!

Now if you attend a dance competition where they don't have rules about age-appropriateness or enforce their rules about it than that's your perogative. However, I know as an adjudicator I would not necessarily put up a stink about disqualifying this group for shaking their hips, but that is just my opinion. I would say that this routine would be a welcome change at a competition to the multiple jazz solos to "Paper Moon" that probably preceded it. Aren't we all just trying to make our kids stand out at competitions so that the judges are entertained and remember them? Maybe they went a bit too far in trying to do that, but they did try. If you are a studio owner or teacher who is completely put off by this routine winning at a competition... find a new competition to go to!

I know that my group of Mini competitive dancers will not be doing a routine like this on stage next year, neither will my Intermediate students for that matter, but it doesn't mean I look down on anybody who does. I think Dance Precision is an amazing studio, producing very talented dancers and thus I have a lot of respect for the teachers and choreographers at their studio. Sure, these costumes are a bit revealing, but I see kids this age in costumes just like this at competitions every weekend. The only difference normally being that the kids are doing skips and hitchy-coo ball changes, which I guess in turn makes leather bra tops and shorts more appropriate!

"My Same"

2010-04-22T13:26:00.005-04:00

This past weekend I got a call on Sunday morning from my mother telling me to meet her in Mississauga in exactly 1 hour to watch my sister's basketball game. Luckily for her I was actually up and dressed, so making the 45 minute hike out there was within reason. Normally I would have no interest in going and watching a kid's basketball game on my only day off in 3 months, but I figured I better fulfill my big sister role and go and support!

Now this wasn't just an ordinary game, or else I'm sure I would not have received a phone call about it. My sister coaches an OBA (Ontario Basketball Association) team in Cambridge for girls in grades 7-8, and they had made it to the Gold medal game of the Provincial tournament. This was sort of like their "dance-off at Nationals" game, as I have to equate everything to dance for it to make sense!

My sister is one of those jack-of-all-traits people, which is the complete opposite of me! She seems to be good at everything she does whereas I'm only good at dance and anything related to dance, so I'll just stick with that. My sister danced competitive when she was younger, but then her vast interest in many activities made her stop when she was in high school. She played basketball, volleyball, and every other sport in school. She was an avid horseback rider, she sang in several choirs and even dabbled in wrestling for a while! She's had many professions and I'm actually just convinced once she's good at something she just gets bored of it and moves on.

This year she started coaching this specific team of girls who had not had much success in winning games over the past few years. When they first started going to tournaments this season winning was a surprise for them, but my sister and I are related, so losing is not something she is accustom to! For those girls basketball is the most important thing they do, as to my competitive students, dancing is what they live for. I was actually informed during the game that my sister had even been sick earlier that morning from her nerves, which was a shock to me. I thought my sister could handle her nervous energy better than that, but then I remembered how long it took me to really take a less aggressive approach with myself when it came to dance competitions. It was of major importance to her, and all the girls on the team, to win that game and I have to respect that in the end.

There were so many similar things going on at this game in comparison to my weekends at a dance competition, which I guess I should have expected. I actually found myself chuckling a lot at these 'stage parents' yelling instructions from the bleachers to their kids on the court. "Eye on the ball", which I assumed was an obvious thing as they are playing basketball. There was a lot of team bonding going on, and of course refs making poor calls, or at least poor calls when it was against the team you were cheering for. Much like a judge at a dance competition who obviously under scored your kid!

For that kind of game, much like it is at a dance competition, as a coach you kind of just have to step back and let them do what they're going to do. You can't change anything at that point, or teach them things you should have earlier on in the year. Now I might not have any basketball skills myself, but I do know that defence is what wins basketball games. Luckily my sister had an aggressive defensive strategy that day for her team and it ended up winning the game for them. It was a low scoring game, which didn't help much for my attentiveness through four periods, but I do have to appreciate how hard both teams played. It's much like when my sister comes to watch dance competitions that my students are in. She may have been away from the inner workings of the dance industry for a long time, but she can still respect good dancing and quality choreography.

During the medal presentation one of the parent's from my sister's team yelled out "3 cheers for coach Randy" as they were presenting her with her medal. One of the kids presented her with flowers and they all flocked to her in admiration of what she had helped them achieve. I felt really proud in that moment that my sister was having the same positive effect on these kids that I feel I do at my studio. It was like a deja vu moment for me, as I remember at our first competition this year being given flowers from a parents thanking me for the work I had done with her daughter. My sister was then awarded the tournament champions plaque and my mom leaned over to me and said, "it's just like when you will all those choreography awards!"

My sister got slightly emotional when congratulating her team and they all gathered together for a group picture with their awards. It's funny how basketball and dance can be so different, yet still have the same affect on kids and the competitive spirit...

If you look really closely, it's exactly like a picture I took at our competition only 2 weeks ago...

Looks like being #1 kind of runs in the family!

"Blah Blah Blah"

2010-04-07T11:50:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share some exciting news with everyone today!

I got a really great email this morning from a lady named Carol who wanted to let me know that her website has featured my blog as one of the 50 Best Blogs for Dance Students.

I am kind of shocked, but totally honored about it, so now I'm feeling a little more motivated to write more frequently while in the midst of this competition season! I really appreciate that you all take the time to read my little blog, and I'm glad I can be of help to my fellow dance teachers, studio owners, and now more dance students and parents. I don't ever write with just dance studio owners in mind, but I know that what I'm generally saying can resonate with all people in the dance industry.

Thanks everyone for all the kind emails and notes regarding my blog and for passing it along to others!

If you ever have something you want me to write about, or give you my opinion about, just let me know. I'll be open and honest about my thoughts... so enter at your own risk!

"The Chain"

2010-04-07T00:38:00.005-04:00

You know those 17 pages of rules you get from competitions every year? Do you read them?

I generally scan through them in search of key words, like "tricks" or "lifts", that will help me determine which category to put a dance in. How many "tricks" can we have in a Jazz routine at this competition versus this competition? The thought of reading that many rules makes me wish that all competitions had the same rules... but then what fun would that be for me!!!

Aside from the rules, I think there is a general stereotype or protocol we have all come to expect when we attend dance competitions, especially when it comes to dance categories. Hip-hop routines are to fast-paced booty-poppin' songs, ballet music can't have words, and putting a walkover in a jazz solo makes it an 'open' dance! Now, this whole new 'contemporary' category has really thrown every one for a loop! Most competitions this year define contemporary as a modern based dance style that includes improvisation and lyrical 'like' qualities. Perfect... thanks for clearing that up for me! I guess that's what we get when we have dance parents running competitions and writing their own category descriptions.

Now, when I go to competitions I don't see a lot of improvisation routines. A select few competitions offer a type of improv category, which I always enter my students in, but not very many other people do. I have stated in the past my sincere appreciation and love of improvisation as a learning and teaching tool in my classes, so why not take it to the next level!

I have a small group this year of 4 students, ages 11 & 12, who are doing a structured improvisation group. I actually came up with the idea one night while listening to a song at the studio. I tied an elastic chain around their waists on the fly and made them improv through the music. From there, I set some serious structure around the musical highlights and gave them a set beginning and ending... the rest, is up to them! It kind of worries me to let students of this age improv their way through a group on stage, but what's the worst that could seriously happen?

I entered this group in the 'contemporary' category, since I figured I was at least following some rules that way. It includes improv, and it is to a lyrical 'like' song! This might not be my group this year that is the best received by other studios or judges at competition, but maybe they don't share my appreciation of improvisational dancing. I did want to share some stage shots of this group from our first competition, to maybe inspire somebody else to do the same at their studio.

I don't think you should necessarily name the group "Improv", since those of us who are educated enough in dance, and open enough to accept the routine, will get it. And does it really matter if people know it's improv? Does that change how you or the kids feel about the dance itself? I sure hope not... cause then you might miss out on some amazing moments on stage that even a great choreographer can't mimic.

So take the chains off that limit you to following the descriptions that a competition sets. They aren't the knower-of-all-things!

Try something new, that maybe in turn helps give your students some creative freedom to parallel their technical training. Trust them... you have trained them!

"Both Sides Now"

2010-04-03T20:45:00.004-04:00

So I get to work with a lot of very talented kids on a weekly basis, but I sometimes forget what great people some of them are outside of the studio!

I have a Senior level competitive student, Carly, who is in her last year of high school and therefore, her last year of dancing competitively at my studio. Carly only started dancing a few years ago, so her dance experience at my studio has been very different than many others.

I know for a lot of 17/18 year old kids at studios that dance obviously plays a very important role in their lives or they wouldn't be there! By that age, kids can decide if they want to commit to competitive dance, or if there are other relevant things in their life that demand as much of their attention. Most kids that age also have part-time jobs in preparation for University, or find themselves very bogged down with school work and extra activities at school. I remember how hard it was at that age to balance my dance life, work, my social life, and school work... and all with a lot of pressure from my parents to succeed at everything in preparation for the "real world". It's hard to balance your life at this age, and do it with integrity, so I have no problem ever helping out these students with anything they need.

Carly has very recently started writing her own blog, which I think will be really great for her as she grows and learns about herself. She only wrote her second entry this week, but I had to share it with everyone. I knew she worked at a community centre several times a week with children, but I had no idea how much her experiences there were effecting her outlook on everything. My number one concern about kids her age is their inabilities to see beyond themselves and their actions and understand how it effects others. After reading her blog, I am confident to say that I know Carly will be leaving my studio after this year with a strong sense of self and others.

I think I will read this entry every week before I go to work and especially on the night when I teach my Recreational Junior Jazz Class... and realize that not only I am helping to shape their lives, but their helping to shape mine!

Check out Carly's Blog, titled Inspiration!

Nice to know that not only can we help to create really great dancers, but we are also helping to shape really great people.

Super proud dance teacher here!

"Ain't No Sunshine"

2010-03-22T11:10:00.004-04:00

I have a riddle for you...

When is there actually no sunshine?

When I have to get up for a 7:00am call time for competition!

I think my largest complaint about dance competitions in recent years is that they schedule us to have 14-16 hour days at them!

The competition we are attending this weekend starts at 8:00am everyday (Friday-Sunday) and the last awards are at around 9:30pm each night. So let me translate that for you... it means I have to be there by 7:00am for our first number, which equals getting up before 6:00am to be able to get ready and drive there in time. Then the final awards each day won't be done until at least 10:00pm, and then I have to drive home and wind down for bed.

And is it me or are competitions not scheduling in lunch and dinner breaks anymore? They just do an awards session with a 15 minute delay afterwards and get right back into it. I know that the students can leave and go eat as they have breaks all day, but where does that leave us teachers? Dance competition directors expect dance teachers and studio owners to spend all day in the Theatre, without proper nutrition and breaks, and they wonder why we complain so much about everything to them!

I know here in Canada that there has been a surge in the past few years of competitions being started by dance parents. I don't think there is anything wrong with it as I think that parents see a great opportunity to turn their experience at dance competitions into some cash, but I feel that they overlook the most important aspect. The dance teachers/studios owners are your most important clients! They are the ones that choose to come to your competitions. They are the ones that spend all day there taking care of every routine from their studio. They have to deal with all of the parents from their own studio who might have a complaint, because god forbid they can come complain to you about something they don't like! They are the ones that will make the overall decision about what they thought about your competition and thus decide whether or not they want to give you their business in the future.

So why don't you take care of us???

Competitions that are run by former teachers, studio owners or even dance professionals seem to have a better grasp on this concept. They might still start their competitions at 8:00am, but they might have some breakfast snacks backstage at the music table for teachers to grab on the go. Even something as small as providing bottled water, or drinks and candy for teachers in a little room would not break the bank at the end of the weekend.

Competition directors seem to be forgetting all of the little details that make a competition enjoyable for everyone, and instead are handing out bigger trophies, having dancing mascots at awards, and they may have even gone way out there and put some balloons up in the lobby for decorations! You're not fooling me at 7:00am with your glitzy decorations... I'm just looking for caffeine and a pen to mark up my program with!

Most people who know me are aware that I used to own a dance competition up until a few years ago. It was too much to run a competition and a studio and thus I had to choose to dedicate myself to one. I used to organize the competition with a lot of careful thought as a fellow studio owner. I made a rule about not starting any earlier than 9:00am ever, we had an unlimited supply of pens and highlighters available backstage and we never compromised about lunch and dinner breaks. We even offered 3 fully catered meals to studio owners and teachers all weekend. Yes, you heard me correctly! It was an expense we chose to take over other little things, like laminating the front covers of our programs. We set up a lounge for teachers at every competition where we had beverages and snacks all day, along with 3 hot meals, which you could either sit down and enjoy or grab and run. It seems like something so simple, and it was. Sure, we might not have done everything right, but I'd like to think that I took care of the studio owners and teachers the same way that I would like to be treated.

Last year I received a schedule from a competition my studio was attending that had one of my Intermediate dancers performing one of her groups at 10:30pm on Saturday night, only to be the first soloist to perform at 8:00m on Sunday morning. I know competition directors might not be looking out for the best interest of my students, but I am. I sent out a big red flag to the competition director about this issue and told them I was not happy. I feel I have a right to tell them I'm not happy... I sent them a big cheque on behalf of my clients.

I completely understand that dance competitions are a business, and taking 50 extra entries at a competition may extend your days by a few hours, but it's also hard to turn down that $7000 entry fee cheque that goes along with it. So they fill up three entire days with dancing, which in turn leaves very little time for anything else.

Maybe competitions should go back to being a lot smaller and focusing more on doing an exceptional job for everyone. Take 1 or 2 less studios per weekend, and then start your competition an hour later each day. You can then allow for a nice dinner break and end at a decent time of night for all the kids who have stuck around to support their fellow dancers, but who have to be there by 7:00am the next morning.

Sure, competitions are going to be long and stressful regardless, so why can't competition directors try to help alleviate some of that? Don't you want the kids to be happy, dance their best and thoroughly enjoy your competition? They can't do that on 5 hours or sleep and lack of food... and neither can their teachers!

"Slow Me Down"

2010-03-10T19:10:00.005-05:00

You're probably all wondering how I am able to write a blog in the middle of a Wednesday night, when I should be at the studio teaching right???

Well I have officially taken the evening off, and with good reason! I have a new approach to my competitive season... and of course I will share it with all of you!

During the Olympics I was really intrigued by a lot of these short little fillers they showed during telecasts where sports doctors would explain how athletes reach their peak performance levels. In the back of my mind I was thinking, well I'm sure they've been working 24/7 for the past month in preparation for the Olympics, no? WRONG... they're working the least they have all year in preparation for the biggest performance of their careers! I actually sort of already knew that information, but it's taken me a few weeks to really let that sink in and figure out how to utilize all of that with my students.

As a dance teacher our usual perspective when we are approaching the competitive season is to drill routines. We spend a lot of regular class time rehearsing the same routine over and over again. I understand and agree that we are training the muscle memory of our students for each specific routine, but when is it enough? This is generally the time of year when we are having extra nights of rehearsals for all our numbers, and getting the kids to come in on Sundays to run through their solos 17 more times just to make sure they know it before next weekend... come on, we've all done it! So now with all of this newly shared information about Olympic athletes, I'm going to try it out on my students this year... then you can all use my idea next year!

I don't teach regular classes on Wednesday nights, as I usually spend them doing choreography for solos or small groups as I need to. Well, since all my numbers are finished and I have cleaned them all up, I'm going to give the kids a break! They still have to come to their regular Company classes all week, but even then I'm using my time differently. I'm focusing their regular group classes on a lot of stretching and strengthening, as well as general technique exercises, and some really great new combos. I'm trying to get their minds off of drilling routines and put the focus back on really dancing in class. I will normally run a competitive group at the end of an evening, but I'm not picking them apart any more so that every kid is blinking at the same time. With only one week left until our first competition, the dances are going to be what they're going to be. If I change anything now, chances are it won't be changed on stage next weekend!

I have left my iPod at the studio tonight so that when the kids are in for their other classes they are allowed to go into my room and rehearse a solo or a duet at their will. Normally I will get feedback from my other staff that they ran through all their groups even on their own, just to keep it in their minds. I think that's great, and it shows that the kids do understand that the muscle memory conditioning I have been preaching for years is still important.

As a teacher I feel that I have given my kids all of the right tools to use on their own to be able to decide how much rehearsing they need to do. Most of these kids know the kinds of corrections they need to work on and that is what I can focus class time on. If a lot of my students perform on stage and have issues with pirouettes, I will spend their technique class working on those. If we simply just correct our student's technique within a piece of choreography, we are not helping them learn how to use technique or alignment correctly within dance itself, we are just making our routines look clean.

So at this time of the year, my kids are at the studio the least amount of days in comparison to when they started classes back in September. They don't have half an hour solo practises every week any more, and we might even go an entire week without rehearsing a particular group. You do have to keep all this in perspective, and know that I am not talking about my youngest competitive students here. Our Junior Company at their age still require a ton a muscle memory work, and so drilling routines with them is still essential... but we have stopped with the corrections and changes in choreography. My Intermediate and Senior level students are at an age and a maturity level now that they will still be able to remember their lyrical group, even if I do a brand new combo in class with them instead of drilling their routine.

You can argue with me that I'm taking away an opportunity for my Intermediate and Senior students to work on the performance level of their groups by doing this, but I can assure you that because I have been doing combos weekly in class with them all year, they can turn any piece of choreography into a performance quite quickly. It all goes back to the way you lay out your entire year with your Competitive team. Maybe you like to get your routines choreographed in the summer so that you have 6 months to clean up. Or maybe you're the kind of studio who only starts your choreography in January knowing that your students can pick it up quickly. I think I'm happy to say that I've found the middle ground with this one... and we will see how it all plays out very soon!

So I'm going to enjoy a nice glass of Merlot at home tonight, and I hope that the kids will get home early from the studio tonight and enjoy some of the much deserved time off they have. With competition season comes a lot of stress, for teacher, students and parents a like, so I'm finding it nice that we can all relax a bit before hand.

I know for a fact that drilling a tap group 86 times and late night daily rehearsals on that Production can cause a lot of stress on the kids, and on us teachers. So, I wanted to find a way to make getting ready for a competition a lot more enjoyable... and you can't argue with me that getting in your pyjamas, in front of the fire place, with a tall glass of wine is not enjoyable!

Cheers!

"Wait 'Til You See My Smile"

2010-03-09T10:44:00.003-05:00

Don't you wish there was a way you knew in advance what you're getting yourself into when you attend a new competition!

I had a friend, Laurel, from University who opened up her own studio around the same time that I did. We keep in touch via the internet on how were doing, and sometimes even quick problem solving about studio situations. Last year we ended up going to the same competition, but we were both so busy we never really got the chance to catch up in person. Her studio is in Whitby, which is a smaller town outside of the big city of Toronto, so her clientele is probably vastly differently than mine... but we share the same growing pains!

Recently I saw that she had posted about her experience at her first competition of this year. Her kids are fairly new to the competition scene and she was really proud of one of her groups for placing in Overalls for the first time. I remember that feeling as well, and she definitely should feel a great sense of accomplishment.

However, what I think was the greatest part about her taking pride in this accomplishment was that she was very honest about her successes. She was quick to reply to her own post that she has a hard time deciding what competitions to go to every year based on the fact that she wants to keep it in perspective for her students. She likes going to competitions with more seasoned studios so that her students can watch more advanced dancers and learn from them. But in the same breathe, she doesn't want them to feel discouraged competing. She also stated that she doesn't like going to competitions with all studios like her own, as she doesn't want to give her kids a false sense of what their current abilities are.

I think that is really awesome Laurel... not just about your studios successes at competition, but the fact that you have a very clear outlook!

I feel the exact same way, and have always preached that to my students. I like to go to competitions with those "bigger" studios so that my students can see what's out there. But I also want to keep in check the fact that my studio has not been around competing for 20 years yet. I know for a fact that the parents at my studio don't like attending those smaller competitions where there is very little competition for their kids. I appreciate that perspective, but I also don't want my students to be discouraged about going to bigger competitions with studios three times as big as ours. It is a really hard balance to maintain, especially when you have no idea who is going to any competition before registering for it.

This year we are attending an American National Competition that we have never previously done. I was very hesitant about switching our National event this year, because if we attend Regionals and dislike the competition, we are committed to going to their Nationals regardless. I called the competition director in the summer to discuss all of my concerns and I quickly decided that it was worth taking a chance. One of my major concerns was that they had quality studios attending their event, or more important that they catered to all sizes of studios. To me, it shouldn't matter how much your entry fees equal, it should matter about the performance. I expressed my same concern about the adjudicators they hire, but she was quick to assure me that I would be pleased with their Competition. So we'll see!

Forrest Gump would be accurate in describing dance competitions as a box of chocolates... you never quite know what you're going to get, even if you've eaten them before! Just because they ran a great competition one year, does not guarantee that the next year will be as enjoyable. Is the event only great based on which studios show up? Some might argue that it is. Some would disagree and say that the adjudicators are the ones that really set the tone of a competition and therefore, are the most important part of its success.

What types of studios are you trying to attract if you're a competition director? Do you want only a handful of studios with hundreds of entries each? Maybe they have egos to match! Or do you want 40 smaller studios to come to your competition? Maybe that's too many people to try and make happy! Where does my studio fit in with your type of competition?

I don't really have all the answers, but maybe studio directors should be more inclined to ask those types of questions to competition directors... especially before you send them a non-refundable cheque for thousands and thousands of dollars on behalf of your clients!

"Any Color You Like"

2010-03-08T21:20:00.007-05:00

So I think I got copied on an email recently from a parent that might not have been intended for me to see, but it actually got me thinking!

It wasn't a negative email, but it was from a parent who moved from out of town to our neighbourhood this past summer and her daughter joined our competitive program. She was just sending an email update to all her friends back home and I somehow got on the list, which may or may not have been on purpose!

She was just mentioning to her friends that her daughter was dancing in our Intermediate Company, which she compared to the levels they had at her previous studio. I guess she was in the "Junior" Company, and she assumed this was a promotion to the "Intermediate" Company at our studio. To any objective outsider, this would seem like the case, but prior to this year I had never had an "Intermediate" Company!

Before this dance year began I decided it was time to change the names of all my class levels and Competitive Companies. Previously, I had used letters to identify to Competitive levels, such as Company A, Company B and so on. I actually had never equated such stigmatism to each letter as the parents and students at my studio had. They became obsessed with being 'moved up' into what they deemed a higher level company. Truthfully, they didn't necessarily correspond in order, but it doesn't take the kids long each year to figure out which company they most desire to be in. I decided this year to go with the names Senior, Intermediate, Junior and Mini for the Companies and then divide them into letters accordingly... so for example Intermediate A Company, and Intermediate B Company. I understand there is still a letter attached to it, or a division in general, but at least the association of the familiar letters from previous years had evaporated.

But honestly, regardless of what I call each Company there is always going to be a division based on ages and abilities. Kids are not always going to dance with their friends or the kids they were in a group with in previous years, but that's just the reality of what Competitive dance is, or any sport for that matter. It actually has made a huge difference with my Recreational Program as well. Every year the kids and level of a paticular "Junior Jazz" class might change, and thus a student could end up in that class for several years. However, to a parent, that may appear like their son/daughter has never moved up, when in fact they might be progressing right on track.

It is hard for parents to understand that every studio runs their Programs very differently, and thus the levels at each studio might not correspond. Unlike hockey, dance does not have a governing body that proclaimed what the "Junior" level means for every studio in terms of skill level. Each studio owner has to distinguish a scheme that works for them, and it might only work for that one year.

I want to help all my students feel like they are progressing in terms of levels each year, but also give them something to aim for. When I had a 'Company A', the younger students all realized that this was the oldest and most advanced Company that they should strive to be in. I don't want to diminish the fact that the students all need to have something to work towards in terms of the level they want to be in. However, I have quickly realized that it doesn't matter what I call that elite level Company, it really just matters about the kind of kids in that Company the younger students have to look up to.

I have been to a competition with a studio that uses colors to distinguish their Competitive team. They had the Red Team, the Blue Team and so on. I thought this was a really great idea, as colors are very neutral when it comes to distinguishing levels on the surface. Nobody knows right off the bat if the Green team is more advanced than the Orange team. I'd give my teenage students about 5 minutes to have that all sorted out, but at least then there would be no stigmatism associated with each color for that year. You could easily change the colors every year and thus rid of those associations annually.

My staff was quickly brainstorming before we left the studio tonight about other ideas for the name dilemma. Some of the not so great ideas we had... names of Countries, names of Restaurants, Braille letters, or the name of the teacher who wants to work with that Company! We didn't really come up with any useful ideas, so maybe my fellow dance teachers out there can help me out!

But regardless of what color, letter, or animal I name them, I want them to all know that they're part of the Dance Fusion Company... which is the only team name they all wear on the back of their studio jackets!

"Closer To Fine"

2010-03-04T00:00:00.014-05:00

Here we go. I'm following in the footsteps of my friend Alison and creating my own 30 Before 30 list!

These are 30 simple things I want to accomplish before I'm 30, which gives me officially a year and a half to complete... so hold me to it! A lot of things will relate to dance and my business, as almost everything in my life does!

1. Make a concrete business plan on paper and learn my business net worth. Making things up in my head doesn't work for accountants!

2. Meet one of my neighbours. After living in my new house for nearly 2 years I couldn't name you one person who lives on my street.

3. Teach a real tap class. I generally shy away from teaching tap, since I'm not that good at explaining any of it, "JUST DO WHAT I DID!".

4. Type up a real resume. I have never had a job resume, and I might actually need it one day!

5. Get new headshots done.

6. Plant flowers in my yard.

7. Plan to take a vacation and actually take it. I deserve a vacation, and I need to just do it.

8. Purge at least 1/3 of my wardrobe.

9. Host a family holiday dinner at my house.

10. Have a part-time dance writing job.

11. Learn how to update my own business' website.

12. Have some sort of payment plan initiated at my studio where I don't have to chase people for money!

13. Restructure the Recreational Program at my studio so that it is more goal orientated for both the teachers and students.

14. Ride on a roller coaster that goes upside down. (I'm a chicken - don't laugh!)

15. Organize more performance opportunities for my competitive students so that trophies are not the only thing they're performing for.

16. Have my choreography on television... in one way or another!

17. Re-paint my entire house. One room at a time!

18. Open up a dance store/costume store affiliated with my studio.

19. Host a dinner party at my house for my friends.

20. Start reading a book and finish it before starting another one. Or just finish a book in general!

21. Learn how to really use Photoshop, so that I can edit my own marketing/ad prints.

22. Watch all of the Oscar nominated films for that year. This year is a failure, so next year is the year!

23. Learn how to use a sewing machine.

24. Take my dad to an NHL hockey game.

25. Surprise my grandparents by just showing up at their house one day and taking them to lunch. Just to make their day!

26. Take a ballroom dance class.

27. Take a road trip with my sister.

28. Get laser eye surgery. This contacts and glasses deal does not work for me anymore!

29. Choreograph a group for another dance studio for competition... and have their teacher choreograph one for my studio.

30. Throw a huge 30th birthday bash to celebrate completing this list with all the people I care about!

So it's no bucket list but at least it's concrete goals!

"Spotlight"

2010-03-03T23:16:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago I did an interview for Dance Studio Owner.com and to be honest I had completely forgotten that it was going to be published... that is until today!

I went on the website to print off some dance class coloring pages, and instead I discovered my face on the home page! I started reading it like I didn't know it was me, and then I quickly realized it was the beginning of my bio. I clicked on the header and then proceeded to see the entire 45 minute interview I had done with Suzanne Gerety over the phone in print. I actually can't believe that she typed out every word, mostly because I think we both talk a lot, but maybe the reality is that she didn't actually personally type it out!

Suzanne is the mastermind behind this incredible resource website for dance studio owners, and is also a dance studio owner herself. We were connected in the Fall via the internet and she asked me if I would be interested in doing this feature on studio ownership and advice. I agreed without hesitation, but then I was actually a bit nervous right before the interview. I think I was worried about sharing advice with people who have probably been doing this for years longer than me and then trying not to sound like I knew all the answers for everyone's problems! But now I've realized that this is what makes this website so great, or any forum for that matter, that let's dance studio owners share their experiences and advice.

I am still a 'Novice' at this studio ownership thing, but it does not make my experiences or ideas about things any less meaningful than someone who has been doing it much longer. What works for me might not work for someone else in their situation, but at least it's something to try you might have not thought of. I personally love going to dance teacher conferences and meeting other studio owners, not to compare competition results, but to address major concerns about our industry and get advice. Being all about your own studio and not thinking anyone can help you do any better is probably a fairly common trait in the dance world that I guarantee will backfire on you eventually.

Truth be told, in this new age world of dance, maybe someone young and up-and-coming like myself may have useful advice for someone with an older studio looking to reinvent themselves or keep up with the times. And in the same breathe, I want to learn how to keep my studio in business long enough to see a new era in dance, and for that reason I need help from my peers who have that experience. It's nice to be able to put aside the competitive factors about dance and just realize that were all in the same boat at the end of the day... and were all up late on the same night revising that Recital Program to make sure every kid's name is spelled correctly!

So don't read it and make a quick judgement, let me know what you think and we can have a discussion about it. Despite what you might have heard, I actually am a good listener!

I have proof...

At the bottom of the article is the audio version of the interview posted in it's entirety!

Thanks Suzanne for helping all of us share our passion for dance with each other. You're an incredibly talented member of the dance community that I am honored to know!

www.dancestudioowner.com

"Let It Go"

2010-02-26T10:33:00.003-05:00

So tomorrow is our first competition of the year... and I am surprisingly relaxed about it. It is just a solo/duet/trio competition that not my entire studio is participating in, but it is still the first time someone will judge my work this year.

I think I might actually be a bit more concerned this year about how the parent's at my studio will react to the routines. I want them to be impressed with the improvement and the uniqueness of all of our numbers and not just love them because it's their kids! I like that the parents are always moved by my work, even if the judges aren't sometimes.

I'd like to think that I educate my competitive parents enough to be able to appreciate good work from other studios, and some are really able to tell where their kids stack up in comparison. I don't like that "my kid should have won" attitude if they don't, because generally it is not warranted. We are all biased to our work, and parents to their kids, so I do understand that it can be hard to distinguish the subjectivity sometimes.

I will be the first one to admit if one of my student's deserved to win a category that they didn't... but I am also the first one to admit when one of my student's wins a category over somebody else who should have! I even jumped at a competition director last year when they awarded one of my student's 1st Overall Novice for her solo, when there was a student from another studio who had a higher score. They insisted I let the student keep the cheque and the trophy as it was their mistake, but I insisted that my student go award it to the other dancer. Sure that didn't make her parents very happy, but then really what were her parents happy about in the first place?

I want to be fair as a teacher, and as a fellow competitor with other studios, and I want my studio parent's to also be fair in their judgement of what is going on at a competition. Sure, there are times when they think someone was way over scored for their performance and will let me know, but I am quick to remember that someone from another studio might be saying that about one of my dances at the same time.

Dance competitions walk a very fine line of making everyone feel like a winner, but also truly rewarding the winners. That's why I am going to keep my perspective this weekend when watching my kids compete. What is doing "their best" for one student, is not necessarily matched by another's "best". I really appreciate when a competition spreads out the marks enough to note such differences in performances. That makes my job, as a teacher and the voice of reason, a lot easier when dealing with the students and their parents in regards to the outcome.

I will tell you one thing, that I do not do tears at competitions! Meaning, my students will not cry over results, or at least not that I will ever see. I want them to respect the judgement they receive and also be respectful to all their fellow competitors. Then if a kid cries over not "winning", their parents will then go in to a mad frenzy and proceed to go buy them a trophy in the lobby to make them feel better... which is rule #2 at my studio... no buying your kids trophies from the program table!

Honestly, the minute we walk out of a competition and all go for dinner together, it doesn't matter who won the bigger trophy out of the bunch. In fact, last year one of my Senior students won an award at a competition that was a gift of some sort that she already owned. She turned around and found a younger student from another studio, who was not carrying a trophy, handed it to her and told her she did a really great job on her solo. Now, going and announcing to our entire studio that she had done this would have defeated the entire purpose of helping to make someone else feel great about themselves as she did. There are only a few of us who know abut this, as there was no need to award her for doing such a nice gesture... I'm sure she felt rewarded enough inside. I never even mentioned it to her mom, but it sure does speak volumes about this mom's attitude that she has projected on her daughter about dance competitions!

So my goals for this weekend. 1. Let the kids enjoy spending the time together to watch each other's new numbers for the year. 2. Appreciate the performances of those students who have worked so hard to do their 'best'. 3. Appreciate the performances of those students who don't do their 'best' so that I can help them improve for next time.

Sounds easy enough right! And goal #4 - keep those "stage-parents" away from their kids so that my first 3 goals can be achieved!

Come on, every studio has them... it's just learning to deal with them that makes you the real "winner" that weekend!

"Golden Train"

2010-02-23T11:22:00.002-05:00

I love to say 'I told you so'!

Not only did Tessa & Scott just rock last night, they helped to prove that less is always more!

From the costumes, to the music choice, right down to the simplest choreographed head turn, they were understated elegance.

All of the European teams last night of course donned the dramatic fru-fru costumes that they are known for. Three of the teams actually even used the same piece of music, which isn't even that good of a selection of music. They should take a note out of the book of simplicity, and just let their skating speak for themselves.

Maybe all of the over-the-top music, costumes and choreography these teams had are all just to hide the fact that their basic skating skills aren't as strong. This new judging system seems to really be working in ice-dance in helping to award the real winners. The skating skills are judged, musicality, choreography, and plain greatness! I don't like how in the other disciplines people can still win with falls or mistakes, based on the fact that they just load their programs with technical elements. Last night the two top dance teams both proved that skating has redeemed itself.

The same is true to me in dance... as really great dancing just speaks for itself. Put away all the big props, the 3-dimensional amazon costumes and just dance. There is of course a degree of creativity that is involved in making your students stand out, and that's where teachers tend to turn to elaborate costumes and set pieces. However, I think we all need to make sure that if we took away the props, and the kids performed in plain black costumes, that the dance would still stand on it's own as a piece of creative and strong work that you are proud of.

I'm sure there are thousands of little girls and boys alike today signing up for ice dance lessons at their local arenas. As a business person I see great opportunity here that cannot be ignored... I'm going to send the Russian Federation my resume so they will hire me to design their costumes for next year!

"Now Or Never"

2010-02-22T10:02:00.004-05:00

A few people who know me might tell you that I'm anti-Olympics... which, for the record, is not true. I'm just anti-spending this much money on the Olympics, or on a 20 meter LED Polar Bear puppet for the Opening ceremonies!

I think the idea of bringing countries and athletes together to celebrate sports is a really great thing, I just feel bad for a lot of these "kids". I've been pretty much watching the Olympics non-stop now for a week, which is mostly due to the fact that all of my regular weekly television shows have been put on hold. And as exciting as I think it must be for these athletes, I can see a huge sense of fear in most of their eyes. They train for countless years for only a few seconds or minutes to win an Olympic medal... that's a lot of pressure!

I've been very impressed with the amount of coverage the Canadian channels are doing for these games, but I just have not been impressed with the amount of medals my country is winning. So my anti-Olympic spirit kind of kicks in there when our government spends as much money as they did to help our athletes "own the podium", and they just don't. A lot of these athletes are apologizing in their press conferences for letting down the entire country? I feel like saying to them, "don't worry, my life will go on, you didn't disappoint me that much!"

It helps me to put things into perspective when it comes to preparing kids for dance competitions. It might not be on the same scale as the Olympics, but to a 10 year a local dance competition is! Our first competition is now less than a week away and my kids are all exuding signs of excitement mixed with anticipation and fear. They're nervous, which I think is a natural response to performing, but I want to be careful that they don't internalize that pressure too much. That way if they don't perform up to their expectations, they can still be happy and proud of what they did do.

I think for every studio the level of expectation for a performance will vary, and for good reason. It's like any athlete, you can't just announce to everyone that they're a gold medal threat if they've never won an event before. You have to be realistic with your expectations. There is only one gold medal at the Olympics... which is not true with dance competitions, but I don't think Gold is good anymore? I think it's like the Double Platinum-Diamond Excellency Award now you are aiming for?!?!?! Not every student is going to win a Diamond award every time, and they need to know that it may be what they're aiming for, but it might not be what they win... and if they don't, life will go on for them!

On a really great note, a personal friend of mine actually is in Gold Medal contention tonight at the Olympics. Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir are sitting in 1st position after two rounds, out of three, in Ice Dancing. They skated brilliantly last night, and I just have this feeling that their beautiful romantic Free Dance tonight will be a winner. Luckily I don't teach tonight, so I will be able to leave the studio early to go home and watch them compete live. I get that they have dreamed about winning the Olympic Gold medal for many years now, and will be devastated if they don't, but I hope that's not weighing on their minds all day. There is something really magical about Olympic athletes who perform in that position as though they really do just love what they are doing, versus those who look like their defending winning.

It makes me kind of glad that dance is not, and will never be an Olympic sport. I don't even know how you'd judge dance on that kind of level, so let's just leave the controversial judging to figure skating. And in case you thought dance costumes were bad, you clearly missed the Russian Ice Dance team skate their aboriginal folk dance last night in these...

I bet they didn't order this out of a costume catalogue... but I'm sure I could find something pretty close in one that I've received! Who says all athletes take competing seriously!!!

"A B C"

2010-02-19T15:18:00.002-05:00

So I have been out sick the majority of the past week, so my blogging has been minimal... or non existent for that matter!

I found the article posted on Twitter today that really made sense to me. It kind of goes along with my dance studio marketing blog from about a month ago. It addresses the necessities of good studio marketing and offers a lot of great tips.

It is called Marketing from A-Z, and I think it is very concise and effective. More people should write like this! Good job Mike Collins!

I've also read a lot of completely useless dance studio articles today... but what else am I supposed to do while recovering at home?

I think this one article even has a lot of points that are great for general studio business needs. Asking the right questions, being involved at your studio in the most effective way, getting feedback, listening to clients and being positive.

Well I guess that's just good life points in general!

"Sunday Bloody Sunday"

2010-02-11T00:34:00.007-05:00

So this upcoming Sunday is Valentine's Day... please note my lack of enthusiasm!

A day every year where we buy cards, candies and flowers for people to tell them we love them... because we have to! It might be the part of me that hates being told what to do that dislikes Valentine's day, but the tacky little cupid dolls don't help any.

This Sunday I am spending the day with my friends and having some girly fun to help celebrate. Sleepover party Saturday night, and then doing costume organizing on Sunday before heading out to Grace O'Malley's downtown Toronto to watch Driver perform and eat some good food. I know not everyone considers costume organizing a good time with their friends, but dance teachers are not your 'normal' friends!

So in honor of this loving occasion I got myself a very special Valentines Tee from Peace Love World. They sell amazing clothes for dance teachers, and other people alike... all baggy clothes that are ubber comfy and in nice normal colors! They also sell clothes to support a great cause, so all the more reason to love their company.

Okay, so I ordered a lot more than just that one tee, but you can't just have one thing shipped here from Miami.

And now Peace Love World has sent me a Valentines Day coupon for my next order... so I can buy a fabulous tee to represent my feelings at every major holiday for 2010. At least somebody got me something useful!

"The Luckiest"

2010-02-06T23:03:00.004-05:00

I say it a lot... but not enough. I love my job!

There are a lot of great things about owning your own business, which for me is a dance studio, but at the same time their are a lot of things that can get you down about it. However, the good definitely outweighs the bad!

No question, I have a really great life. I get to do what I love day in and day out. I am a self proclaimed dance-aholic, I eat, sleep and breathe everything about this industry and I couldn't imagine not having dance in my everyday life. I could never have imagined myself going to an "office" job for 8 hours a day and then going home at night only to repeat the next day. I am happy to say that I have never worked in retail, or waitressed, or worked in an office in order to help myself earn a living. I have managed to support myself independently through dancing and teaching.

Sometimes I have rough days, but nothing is ever going to be perfect, so you have to learn to deal with the occasional complaint. Then one night when you get home from teaching, alone, to a quiet house, you find this on your computer...

It probably wasn't meant for sharing on the internet... but I get to gush once in a while!

From very early on in my teaching career I remember all the times that students would bring in drawings or cards they'd made for you at home. As dance teachers we do get a lot of these, and most of them probably get posted in your office for a few days to only then be covered by a bill to address, or even end up in the recycling bin. But what if you saved all of them in a special box, for one of those really bad evenings where you need a little reminder of why you love your job. Then you could go through them and know that these students took the time to think of you outside the studio and made something to let you know that they care. They're grateful for your dedication to them and that you share your love of dance.

I even keep nice cards and notes that parents write to me at the end of the year or just to say thank you. That way when that particular parent complains about something I have a reminder of the time when they were sincerely happy.

I am the luckiest person I know... I love my job! Not very many people I know can say that at the end of the day. It's not about having a job that buys you everything you want... it's about having a job that satisfies you on every level. So maybe I don't take home a 6 figure salary every year, or I don't drive a fancy gas guzzling car, but what do you sacrifice in terms of happiness at your job to achieve these things?

And in case you needed a little more convincing about how great my job is... think about the last time you got a loving video message from your clients!!!

"Glitter In The Air"

2010-02-06T21:54:00.003-05:00

Did you see Pink perform last weekend at the Grammy's? How long until some dance teacher figures out how to hang a dancer from the ceiling at a competition and spin them around?!?!?!

So we are in the midst of costume chaos at our studio in preparation for our first competition in March. They're all starting to come in and they need altering and so on, so my mind is spinning. I'm so glad I finally got out of that stage of rhinestoning every costume until I could no longer see the original fabric! I used to be that teacher. I even used to have a rhinestoning party for the parents/students at the studio in order to get it all done. I'm pretty sure I doubled costume prices with all that glitter! Then we're talking rhinestone chokers, earrings, hair clips... oh and this new trend of rhinestones on the face and red glitter on top of lipstick! What studio decided dipping a child's lips in to glitter to make them sparkle was a great idea? I'd like to talk to them!

So, I have officially given up on the "glitz" portion of dance competitions. We have rid of most of our rhinestone jewelry and fake eyelashes this year and gone in a more organic direction, which pretty much parallels my teaching/choreographic style. We used to spend hundreds of dollars on all matching accessories, that by the end of the year were all broken or lost. I've decided that is not what I am trying to win with... even though they do give out special awards at competitions for who's costume sparkles the most! It's not the image I want to project with my choreography, so we won't follow suit and try to out "shine" other studios with our jewelry... we'll try do it with our dancing instead!

I once had a dance make-up company try to sell me these big expensive make-up kits for our competitive team, that included 12 different shades of eyeshadows, one to match every costume. Their main approach to me was that after we had spent all this time/money on dancing and their costumes, the make-up and accessories were just the final touch to complete the look. I do agree with that statement to a degree... but what if you're costume has no rhinestones on it? What if it's a tank top and black shorts?

At my studio we do have a small make-up kit for our Competitive team, that we put together ourselves and purchased from Mary Kay. It includes 3 jewel toned eyeshadows, a neutral blush and a berry toned lipstick. It all comes complete in this neat little compact, and then they just have to provide their own foundation and mascara. Honestly, I cannot tell the difference when a dancer is wearing fake eyelashes on stage or just mascara and eyeliner... so let's stop dramatizing about the eyelash glue for an 8 year old and move on!

I do appreciate a beautiful rhinestoned costume at a competition, when it's used in the right context. I have several really beautiful, and expensive, costumes at my studio for that glitzy lyrical solo, or that 9 year old jazz solo. These types of costumes do look stunning on stage, but I generally might get more excited about the costume than about the actual dance. However, there is something about that understated plain black bodysuit on stage that makes me focus on the dancer/choreography instead. Of course, you do have to have that type of dancer to pull that off, so be careful. Don't try to understate a routine if the dancers have weaker technique... it's not effective.

I guess you have to decide what kind of competitive studio you are. Are your numbers really upbeat and vibrant, so they require lots of rhinestones to help accentuate that "look" on stage. If so, great! Whip out those rhinestones, and use them in an effective way that suits the costume/students. But don't go overboard -it's really easy to spot those dances where the most exciting thing that happened is the hair piece that fell out of that kid's hair! Spend more time focusing on cleaning up that routine then you spend rhinestoning their costumes.

If you are a more contemporary studio, whose costumes are less glitzy, then accessorize accordingly. Maybe you just have some hair clips for a few routines, and the rest you go with less of a dramatic look for all the others. The details of your choreography will then be more apparent on stage, but be aware of that in preparation.

I don't think there is anything wrong with either type of studio, so why don't you try a bit of both! As a seasoned adjudicator myself I know that after the first session at a competition I already know which studio is which by the accessories they wear. Everyone at a studio has the same hair-do with the same 2 clips over the left sided part, and they all have matching rhinestone bracelets. It sets a precedent for your studio that you need to be aware of. Maybe you had a really strong group perform, then when your next group steps on stage that I recognize from your studio accessories, they have to live up to that last group you had on.

I even remember seeing a studio last year who had rhinestoned all of their foot undies to match each of their costumes. Maybe they were trying to set a new trend, but on the other hand I don't remember these kids pointing their feet too often either, so maybe that wasn't the greatest idea for them!

Diamonds are definitely a girls best friend... I just like my kids to win a Diamond award, rather than wear them all over their faces!

"The Book Of Love"

2010-02-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

Today's blog is inspired by a question I saw a colleague post on Twitter... how do you write down your choreography?

I am the kind of teacher that listens to a song over and over again until I have memorized every nuance and every note before I can choreograph to it. I feel that the music directly drives every piece that I do... but I've started to find that I have so many routines to do that memorizing music just isn't enough anymore!

So this year I bought myself a fancy notebook at Staples before September rolled around and I wrote in big bold permanent marker on the front cover Robin's Choreography Bible! I bought post-it note tabs to mark off pages and a soft gel pen that fit neatly down the spiral binding. Now I am a novelty kind of person, so I took very good care of this book for the first month. I didn't want any scribbles in it, or dented corners on pages so I never let it out of my sight.

I had never written down my choreography in previous years, as I believe in a very organic process of working through my routines... but I really wanted to make an effort this year to choreograph 40 completely different routines for competition that differed vastly from one another. Jotting down ideas, or noting tricks/lifts for specific dances in this book really helped me to keep track of inspired moments that I might have forgotten otherwise. I don't write down step-by-step for every routine, as that's not always effective when you're sitting on the couch, but general ideas of where the routine is going.

I even started using this book for keeping track of combos I would do for my older classes. That way I could keep track of the details that were important to me in terms of the choreography and helpful notes that I could pass along. It isn't unusual for me to be reaching for this book in the middle of teaching a combo to the Senior class, because honestly at the end of a long night of teaching I just can't remember everything any more! What I also found great about keeping track of my combos in my Choreography book is that I could easily pull from them for competitive routines. I could grab a few 8's of a combo that really worked for a student and put it in their solo if applicable. The kids even know what the book is for and have referenced to it themselves in times of desperation of forgetting what I did in the last class on their solo! They won't find scripted out counts of 8 in vast detail, but they're familiar enough with my language of dance and how I work in the studio do understand what the majority of it means.

I never used to understand why teachers wrote things down, as my brain just functioned as a dancer, so I found it easier to work organically and had no problems remembering details. Now as I get older, and just more busy at the studio, that little book, now complete with dented corners, has become one of the most useful tool in my classes. I even started making a game for myself of moving the tabs of finished routines to the opposite side of the page, so I could keep track of what was completed and what still needed work. Maybe I'm just too easily amused by those little florescent re-stickable pieces of shiny paper!

Recently, I purchased a sister book that is coincidentally titled Robin's Choreography Bible #2! I have already started keeping track of brilliant ideas for picture day and the Recital in it... and maybe I'm jinxing myself, but there are already several pages dedicated to insane ideas for competitive routines for next year... and no you can't borrow my book for a sneak peak!

I have even created a systematic language for myself in the book to remind myself to warn the kids that what's coming up will hurt! There is an almost vicious excitement I get when I am nearing that starred section on the page. It's the "I know you won't get this right away, and you will have bruises tomorrow, but trust me it will be amazing when it works"! That's probably too long to be a subtitle in my Choreography book, but it will definitely be the title of a Chapter in my autobiography one day!

"Make Me Whole"

2010-02-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

So I finally did it... get your minds out of the gutter! I officially went off processed foods... well I became a pseudo-vegan!

Last week I watched this movie about where the food in our grocery stores comes from, and that was enough to turn me off 90% of what they sell there forever. This probably seems dramatic, but if you watched the movie you'd be disgusted as well.

Most of the food we buy in the grocery store is not even 'real' food. By that I mean, that most of what we buy there is processed, or so filled with chemicals and hormones that you might not even know what it really tastes like. So when I say I'm a pseudo-vegan, I'm officially off meats and dairy but I'm still going to eat fish. Just not fish sticks... real fish! Now I don't mean that I will never eat meat ever, but only if it's 100% organic. I am not buying any more pre-packaged/processed foods in the store, but I will attempt to cook a lot more and make healthier choices when it comes to convenience options.

Now I have always been health conscious, mostly so that I can practise what I preach. I want to feed my body good food so that I can get everything I demand out of it. I always avoided fast food, and I am that person who never gets cheese on my sub at Subway, but I never realized how much other "crap" I was eating.

Tonight I went and familiarized myself with the Organic & Vegan section of my local grocery store. I bought organic Yogurt, several pounds of vegan meats, and soy cheeses. I'm not giving up the foods I love, just finding healthier options. I raided the fruits and vegetable section, and also found whole grain options of all the starchy foods that I love. I do realize that this kind of shopping/eating is going to be expensive, but I will probably become a less wasteful person in the process. This food will all go bad faster than chemical filled foods, but that's the trade-off. I'm not going to be one of those die-hard vegans, but I am vouching to only eat real whole foods.

So what does this have to do with my studio you ask... well the very first parent in my doors tonight brought with them 2 dozen donuts from Tim Hortons to celebrate her son's birthday. Normally I would indulge myself with one, as they are sitting on my desk, but instead I restrained myself the entire evening. I can't make a rule that says "no crappy food allowed" in the studio, but I probably will write up a newsletter to all my parents letting them know about the benefits of feeding their kids good food before dance class, and in general. It's not to scare people about what they're eating, but just to realize that as dancers we demand a lot out of our bodies and as parents and teacher we should be encouraging kids to make better choices when it comes to food.

I discovered there is a Vegan restaurant near my house, which I will visit this week at some point to familiarize myself with their menu. Some of my friends and me even went to our favorite little Mexican Restaurant on Friday and I ordered a vegetarian burrito dinner with no cheese or sour cream. I had fresh salad, rice and tons of vegetables all without the guilt. I think there are many ways I can eat well even within my lifestyle of not eating at home all the time.

My vegan chocolate cupcakes are in the oven, and I'm about to get some potatoes cooking for my Vegan Shepherd's Pie for tomorrow. My mother will probably fall out of her chair when she reads that I am cooking!

There is just something really satisfying about cooking things from scratch with healthy ingredients and then enjoying them afterwards. It's the same feeling that I get after a great night of contemporary classes. I am tired, sweaty and cannot feel most of my major muscle groups... but it is so satisfying!

"Labels or Love"

2010-01-29T12:12:00.001-05:00

I have been a negligent blogger for the past few days... but I have a really good excuse! I have been finishing competitive costumes and making Costume Bills. I just heard a collective gasp from every dance parent reading this!

I will officially become the least popular person at my own studio for a few weeks while parents grit their teeth and write me cheques. I will be feeling no love! However, in my defence, and every other studio owner out there, they know it's coming! I even sent an email this week to let the parents know that their Costume Bills will be ready for pick up early next week. That way they get a little warning about it, and then the sticker shock won't hurt so much.

I think it's probably a mutual feeling, regardless of what activity/sport you're doing where there are competitive costs. Parents know it costs money, and as long as you're honest upfront about what those costs will be, then it is their choice. If a family cannot afford something, at least they can make that decision upfront. I always lay out all the costs for my competitive parents way back in August in our Company Handbook, so they can't say I didn't tell them! I break down every cost, for instance, of doing a solo. The choreography fee, the approximate costume price for a new costume, and how much the entry fees are for each competition. Then they can make an educated decision about it based on the facts. I've found that most parents will never say no to their kid when it comes to competitive dance and what they are allowed to do in terms of routines. If a kid has earned a solo at my studio, even if the parent cannot afford it, they find a way to pay for it.

Of course, I do have a heart, and I know the reality for some families does not leave them as financially stable as others. I always write on every bill that if they cannot meet a payment deadline they are welcome to come and meet with me to make arrangements. But to be truthful, that normally does not happen when I first send it home. Normally parents will wait until the day something is due to send me an email about their situation. At that point I'm not as sympathetic as I would have been had they come to me weeks earlier about it. I appreciate and respect those parents who are right up front about finances with me, as it make it easier and less uncomfortable to deal with. The reality is that I'm running a business here, and money part of the equation.

Now, I can appreciate how expensive competitive dance can be, especially when you're dealing with large quantities of costumes and other expenses. At my studio I do try my very best to give parents value for their dollar when it comes to basically everything, but especially costumes. I don't pay others to rhinestone things, as I will do it myself, or even give it to that particular parent to do. However, some costs are unavoidable, and it is hard to put a dollar value on your time as the person who organized it all. The reality is that every thing you do for your business costs time and money, and it has to be paid back to you in some respect.

At a studio owner's conference I attended a big topic of conversation was how much money every one was making. I don't think it's fair to compare what I make, versus an American studio in a large city where the dollar is worth more. It's probably not even a good comparison to reflect on what a studio down the street from me charges. I think every studio owner has to feel satisfied at the end of the day with what you are taking home. AND if you feel your studio offers more than Studio "X" down the street, then charge more. Parents can chose where they want to go take classes based on what's cheapest if they want, but in echoing one of my earlier blogs, that is not the kind of client I am looking for.

People can always spot value for their dollar. You don't go into Gap and tell them their price is too high for that tank top... you pay for it there because you love it or appreciate its quality... or you go buy it at Old Navy!

I know a lot of studios in my areas whose costume prices start at almost double my lower end prices. I'm not saying that makes my studio better, but there are probably several factors that go into these realities. As a studio owner, we all at some point want to shout "don't you know how great you have it at my studio... Studio "X" would have charged you $400 for that same costume!"... but you can't! You can just let people figure it out on their own, and then just appreciate even more when they come to you and tell you how thankful they are that your costumes are so reasonably priced.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side... and the same can be said for that green fabric I bought at half price from the clearance store! It sparkles just as bright as yours does on stage!

"Respect"

2010-01-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

As a fellow dance teacher and choreographer I feel that I need to give props to others when I am moved or in awe of their work.

I don't think we do that enough as teachers, to each other I mean, give each other words of praise or encouragement. If I see a dance at a competition from another studio that I really enjoyed, I will make a point of approaching that teacher and telling them. Normally other dancers/teachers will do it to your students, which I think is wonderful. However, I just want to give a little respect to other teachers/choreographers sometimes... cause we all could use a little more love!

Most "in-the-know" teachers or dancers have heard of Kate Jablonski. It has really only been about a year since I first saw her work on the internet, but it spoke to me immediately. I feel what she tries to emulate in her work is exactly what I am trying to speak to as a choreographer as well. I appreciate the simplicity of the dance she is telling, yet the parallels of her creativity and advanced movements.

I was searching through YouTube today and came across one of her videos that I have never seen before, and I have watched it about 17 times in the past hour. I do love me a good Dave Matthews Band song, but my love for this routine goes to a whole other level! Please check out the video of her Lie In Our Graves piece. I have seen many routines over the years with ropes, but nothing compares.

I personally don't know Kate, but I feel it is my duty to introduce her work to other people in the dance industry who might not have never heard of her before who are reading this. I would be willing to bet she'll be making incredible work for many years to come, so you better familiarize yourself with her!

I'll bet there are hundreds of talented choreographers like her who need to be given a chance to showcase their work to a wider audience. Maybe SYTYCD should hire her to do a piece and see what the response is. They should probably do that with more up and coming choreographers so that the show has more variety and depth on a weekly basis. Hopefully I just got you a job Kate!

So shouts out to you Kate Jablonski, and your dancers at Beyond Words Dance Company!

Much R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

"Video Killed The Radio Star"

2010-01-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else remember not that many years ago when we used to go to competitions and our teachers had to cue our cassette tapes for each of our dances?

Well I want this CD burning thing to officially become something of the past as well! I don't know if I'm alone here, but I do not like burning 100 CD's for competition every year, then labelling them, and putting them in order for every competition. I don't even teach with CD's anymore to be honest.

Were living in a world of such advanced technology and yet I have to bring CD's to competition for each routine. You'd think that with all these other advancements that competitions have made, like Video Judge, computer scoring systems, and flashy stages/lights, they could purchase an iPod cord for their sound system!

I have heard of a few American Competitions doing online music downloading prior to your competition weekend, or other mp3 player options, and I think that's really great. Not only is it saving me a lot of time before and during competitions from organizing all that music, but it would probably help the competition to run smoother. I know that at American Dance Awards for their National Title Competitions we have to hand in their music a few days earlier so that they can download all of it onto their computer and put it in order. It helps the evening run professionally, and then someone doesn't have to sit and leaf through CD binders looking for the next piece of music.

Now, there is no technology that is fool proof and you're running your risks either way. CD players are starting to become really sensitive to reading burned CD's, which is a major problem if you're a dance teacher. CD's get scratched really easily and then they're virtually garbage. However, iPods can also be considered a gamble, as they do have problems if you mis-treat them. But if I had to pick one for ease of use, my iPod will win out every time.

When I'm planning my classes now I can organize a playlist for each class that changes on a weekly basis. I have several songs ready in order for warm up, across the floor and then their routine. It has saved me time in classes searching through CD's for appropriate music and then putting them all away after.

Instead this year I am investing $200 into purchasing a shiny little red iPod that is specifically for competitions only. It will have all our music on it, and then for each weekend I will be able to put them in order with their category number listed. It doesn't need to be a fancy 85GB one... I will not be having 16,000 competition routines anytime soon! They even have a fun little engraving feature on the Apple website now, so I can proudly put my studio name on the back of it.

I am officially making a stand that I will not be burning CD's this year for competition. I think it's about time that I have the option of simplifying my life a little bit for competitions. I will be showing up with my iPod Nano thrown in my purse, as my coffee will be in one hand, and my program will be in the other. I'll even bring my own iPod cord in case the Theatre you rented, or the state of the art sound system you provide doesn't have one!

"Old Friends"

2010-01-25T12:21:00.000-05:00

So I guess my blog yesterday created some stir... great! I've had that issue on my mind for a long time, and I figured it was time to write how I felt about it... cause that's what I do in my blog!

It also struck up some nice emails and messages from some of my former students and parents who have passed through my studio in the past 6 years. Mostly from students who danced for me and then graduated high school and moved on, or even just stopped dancing to pursue other things.

I think it must be hard for teenagers when they get old enough to know that they don't want to pursue dance in their lives, or just can't any more, but they still love it. A lot of students walk away from dance and maybe are too scared to tell their teachers in fear or resentment or anger. That has happened to me in the past, but I am also proud to be able to say that I have great relationships with some of my former students, even if it took them a few years to know that they could always come back to my studio. Some of them stopped dancing and I didn't hear right away from them, but I never stopped trying to stay connected with them and was always very open to them coming to visit or even returning.

I learned once at a teachers conference that I should be more prone to advertising to my the clients what these former students are doing. Setting up a board in your lobby with pictures and little bios of what some of your former students are up to, even if it's non-dance related. You can post kind letters or cards you receive from them, or even ask them to write a little bit about their experience at your studio. Even if they don't pursue dance for their career, they are probably keeping some aspect of what you taught them in their lives. Sure we could all post all over our studio walls the list of music videos our students have been in, or prestigious dance programs they now attend, but was that your only goal as their teacher/mentor?

I have one former Senior student, Meghan, who is now at Western University and is part of their International Championship Cheerleading Team. It makes me proud to know that she is keeping active at University, and has continued with something competitive that fulfills her in a way that maybe just reading text books does not. I went and watched her cheer at a game her first year, and she was as happy to see me there as I was to see her. Another one of my former Senior students, Gabby, is always back at my studio, sub-teaching when needed, and staying active in the dance community. She takes classes when she can, and goes to as many shows as possible downtown, and she even at one time was running her own dance Company. She contacted me to rent studio time/space in the summer, and I was more than happy to let her use the studio at will without charge, so that she could pursue something she loved.

I have a small Lyrical group this year for competition that is performing to the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Old Friends". I set up the dance around a park bench on stage, and the 6 girls each represent their older selves looking back at the memories they had with their friends when they were younger. The dance is actually very touching, which wasn't my original intent. I was trying to be creative and it turned into something more than even I had anticipated. These six young students probably won't get as emotionally attached to this piece as others might watching it, but hopefully they will one day. Maybe at our 25th Anniversary Show they will look back at this dance as one of the wonderful memories they had at the studio and with each other. Kind of a full circle moment there! I hope this year when any of my former students come and watch our Recital or a competition, they feel that this dance encompasses all those same feelings they have towards dance, their dance studio and the memories we all shared.

The reality is that all of our students will eventually grow up and leave our studios. It is way too easy to assume that we will stay in contact with all of them and have them be as big a part of our lives as they were while they were at our studio. I know now as an adult that I have a lot of fond memories of my "dance days" and all the teachers I had along the way. I remember fun times at the studio, sleepovers, travelling together... and none of those memories are attached to the trophies I won back then, that are now in a dumpster somewhere!

Your studio history should be a big deal to you, and you should always be proud of it. I never take down old pictures at the studio or on my website, as I don't ever want to erase those memories for myself or those kids. We just keep adding new pictures and new memories!

As great as it is to have a former student in a movie, I really hope that one of them becomes a chiropractor soon... so that I can get cheap adjustments! That's the least you could do for your 'old' teacher!!!

"Hometown Glory"

2010-01-24T18:56:00.000-05:00

This blog today might strike a nerve with some people... but I generally don't let that stop me from saying anything!

I was working on an incredible solo today with Savanah, and at one point I looked at her and had a major flash back to when she was 6 years old doing her first solo (even though she's only 13 now!). There is something very nostalgic and rewarding about being part of a student's dance career from the very beginning. I feel a deep sense of pride when I watch her dance and grow up as a person, knowing that I am helping to shape her life in so many ways.

She also is just one of those kids who is very loyal to her studio and to me, and also takes a lot of pride in where she comes from as a dancer. I know when she is old enough to go to University or start her professional dance career she will be very proud to acknowledge my studio, my work with her and all those years we shared. Even if she ever left my studio to go to another studio, she would always give me credit for helping make her the dancer she is today.

For the first time in my teaching career I lost a competitive student to another studio this year. She was very talented and was an important member of my Company since almost the very beginning. As much as I had a lot of hurt feelings when I found how she was at another studio, I got over it quickly for the sake of my teaching. However, what bothers me about the situation is the lack of respect she showed to my studio after she left. A card, or a phone call, or even an email from the student herself thanking me for all the years of training, dedication and love I showed her would have meant a lot.

It's kind of ironic that she went to a studio where I am very good friends with the studio owner. He called me himself to let me know that she was coming to his studio and he wanted to make sure I was okay with that. Mostly because he knew I had poured my heart into this kid and didn't want me to think that he had coerced her into coming to his studio. I knew the truth behind the situation so I was at ease with her going there, knowing that she would at least be continuing with strong training. The rest of the conversation about this student will remain between the two of us (lol), but I have to say that the respect he showed me as her former teacher is something to marvel.

I know it happens to every studio, almost annually, and in return students come to me as well from other studios... so it kind of all equals out in the end. However, I wish these students changing studios would never so easily dismiss and forget what their former teachers have done for them. When another studio gets to take credit for all those years of your work, it can really send a knife through your heart. But maybe we need to just remember that if they go on to have a successful dance career, we do get to own a part of that.

Dance studios are like any other business, where clients can come to you if they want to, but also go somewhere else if they want. There is no contract of loyalty you can account your students for, but you'd like to think that it's an unspoken bond you have with them. When they leave, for whatever reason, it stings, but c'est la vie! With recreational students it is a lot more open to your interpretation of loyalty, as they don't generally have many other reasons besides convenience of choosing to come to you. But when it comes to competitive students, there is a greater sense of bonding and dedication that comes with those relationships.

My new thing with competitive students coming to me from another studio is that I make sure they send at least a card to their old studio. The card is to acknowledge the part those teachers plaed in their life, but also to let them know that they have decided to go somewhere else. Let's face reality here... you're probably going to run into your old studio at some point at a competition, or along your dance travels, and why would you want it be awkward? After the student sends the card, if the old studio still has hard feelings about it, then that's their issue. Teachers/studios need to get over it an move on so that they can concentrate on what they still have at their studio. Kids are free to go wherever they want for dance training, but I just want to help them be honest about where they come from and who they have to thank for playing a part in them loving dance.

Sure, it would be wonderful to watch my former student as a professional dancer and read in her bio that she was proud to list my name as a mentor... and who knows, maybe when she grows up she'll surprise me and do so! But even if she doesn't, I won't lose any sleep over it. I'm going to continue down my own path, and work on creating excellence with the students I do have. I'm always going to feel a sense of pride for any former student when I watch them dance, but it will never equal that feeling I get when I watch the kids at my own studio.

It's not that I object to students changing studios, if they feel it is the best choice for them... just don't forget that your dance teachers have feelings to!

"Details In The Fabric"

2010-01-22T23:16:00.002-05:00

Today I did my first recorded telephone interview for DanceStudioOwner.com and I made some statements that I really have had time to think about now!

I don't even remember the exact question, or how the topic came up, but I was discussing the standards I like to set and maintain at my studio. Right down to the details of what my lobby looks like when you walk in, or how clean the bathrooms are, etc. It got me thinking for the rest of the day about the details every time I walked in somewhere.

We all have those special restaurants or stores that we love, and also those places that we go into once and are turned off by immediately. The minute I walk into a dirty bathroom at a restaurant I know that I more than likely will not go back. If I am treated rudely in a store, I won't return and give them my business. The same is probably true with dance studios! If I was a parent and I walked into dirty dance studio that was not maintained I might be reluctant to return. Same with customer service at a studio, you go where you feel comfortable.

So, I made an extra effort tonight to organize the lobby and make sure everything was clean... kind of to practise what I preached! We offer quality classes at our studio, and a great learning environment, but for the majority of parents they don't know any better when it comes to dance classes and skill. They are likely to be happy at your studio for a variety of reasons, which may or may not include if you had taken out the garbage that night.

When it comes to small businesses I think that people take a lot more pride in the details, as it is all a reflection on them. I like to support small businesses for that reason among others. Tim Hortons doesn't care how dirty their bathrooms are, as people are likely to return for coffee regardless. That little ma and pa cafe down the street sells a great cup of a coffee as well, just without the flashy drive thru sign. Dance studios function in similar ways, and therefore it gives all studio owners the opportunity to attract the kind of client they want to have. The details that make your studio different, and what you offer to your clients is what will attract people to you, make them stay, or even send them running out the door.

I'm not saying that you'll lose your faithful clientele if you forgot to vacuum the lobby furniture this week, but it might just be one more thing for someone to complain about.

On my way to work tonight I stopped off at my favorite hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant and ordered take out. I got to the studio and was really excited to eat before classes started, and then my heart sank... they had forgotten to give me chopsticks and wasabe to eat my sushi with = dinner ruined.

They quickly dropped to number 2 on my favorite sushi take out restaurant list... I'm just sayin'!

"Melt My Heart To Stone"

2010-01-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

I'm pulling a really selfish move tonight and just writing a short blog, that will sound more like bragging!

Tonight my evening ended with my 7 Senior Company members having a group hug in the middle of the studio, and I heard one of them say quietly "I love you guys!"

It wasn't one of those moments where I wanted to cry or anything, but it did touch my heart. It really sealed the deal for me this year that I'd rather have a smaller, but nice group of Senior students around as role models for the rest of my studio. They don't stir up drama, they are supportive of the younger students, and they are enthusiastic about dance in general.

I'm used to having a bigger Senior Company every year, that generally has multiple "stars" in it. There's always a lot of competitiveness and with that comes a lot of teenage drama. There's something very rewarding about working with that kind of big group... if winning trophies is all you care about! However, there's also something special about a great group of kids doing something they love together. These 7 girls are really supportive of not only other students at our studio, but each other. They encourage each other, they push one another, and they care about the outcome as a group.

These girls are not necessarily all best friends outside the studio, but that's not a major concern. They all go to separate schools, they vary in age quite a bit, and they have completely different groups of friends. However, when they are in the studio they respect each other's role in the group, and just as people. I'm excited for them to go to competition together this year, as I know they will enjoy it more without all the group dynamics drama.

Sounds kind of great right? It is! Don't be jealous... I too have gone through years of being in denial about my Company kids all being "friends" and supportive of each other. Maybe just change the stereotype in your studio about who the role models are. The best dancer might not always be the best role model, and vice versa. What do you want the dynamic of your studio to be represented by? Do you care as long as you're winning? You should... think long term!

I just have this sense that no matter who in this group might win at competition for a solo, or any other number, that they will celebrate as a group, knowing they all played a role in each other's successes. And maybe that is the true meaning of "studio" I have been trying to teach and thrive upon for years!

"Please Don't Stop The Music"

2010-01-21T00:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight during Yoga class I let my mind wander away from my practise and started thinking about non-sense... so I must share!

I generally have 3 main things that drive me crazy at dance competitions, in terms of being a fellow teacher and an adjudicator. Each reason is deserving of it's own blog, so today we will start with #1... prompted by one of my teachers tonight!

I walked in to Mitchell's last choreography class tonight to peak in on a Jazz Duet he did for two of my Senior girls. Instantly upon entering the room I thought I heard the music skip, but then I realized it wasn't... it was his music cut. I immediately questioned him on whether or not he was going to fix that, or actually I just told him he needed to fix it. He assured me it was just a rough cut to get them through the night, and I clearly scared him enough to know that he will make sure he fixes it!

My biggest issue at competitions is bad music quality and splicing. This great routine could be on stage and they're about to go into a big turn section, and the music cuts to the next chorus of the song which is not in the same key and the riff doesn't match. It make me cringe and I have to turn away from the routine for a moment to collect myself before I look back. As a seasoned adjudicator I will admit that I always comment on adjudication tapes/CD's about bad music edits. I'm not talking about poor music choices for your students, that's a whole other blog!

As a dance teacher I know that most songs aren't written to be within the three minute time limit competitions set, so therefore they require editing. From my random attendance in my University Music & Society Class I came to gain some knowledge about song writing and editing. I know that songs are all written in the same format; A, B, A, B, C, B. So obvious solution here right, cut from a B to another B section to make the song the appropriate length.

I can see how music editing is a daunting task every year for dance teachers and studio owners, but it goes hand in hand with spending a lot of time on a great routine and a great costume. I know of a lot of teachers who go to music studios and pay professionals to cut their music. If that's the right choice for you then great, but I don't like to pay for unnecessary expenses and spend that kind of time at a music studio. I found a downloadable program that works great for me. It was free to try, and then once I decided I couldn't live without it, I dished out $30 so I could own it forever. In fact, I'd put my program and my music editing skills up against any professional studio editing machine and technician.

Now that I am familiar with my program it normally does not take me very long to achieve what I want with each song. I adjust the sound quality of each song to be similar and then I transfer them to my iPod and CD's for competition. And once a year I always find that one song that I cannot cut to perfection, but I will stay up all night to fix it if needed... every song I use for every dance deserves to be the best I can make it.

Part of the issue here is that teachers will choreograph a dance before even cutting a piece of music. This year I cut all of my music in September so that I had a clear direction for each routine. But the main reason was because then I knew where the song was going to steer me in terms of choreography and I knew how it was going to end. Music is one of the most important elements to me when it comes to dancing and choreography, as it internally drives my feelings and my movements. Musicality is a major topic in all my classes, and I focus a lot of my choreography based on what the music tells me to do. I talk to the kids in depth about their songs before we start dancing to it, and I want them to know every word and every note.

A fellow studio owner I am close with has a very intimate relationship with all his music, and he generally refuses to edit it at all. Most of his groups are over the time limits, but he isn't too concerned about it. He feels that the song was written with integrity and he wants to treat it as such, along with his routine. I guess competitions are making a lot of money off of him paying for all the Extended Group categories! I can appreciate a full length song when it's a really great routine, which thankfully his are, but it is not something I am preaching for everyone to consider.

Most importantly here when it comes to music editing, is that a fade out is not always the answer! I do not understand why teachers don't cut their music before going to a competition and then proceed to tell the music table when to fade a song, based on when the kid finishes their dance on stage. I always know when a group hits their ending pose and then the song starts to fade slowly while they hold their pose. It says to me, our teacher didn't care enough to cut our song so that the ending put a real exclamation point on our piece. Do you think nobody notices, especially the adjudicators?

So, for all you dance teachers up tonight trying to cut all your competition music... don't stop to read my blog! Cut your music with the same integrity you would want your teacher to do for you. Cut your music so that it helps to showcase this piece that does reflect on you as a teacher. Maybe it's not for your most advanced kids, or your cleanest routine, but at least no one will be able to comment that your music edits sounded like a cat being stepped on.

I just thought of a great money making plan... I'm going to make a compilation CD of pre-edited music that all studios should use. The CD will include versions of "Orange Colored Sky", "Popular" and special for this year, every Michael Jackson song.

Unfortunately, those of you who buy this CD obviously did not receive a copy of the list I have compiled, as an adjudicator, of the banned from competition music. Or even if you did, and you're still rocking that Musical Theatre Solo to "Popular", at least cut the damn thing so that Kristin Chenoweth forms complete sentences!

"Medicate The Kids"

2010-01-20T00:34:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give a shout out tonight to one of my kids who deserves a little bit of recognition!

One of my Intermediate students, Breanna, had oral surgery yesterday where she had several front teeth removed. She now has an entirely swollen face, cannot open her mouth and her nose is the size of her fist. I knew she was having the surgery for a while now and I was concerned about her not being able to eat or function properly for a while, especially at this time of year. However, she completely proved me wrong tonight!

Her mom brought her in to watch classes and I figured she'd be in too much pain to get up off the floor all evening. Instead, she went and changed and got ready for class and spent the entire 3 hours tonight at the studio being proactive in her classes. She did not dance with the kids or anything, but she kept talking to me about corrections she was noticing and things she felt needed to be addressed when it came to their numbers.

I personally know the pain of having teeth pulled in recent years, and I myself chose to lay on a couch for 3 days and was happy being waited on. This 11 year old put me to shame tonight as she stepped up and was an active member of their group. She eagerly helped clean up sections of the dance and was happy to help in any way she could.

At our studio we have a lot of "policies" laid out about our competitive students and their attendance in classes. We want them to identify the difference between being "sick" and just feeling icky. We suggest they come to class and sweat out that icky feeling, or if they are feeling well enough to come and observe we strongly encourage them to do so. If they are in bed and cannot get up, we don't want to see them. However, if you're feeling well enough to sit and talk on MSN, then you're well enough to come at least watch your choreography class! I don't want to determine whether a kid is legitimately sick or not, so I let them make their own decisions. If I see a pattern of absences in competitive classes I will address it, but aside from that I am a true believer of letting them chose their path. Showing up to class, even if you are not 100%, means you are still working, learning and improving.

Most parents don't see the necessity of their kids watching a class or even coming in at all when they're sick. They think that one night isn't a big deal, but then that night becomes a bi-weekly occurrence, and before you know it they're not progressing and missing important information in classes. I deal with a lot of illnesses and injuries every year, and parents are generally put off by my lack of compassion. Like I've never been sick, or had a sore foot before! I have compassion... I just don't overreact! Part of my job is to help kids with over coming injuries, illness and other problems in relation to their dancing.

It was to my surprise that I even saw Breanna at all tonight, but I hope that is was an eye opener for a lot of other students. She has been working extremely hard in the past year to move up in to a higher Company, which she did this year, and she has continued to push herself weekly to become one of the leaders of this group. She consistently yearns to improve and wants to be pushed to her limits so she can reach her potential. In other words... she gets it and wants it. Just because she wasn't blessed with perfectly aligned teeth wasn't stopping her from reaching her potential this year!

She learned a lot by watching tonight, and I know next week she will have gone over the choreography and taken note of all the corrections the rest of the class was given. It will not be time wasted for her or the rest of the class, and that in itself is a pleasure to know as a dance teacher. Maybe she will be less a few teeth, and hopefully lacking the skills to talk as much as she normally does for a while, but I'm sure she won't have missed a step!

So kudos to you Breanna, even if you never read this! You should be proud of yourself and your dedication to every one in your group. I told her to stay home tomorrow night, as she wouldn't be missing any choreography classes, but she assured me she'd be in back taking class. I won't hold her to it, but I also wouldn't be shocked if she was.

Super proud teacher here tonight... I'm gonna go add a few extra rhinestones on her costume free of charge!

"Save The Best For Last"

2010-01-17T18:16:00.001-05:00

I feel like it's becoming crunch time here... Competitions start for us in less than 2 months and there is so much to do besides just choreography. Costumes, Competition entry lists, entry fees, schedules, extra rehearsals dress rehearsal, and the list goes on and on.

For me and many other studios I find really hard to not want to jump right into choreography every Fall in anticipation of competitions. The kids are all excited for the year ahead and I'm just bubbling over with ideas. I do start our Production right away, as it takes 6 months to get done, but I try to hold off on as many other numbers as I can. The major reason being that the kids learn and grow so much between August and now that it doesn't make any sense for me to choreography numbers too early.

This year has been moving along nicely for me, and I have finished every number I've started very quickly. Sometimes in only one or two classes and I have all the choreography done. I'm letting my work be a lot more organic this year instead of focusing on unnecessary clutter in my routines and it makes them flow a lot smoother. The kids are working harder in class this year and we spent a lot of time earlier in the year doing combos in class, so now their skills at picking up choreography have improved and we can move on quicker. Maybe my scenario sounds too good to be true, but I've put a lot of work into my teaching this year so that my students and my choreography can all be better.

In the past month I have completed laying out almost all my choreography, so now I have time to fine tune and clean them up. However, until today I one last solo left to even start. This student is in a lot of groups and had other solos to work on as well, so I left this one on the back burner. We met up at the studio for an hour session today and I probably could have stayed there all afternoon just doing it. The choreography flowed out of me and into her body and it just came together the way I had imagined it would. It's one of those haunting songs that stays with you after you hear it, and I have had many dreams about new choreography and tricks for the piece. It's not quite done... but I'm already going out on a limb here and saying it's some of my best work this year!

I guess what I keep re-learning every year is that I don't need to rush into choreography for competition season. Part of the game plan for the year is bringing the kids up to a new level and then choreographing them a dance to fit that. Normally by the time you get to a competition the dance might be way below where a student's abilities are at that point. I want to push my students choreographically to the limits of their talents, so I have to time working with them just perfectly. It is something I have not mastered yet with every student, but I think I got it right today.

Next year at this point when I'm looking back and reading my own blog I'm going to be able to remind myself to hold off doing some choreography with those students I know can handle it later on in the year. I want to give them plenty of time to grow into the piece and really get it, but I also want to be able to give them something fresh.

I can always tell at competition the numbers that have been cleaned for 3 months straight in anticipation of performance, because the dance just looks stale. It's even true with some of my own numbers, so in the next month I'm going to go back and make some major changes to kind of wake up the kids and liven up the dances. I have new ideas about each piece I've choreographed and I think it's fair to incorporate them now instead of waiting until next year to do something new.

You can't make every piece you do the last one... but maybe just leave something special for the end that makes you really excited to go into the studio, even on a cold Sunday afternoon. I am a self proclaimed master-procrastinator, but maybe for the first time in my life it works to my advantage.

Oh crap... now this routine needs a costume too!

"Feedback"

2010-01-15T22:54:00.000-05:00

So in listening to Janet Jackson on repeat today on my iPod I was reminded of my love for her music! Mostly her older stuff, but I do have strong sentimental attachments to some of her newer music as well.

I didn't try to break down the words of this song and figure out how it applies to my life... but it made me think about how I get and take feedback for the studio.

Do you ask parents for feedback as a studio owner? How do you do it? Is it important to do at all?

Another teacher shared once at a conference that she has sit down appointment at the end of every year that she lets parents sign up for 10 minutes of time to come in and give her feedback. She doesn't respond to any of it, she just listens and takes notes. She then continued to say that at the end of all the meetings she threw out all the sheets of paper she had taken notes on! She could remember herself what was a few things she agreed with and would improve on those, but didn't let the rest of it bother her.

I actually think this is a great idea, but I don't think I would be very good at it. I get overly sensitive about things when it comes to my studio and decisions I make that I think are best for everyone. I find that most parents are speaking from a selfish place when it concerns their kids, and they forget I do try to look out for the best interest of everyone at the studio. But I guess that's to be expected. I'm a very defensive person, especially when it comes to my studio and something I am very passionate about. But on the other hand I am also a business owner and I make decisions based on my business needs/demands. It's not like you walk into The Gap and give them feedback on how to set up their store or sell their merchandise. But we are dealing with people's children here, and every parent always thinks they know best!

I guess maybe the reason this has been successful at this other studio is because it gives parents the chance to be heard and then they feel important. I want my clients to feel important at my studio, and that they can always come to me with and talk. From experience I know that parents come to you with ideas of how they think something would be better, or an idea that they think would be good for the whole studio. My initial reaction is to say, "then open your own studio and do that!" but I bite my tongue most of the time and try to hear them out. I want to be able to take their ideas without them feeling like they are in control of the studio, because when you give an inch you have to give a mile!

My favorite line ever from a parent goes something like this, "well, at out old studio we used to do it like this!" Great... then go back to your old studio if it was so wonderful! Every studio does have it's unique differences and business plans and I respect that as a studio owner. I guess some parents do think that all dance studios are sanctioned by some big dance studio guru who tells us how to do things. However, we are all navigating every detail as we go.

I guess once you get set in a way that works for you tend to never want to receive feedback on how you can change it. But in doing so we might be missing out on a great opportunity to make things easier for ourselves or more efficient for our studios. I don't know if parents are the best group of people to ask for feedback from on your business, but on a daily basis we don't get too many other opinions. It's why I love dance teacher conferences or just sharing ideas with other teachers through writing or on the internet. I want to hear feedback from other studios and know what works for them, so I can at least try them. I don't want to make a point that my way is the best way and the only way it will ever work, because then I would stop learning, growing and improving!

More immediate forms of feedback, like anonymous comment boxes, feel to me like a way for just direct negative feedback. If you do have parent meetings, at least it gives them an opportunity to not just focus on the negative to your face. I'm sure they are prompted to feel the need to tell you how great things are as well, and that would make it all seem worth it to me.

I don't right now openly ask for any feedback as a business owner, but maybe I will try something this year that allows parents to make some comments. I have to figure out which method will bruise my ego the least, but also I realize that I need to learn to accept feedback in order to help my studio grow. It also allows me the chance to have a reason to drink more wine when I get home... not that I really need to add to that list! I'm working on the poster now...

Parent Feedback Opportunities at Dance Fusion

-10 minute one-on-one meeting with the Director

-Sign up below for a time

-$15 or free admission with a donation of a bottle of Merlot

"On The Sunny Side Of The Street"

2010-01-14T13:00:00.000-05:00

I'm blogging nice and early today, because I woke up so early that now it's only noon and I have done everything I need to before I head to the studio. It's kind of blah outside but I'm not going to let that determine how I feel today.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing some rain today... to wash away all this dirty snow that is currently sitting in my driveway.

I've been sensing a lot of 'down-ness' at the studio lately, mostly due to the weather and just this time of year. People are tired, it's dark out really early, and there is more traffic due to the driving conditions so parents are more irritable and ready to just get home. Everything is wet and dirty and bundling up in big coats is more of an inconvenience for everyone than it is enjoyable.

So change of game plan for next weekends classes... I'm going to turn the studio into a beach for the day! Bathing suits, sand toys, water guns, you name it! Maybe the sun will even show itself outside for a few hours so the studio will be brighter and more warmer. I guess it's kind of nice to do something exciting for the Recreational students for the day and make everyone feel better about their day in general. I guess I'll spend this afternoon making handouts and emails ready to send home to inform everyone of the occasion. I should do things like this more often, to help keep everyone motivated!

It's also going to help me keep looking ahead to my favorite time of year which is Spring, especially at the studio. It means Competition season is in full swing which eases my mind, and everyone is just happier in general. We can then utilize outside around our studio as well, as I like to take the kids running and do conditioning outside. Most of them would say it's torturous, but they do appreciate the change of pace.

I know beach day at the studio won't bring me any closer to that feeling of my feet being in the sand on the beach, but maybe I'll hire a cabana boy and he can serve the parents and staff Mojitos. Do I need a liquor license for that? I'll have to go look into the legality of this one, so my day just got a lot busier!

"Sugar"

2010-01-13T23:36:00.001-05:00

We have this tradition at our studio when it comes to our Competitive student's birthdays. The kids get to bring in cake on their birthday for all the Company students that are there at the time, which is usually all of them by coincidence I'm sure.

Now I have no issues with this tradition, as the kids enjoy it and so do all the teaching staff. We get to have great cake and that generally satisfies my need for food for the evening! However, I forgot that January is jam packed with birthdays, like every other day, and my glucose levels are definitely on the rise.

Letting them eat cake at the studio basically goes against a lot of standards we set for them when it comes to the time they're at the studio for classes. They are not allowed soda drinks in my studio at any time, and they are only to bring healthy meals and snacks with them to eat. It's not that I'm trying to put them on diets, but it goes along with that my last blog, that it's important to know what they're fuelling their bodies with if they want to perform well in class.

I don't want to start telling them to bring in fruit instead of cake, because after all we all celebrate birthdays with cake. Thick white cake with about 5 inches of icing and colored sugar flowers on top! They don't really sell cakes in the grocery store that are low in fat, or have smaller portions of icing on them, so we'll just have to deal with what they produce in large enough quantities for our studio.

But good news, I have found a new recipe that will elude all guilt when it comes to eating cake. Vegan Chocolate Cake! Sounds gross right? It is so not! I use a regular chocolate cake mix out of a box and then instead of adding all the extra ingredients like eggs, water and oil, I add one special ingredient... pumpkin puree!

Who knew they sold pumpkin in cans? Well the Hungry Girl website told me so! It takes longer to bake then the box indicates, but it is moister, tastier and stays fresher longer in my pantry. And the best part about them is that I don't feel guilty eating it.

Hungry Girl has a lot of great tips for replacing things in your food to make them healthier but just as tasty. It comforts my need for eating yummy things, and relieves my need for unhealthy treats sometimes. I don't think anyone should every feel guilty about eating things that they enjoy... I just don't want to hear them bitch later how about none of their clothes fit!

So because the kids got measured in December for their costumes, it is too late now to let all that cake go straight to their centers... we will have to work that much harder this entire month so that we can keep the tradition alive!

Actually, I'm going to go research on the internet now to see if anyone has done a study to prove that the effects of drinking wine with cake virtually eliminates any fat... or I'll just do the study myself.
Results to follow later this month!

"Kisses & Cake"

2010-01-12T23:55:00.001-05:00

I do love Tuesday evenings for several reasons... the major one being the fantastic classes I always have that night. I have my competitive kids for technique classes and I always leave the studio feeling very fulfilled and energized.

The second reason is because The Biggest Loser is on! I watch it on satellite at 11:00pm when I get home, and I am up until 1:00am glued to my television. I adore Jillian Michaels screaming at people who cannot run on treadmills, and I love when Bob Harper eventually cracks and tells people why they're overweight. I don't take pleasure in their pain or their obesity issues for that matter, but it is good entertainment. It's one of the only shows I can name you that has a 2 hour episode on every week... so I guess I'm not the only person who loves it!

The oxymoron of my life is that I sit and watch The Biggest Loser every week while I scarf down whatever junk food I can assemble in my house. One of the hardest things about being a studio owner/dance teacher, is that we have to sort of skip dinner every night at work. I work from about 5:00-10:00pm every night and dinner should normally fall right in the middle of that. I'm not good at chewing and choreographing, so I just don't do it. Then I get home and I'm starving and thus I'm breaking a major rule about eating before bed.

So I am sharing a tip tonight that has worked for me when it comes to "studio owner late night dining"! I'm no Jillian Michaels or anything here, but I've watched this show enough to pick up some tips! I have discovered flavoured teas and apple cider really do fill me up. I find that something thick and hot with a strong natural flavour satisfies my hunger very quickly and I forgot that I left the studio craving nachos. I really try to avoid the snacks, but I do fail once in a while, so I've stocked my pantry with nuts and popcorn. I fill a small bowl with it and then I don't go back for more when I'm finished. That way I'm limiting my late night snacking, or eating something that is filling and satisfying.

I'm not going to write a novel here on my eating habits and Grocery Store route, but I do have the food issue in my life under control. My magic bullet has now become a staple in my every day life, and frozen fruits/veggies fill my freezer rather than frozen dinners and pizza. Wine is another story for me... but I think alcohol is an official food group for studio owners, so I'm covered there!

I try to share healthy eating tips with my dancers and I am always on them about what they eat at competition weekends. Let's just be honest here, I'm dealing in an industry where healthy and body matters. How you look plays a major role in your career, and taking care of yourself/your body helps you to train better, work better, and perform better. My major theory... what you put in your body = what you get out of it!

Short blog tonight, as I'm just writing a bit during the commercial breaks! Jillian is about to give this poor woman a serious beating in the gym until cries... gotta love quality television!

"All Dressed Up In Love"

2010-01-11T19:11:00.001-05:00

So I spent a good portion of today, and a good portion of my credit card limit, on the Etsy website.

My friend Alison used it quite a bit when it came to her wedding last year and has since become obsessed with felt hair pins and buttons! I decided today that it was time to broaden my horizons of costumes and was looking for inspiration from other places rather than my usual dance costume websites.

I like to do costumes a lot differently than most other studios, and I spend a lot of time making sure it's exaclty what I was thinking of for each dance. I know in the US that dance costume catalogues are a huge industry, and most studios order from them. Here in Canada we are starting to have more options in terms of catalogues when it comes to competitive routines, but to be honest, I don't like most of them. (That's not an invitation for more people to send me their catalogues, because believe me I get them all already!)

I don't like the limited selection and quality that most of the catalogues offer, and that does come from personal experience. I have a local Company who only caters Recital costumes to studios and it works out great for me. They are close by and really good about changing sizes if needed, and offer good quality at a price point I think it fair.

For my competitive costumes I tend to go any route that I need to, in order to find the costume I invisioned for that piece. If you're trying to be unique with a competitive routine, I don't know if a catalogue costume if really going to offer you what you're looking for to compliment your work. My studio has become a lot more contemporary over the years, and thus our costumes have become a lot less fussy, and more simple and wearable after.

Lulu Lemon offers great dance quality products, like their black booty shorts that all my Intermediate/Senior Company students have for many of their groups. We buy different tops for lyrical/contemporary numbers to go with them and it looks simple but really fantastic on stage. I have lately become obsessed with hair pieces that spice up the costume a bit more, but even sometimes I just like plain black on stage. Recently I have also started using American Apparel for a lot of basic items that I am looking for if it fits what I need.

These companies don't always offer me the inspiration I am looking for when finishing a routine off with that phenomenal costume, but that's where you have to get creative. Enter Etsy.com into my life! A website of all custom clothes makers who are willing to work with you on any type of order. I emailed a bunch of sellers today whose designs interested me and we came up with colors/styles that I was looking for to suit each dancer. I emailed them back with the kids sizes and now within a few weeks I will have everything delivered to my house.

I know it seems like a lot of work when you could just pick an already done costume out of a catalogue, but there's a big difference to me between really making the effort to get that special costume for those routines you've put so much effort into. Can't you just imagine one of your students on stage in this gorgeous tutu!
This website has so many great designs that I never would have been able to think of on my own and now I can utilize the talents of other people that I don't even know.

I don't think I recommend this custom ordering business for every body for every dance, as I can see becoming overwhelmed in keeping everything organized if you're not used to doing it this way. I personally like to have my hands on every costume coming out of my studio, and thus get enjoyment out of shopping for things... and who doesn't like shopping for spectacular things!

Make an effort this year to maybe even chose one routine who needs that custom costume and get really creative with where you get it from. On a price point level, I can find anything that is of equal and generally better quality and just what I need for the same price as I can buy it in bulk out of a catalogue. You charge your parents for your time and travel to get these costumes and in return they'll get something unique and fabulous. Parents at my studio especially like the Lulu Lemon clothes I get my students as they can wear them the year after for their classes.

And then when you're out shopping or browsing on Etsy for that perfect costume piece you can always pick yourself up something nice... hence why I now own this fabulous dress! Because of course I have to make sure I'm always looking great as well!

"If I Were A Boy"

2010-01-10T19:33:00.001-05:00

Today's blog is in honor of two of my friends Jeremy & Scott Kelly... who hesitantly admitted that they read my blog! I don't know why I find this so shocking, but regardless boys, I am happy that you read it!

I haven't figured out the real reason yet, but Scott and Jeremy have both sat through many Dance Fusion Recitals over the years. I even give credit my father who is able to sit through an entire Recital that I am not dancing in. Trust me, I do notice that it's always the men who are going out for breaks in the lobby during our Recital. I think maybe next year I won't put an order in the Program, so every dad has to stay and watch the whole show since they don't know when their kid will be on!

I've only ever brought one boyfriend to a dance competition in the past, because I thought it was important for him to see what I did with my life. He came after I was already there and sat in the audience for about an hour before I even remembered to go and find him to check in! I am really preoccupied at competitions, and luckily he was very patient and understanding about that. He didn't stay long, but he made the effort and that made me happy. I would never suggest that any boyfriend come for an entire weekend to just watch dance, as even I can't watch dance for 3 days straight without needing a break!

I have always had guys helping out with our Recitals and they don't seem to mind for the one day. They do lighting, screen cues or music and they are really good at those types of things, so I am grateful for their help. I don't think they necessarily watch every routine with matching enthusiasm, but they do pay attention to what's going on for the entire three and a half hours... so what more can I ask for!

In talking to the guys over the years, who have observed dance, there seems to be only 2 things they have figured out... they can identify what's really good, and they can identify what's really bad. The in between all looks the same and that's where they lose interest and patience with watching! I can't really blame them, as I feel the same way about watching things that I'm not that interested in as well. The really good is great to watch, and yet equally enjoyable is the bad!

So I am going to make sure this year that I have a few routines that will really impress and entertain all the men who come to watch my studio. I unfortunately have steered away from corsets and lingerie type costumes this year, which might deter any younger guys from being enthused about it... but I promise that you will at least catch some talent!

Now I just need to explain to them what the hell the difference is between a High Gold and a Diamond Award!

{image via cbathyy on etsy}

"My Life Would Suck Without You"

2010-01-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a good Kelly Clarkson song?

In honor of my friend, David Norsworthy, coming in to teach today I am going to write about about it! Well actually I want to share how important I think it is to have guest teachers and choreographers in your studio on a regular basis for your competitive kids, but we can say it's about David personally!

I might not have a marketing budget, but I surely do have a monthly allowance for guest teachers...

From the very first year of the studio we offered a summer dance intensive with all guest teachers. I don't run one of those competitive level summer camps where only my regular staff teaches the kids the same things they do all year long. We have guest teachers all day for the entire week. I might charge a bit more than some other studios for the Intensive, but in comparison to a weekend convention, I'm offering more classes with more teachers at the same price. Then I saw the growth and development in the kids so I decided that we better utilize guest teachers as part of our monthly classes to help enhance their training.

When I was growing up we used to have to attend a minimum amount of weekend conventions every year for training purposes. Not only do I find the conventions themselves pricy, but then there are travelling costs, hotel costs, food costs, and of course you're in a room with 500 other dancers so there isn't any personal attention involved. I figured I could bring the same concept of convention training into my own studio so that my students could continue to grow as dancers in a more intimate and relaxed setting. I don't even think the parent's at my studio realize that I do this so often, and am saving them thousands of dollars by not making conventions mandatory. They pay for it with their monthly fees and intensive costs, and I know they appreciate the dollar value that they're getting at my studio. My competitive students do attend outside Workshops/Conventions as well, but they go on their own, because they have realized the importance of it!

I'm lucky that I have affiliated myself with a local group of choreographers through David's Company, Fresh Dance Intensive, who contracts out young up and coming choreographers. They are really affordable for studios to have in on a regular basis, as oppose to flying out some big name person for a one time deal. This way I'm always throwing a learning curve at them, as every teacher they have comes from a different studio, with a different style of teaching and choreography.

The greatest lesson I think my students have learned from having so many different teachers over the years, is that class work is about how much they put into it. They gain out of it as much as they put into it. Maybe the open type of classes don't focus on technique as much as some other teacher's think kids need, but that's the major difference between the level/ages of the students I hire guest teachers for. My Intermediate & Senior Competitive level students have enough solid technical training behind them that they can apply it themselves in other classes. My Junior Competitive kids do also get guest teachers, but maybe not as often, and I am more careful in letting the teacher coming in know what the expectations are. It's not in replacement of technique classes, it's to compliment them!

It's all about making these guest teachers work within the bigger picture of what you're trying to achieve as a competitive studio. Are you just concentrating on cleaning up competitive routines in every class from now until March rolls around? Or are you continuing to train your kids in all facets of dance so that they are continually growing and improving all year? I am training my students to be in the best condition and at the highest level of training they can be when we go to competition... it's not just about the 14 groups they're in. I can see straight through a super-clean but basic jazz routine to the fact that those kids could never go take a workshop class and keep up. I am training them for long term, because let's face it, competition season ends at some point, but the growth in their dancing should have never stopped!

Also, knowing my kids are comfortable with so many styles of movement and choreography allows me to be more creative with all their competitive routines. Don't you just hate when a studio has 5 lyrical groups that all look the same? It's probably because same teacher did all of them! Why not have one of these guest teachers choreograph a group for you that challenges your kids? I wouldn't take any personal strikes if a routine from my studio won something that another choreographer did. I would take personal gratification in knowing that this group was from my studio, and it was my choices as a dance educator that helped them succeed! The cheque they win is still being written out to Dance Fusion, and I still get to be the one to dust the trophy!!

I had the brilliant idea in the summer of doing a studio swap with a colleague who owns a studio a few hours away. She would come down to my studio for a day of my summer intensive, and then I would go down to her studio for a day in exchange. That way we are not only saving the expense of having guest teachers in, but we are enhancing each other's students and also sharing what we both love to do. My ideal situation would be to do that once a month with a different teacher from a different studio. Imagine how much we could all share and the skills we would be offering to our students.

Personally I have learned a lot of things from even the younger guest teachers coming in to my studio. I am not self motivated about being the only one who knows everything about teaching my students... they can eventually all see right through that one!

I better end this blog now for today... I'm hearing loud cheering coming from the room where David is teaching the Intermediates and I better go see what all the excitement is about. Or maybe I should be content enough sitting here knowing they're that excited about being in class and having him here!

"My Philosophy"

2010-01-08T22:18:00.001-05:00

This blog today has been prompted by my good friend Shelby, who shared with me an Improv video a friend of her posted from a University in Vancouver. My initial thought was too tell you how much I disliked it, considering their age and assumed abilities, but instead I am going to use this as a starting point for this blog and a chance to share my philosophy on improvisation.

I personally am a big fan of improv exercises in all levels of dance classes. I use them right from the get go with my 3 year olds in class, basically letting them do free movement as different animals or fish to the music with freezes. Then it continues right on through with my Senior Competitive students, who do it as part of their regular class work.

Growing up within competitive dance studios I was never introduced to improvisation in any form of dance. Then at my University dance audition we spent about half an hour breaking down structured improv sessions and I detested every moment of it. It was not until my very first audition for a professional dance job that I really knew I was lacking a skill required to be a professional dancer. It was a jazz audition and I was through about 3 rounds of cuts before they told us to improv for the first 30 seconds of the song before the combo. So I did a pirouette and a kick some sassy walks and then worked into the combo. I didn't even know there were other options of things to do besides my "tricks"!

I literally can't think of a tool I have used in my classes since that has helped my kids advance to where they are today in terms of style and movement choices. It's not about how many pirouettes they do in the improv, in fact sometimes I restrict them from doing "tricks" at all. It's about total body awareness in movement, taking risks and moving with what comes out of it. It's the most rewarding performance time for them, and I get to be their audience every class.

Last year I even had a structured improvisation group as a Competitive routine. We rehearsed spacing changes, and structured stops in the music when the rhythm and movement needed to change, but that's about it. Every competition the dance was different, and it made it so much more enjoyable to watch as a teacher. I also learned so much about these kids as real dancers in the process. This group was with four of my most advanced students, as I think improv is a skill like any other form of dance that needs to be cultivated in class before sharing it. However, I don't discriminate who get's to do improv in classes regardless of their technical abilities. Sometimes I find that different kids shine in improv with their free movement and stylistic choices, and I focus on their strengths as dancers from then on.
Improv has helped me to identify what my students are good at, and also what they need to improve on, and thus I can choreograph routines accordingly for them = makes me a better teacher!

We even attended a competition last year that offered an improvisation solo category. They got to hear a piece of music twice before just going on stage and performing to it. I only had two students do it last year, but this year I have entered 7 of my kids in this category who I think could gain a lot of confidence from this kind of opportunity at a competition.

I would actually like to challenge other competitions, especially in Canada, to offer a category like this so we can actually give kids more of an opportunity to have experience doing things they will have to do as a professional dancer at auditions. We need to train our dancers to be better prepared for what the dance world will actually require of them. It's not always about just doing split jumps across the room, it's also about the "dancing"!

I would also like to challenge more studio teachers to try using improvisation as part of their daily teaching practise for their students. I feel it has given my kids an unmatched confidence when it comes to contemporary choreography work, taking classes with other teachers, and in general just with their dancing. I'm not talking improv exercises about being a tree, but letting them explore contemporary movements without the grilling of just the tricks you think make them better dancers.

I want to share a video of one of my student's, Savanah, from last year when she competed in the contemporary improv solo category at a competition. She was 12 years old at the time, which seems young for such mature movement, but I find it a real compliment that everyone comments on the way she moves already at her age. She really focused on musicality and listening to what the words were telling her to do and going from there.

Savanah of course has grown in all aspects of her dancing and improv skills since then, but it's definitely not a bad starting point!

Savanah's Competition Improv Solo

"Don't Cry Out Loud"

2010-01-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

I'm on an old school song throw back lately, so this title seemed fitting!

I think today I want to share some advice that I got from a non-dance related friend. I know you're shocked I have non-dance friends, but truthfully, some of the best people I have to talk to are the ones who don't know a pirouette from an arebesque. I wasn't really having a great day before I went into the studio, and then when I got there I had to do a lot of cleaning before classes began. I figured I was going to be in such an edgy mood come 5:00pm and I was not looking forward to the Production class later on and dealing with all those competitive kids. However, I thought back to what Dave had told me once about my attitude going into work.

I used to just warn the kids before class started if I was in a mood or really irritable that day, so that they would at least know before I yelled at them. In looking back I guess that really set the tone for the whole class, and that's not really fair to my students or myself. So I am taking steps to improve the way I approach all my classes, even when I am definitely not in the mood to deal with anyone but my cats!

What I learned from Dave was that regardless of my mood, fatigue or feelings that day I had to go into the studio the same way every day. The kids don't really care if I'm having a bad day, they deserve a good class either way.

Tonight was our first Production class since before the Holidays and I had been anticipating it since I woke up this morning. I figured it would be a disaster and I would be really upset that no one remembered all the choreography we did before the break. So I decided to logistically plan the entire class and what we needed to accomplish. I wrote out all the choreography that needed to be reviewed in the first half hour, and divided up the groups so Shelby and myself could divide and conquer. Then for the second half hour I made up all the remaining choreography for the majority of the kids, and broke down the music into counts for Shelby to work with the other group. It instantly eased my mind for the afternoon and I felt very confident going into work.

I don't normally plan out every detail of every class to this extent, but Production class seems to ignite my stress levels in a way that smaller groups of kids just can't. I decided ahead of time not to get upset when a kid didn't know their choreography and to stay calm and focused on what I had set out to do. The night went by a lot quicker and everyone, including myself, was really content.

So I guess Dave was right, but don't tell him I said that! The kids don't deserve the throw-backs of my mood that day, as I don't like to receive it from other people either. Next time I'm having an off day I'm going to plan out my classes for that evening so I don't let my emotions take over what were doing. I will have something to focus on and I will be busy completing tasks I had set, which will satisfy me instantly.

At the end of tonight I had already forgotten that I didn't have a great day, because I had a wonderful night at the studio. It's not always going to be that easy to get over feeling tired, or sick, but heading into each class with a neutral work-hard attitude already makes me a better teacher then I would have been. It's not about pretending to be happy when you're not, but maybe it's about using your feelings in a productive way. If you're really upset about something, create a combo for a class that will help lift your spirits.

So "don't cry out loud" to the kids is my advice tonight! They don't want to hear about your problems, even if they say they do. They want to dance... and luckily I want to teach dance.

The inevitable is that some days of my are going to be great, and some are going to be crappy, and I have to go to the studio regardless! Might as well make the most out of it. Tonight I could have just been sitting at home watching stupid tv re-runs eating an entire carton of ice cream alone. Instead I went into work and made choreographic magic... coming soon to a theatre near you!

"This Woman's Work"

2010-01-06T23:35:00.000-05:00

Probably on the top 10 list of my favorite songs of all time. The original is good, however, I had a friend introduce me to Greg Laswell recently, and he has my new favorite version. So you guessed it, I used it for a dance this year!

I'm actually using it for a trio that I finished tonight, for Savanah, Shevya and Courtney. I had never planned for them to do a trio together, but fate has a way of stepping in some times and now I am thrilled with the result. Savanah made me a promise this evening that they would do it so well at one competition this year that I will cry!

If you spend time with me during competition season you'll know that I am generally so stressed that I cannot feel most of my body... never mind my emotions. I told the kids once that I had didn't have tear ducts so I would never cry after one of their dances. It's not that I'm not moved or they don't dance well, but I'm too busy thinking about the next thing to remember to cry!

I know a teacher at a local studio who cries at competition after every lyrical dance her kids do. I'm not saying she can't be moved by them... but every time??? Save it for when it's really legitimate... that way it will have more impact. Now, I don't want to brag or anything tonight, but I actually have several numbers this year that have the potential to make me grow tear ducts. Stay tuned!

I picked up a copy of the latest O magazine today, as I needed to spend $4 more at Shoppers to get a reward thing. Oprah is one woman who knows how to wuuuuuuuuuurk! Imagine, having a magazine named after you, or an entire empire for that matter. Not that I would want to trade places with Oprah, or any celebrity for that matter, as you'd be too busy to enjoy the great life you appear to have. I wouldn't mind unlimited access to Miss O's bank account though!

It kind of makes me wonder where you draw the line between too much work, versus the other stuff. Does someone else need to help you draw that line because you're so wrapped up in your own life to notice when you've gone too far? How much money is enough money for you to have currently and saved up before you really enjoy life? Are you successful only when you have a lot of money?

Why am I asking questions to my own blog? Trust me, if I knew the answers to any of life's deepest questions I would share them with you... but for now I'll stick to telling you how awful I find dance catalogue costumes!

This woman here has had a long day and needs to get some rest... at least I've figured out that balance in my life. Good thing I find my job fun, and the daily work that I do rewarding and meaningful... like tonight I taught a kid how to tuck her sweat pants into her Uggs and avoid bunching.
How much more great work can one woman accomplish in a day!

"The Space Between"

2010-01-05T11:01:00.000-05:00

So it is only day 6 or so of this daily blogging thing, and I failed! I came home last night fairly exhausted from my first night back at the studio and I just crashed. Epic failure! So today, 2 shorter blogs to make up for my lack of deep thinking yesterday.

Last night we had a silent Yoga class and we played the Dave Matthews Band CD, that was so old it was skipping, but regardless, AMAZING!

I guess I stirred up a bit of interest with my last blog about dance studio marketing, which for better or worse is still interest! Then last night I had another quick thought about it...

I was scanning through an old issue of Dance Canada Quarterly, which is a Canadian produced dance magazine that gets distributed 4 times a year... in case the name wasn't clear! I do subscribe to several American Dance Magazines as well, but this one is all about things close to home for me so I always renew with them.

Now this magazine isn't functionally geared towards one group or another, like our American friends have the luxury of. They have Dance Teacher Magazine, and then separate ones for dancers and teachers a like. Dance Canada Quarterly really doesn't gear towards one side of the dance spectrum, which makes is accessible to everyone I guess.

The majority of dance magazines are filled with advertising, for competitions, costume companies, teacher's seminars and so on, but I noticed that this issue had a lot of advertising for dance studios in it. I was very perplexed at first as it didn't make sense to me. Why are they advertising for their studio when I'm a teacher with my own studio? Do they think I'll be so overwhelmed with how great their ad was in the magazine I'd shut my studio down?

I know there are probably more dancers than studio owners who subscribe to the magazine, but I had never thought of marketing in there as a way to get new clients. One of the bigger ads was actually for a studio right down the street from mine. They have recently opened a new "state-of-the-art" facility and felt the need to push this as their marketing campaign. The ad talked about how big and fabulous their new studio was and they now had massage therapists on hand for parents waiting, and a snack bar to boot.

I stared at the ad for a long time before realizing that as a parent I might be very intrigued by this studio. But then as a dance educator I laughed out loud! No where on the entire full page ad did they mention anything about their teaching staff and the quality of training they give their students. But the parents could get a massage!

This studio just proved my exact point about dance studio marketing and what is effective for what you want to attract in terms of clients. Maybe if you look a little closer at that studio, you'd realize that their just not advertising about their teachers/classes because it's not the highest selling point of their studio. The $7.00 cafe lattes in the lobby are!

I creased the magazine permanently open to this page and put it back in our lounge magazine rack, hoping that someone would pick it up and read it. But no such luck... my parents were too busy enjoying watching their kid's classes on our television circuit!

"Wasted Time"

2010-01-03T19:38:00.000-05:00

I noticed today that my friend Alison had posted an article on Twitter. Normally I never click on her links cause they're generally about wedding planning or some other garbage to do with weddings/marriage that I only roll my eyes at, but the title of this one caught my attention.

Brian McGovern wrote an article about how crappy he finds event blogs... which I only determined because it was titled "Why Your Event Blog Is Crap". So I read the article in it's entirety, and thus I have decided to write a blog in return! Well actually, I'm following a bit of his advice and writing a useful blog today, that maybe if another studio owner reads they can learn something from.

Now I don't run an event business, or write an event planning blog for that matter, so I don't take too much of what he says personally. However, I'm not sure who crowned him the 'knower-of-all-things' when it comes to blogging. I don't necessarily disagree with everything that he's saying, but there is one thing that I need to speak up for myself about.

Brian makes a statement about people who own small business (which I fall in this category) being afraid of marketing. This may be true for some people, but I know as a dance studio owner that the marketing he is referring to is not always effective or attracts the types of clients that I want. Advertising space or flyers are definitely not cheap, and in the past I have kept track of how many students I have gained out of marketing campaigns to see if their return value is worth my money. Nine times out of ten for me, it never brought in enough money to bother doing it again.

What I have learned from many successful studio owners and even through my few years of experience is that there are really only 3 main forms of marketing that a dance studio needs to be concerned about. The first is really only geared towards dance studios, and other businesses like it, but never the less it might make sense to some other people. My Recital Program at the end of the year is one of my best forms of marketing. It has all the details about my studio in it, as well as pictures of happy kids, competition results, plus advertising for my summer camps and upcoming registration dates. Over 600 people attended my Recital last year, so that means that around 600 programs left the Theatre that day and went to many different households. Then when those people have friends over and they see my program on their coffee table it automatically starts a conversation about my business. And generally when it comes to my Recital people are always willing to tell everyone how wonderful it was, how great their kid looked on stage, and so on, which creates an excitement... which makes their friend come and register.

I never understand when I go to other Recitals why their programs are just printed in black ink on a pastel piece of paper folded in half and stapled together. It speaks volumes of the effort you put into details of your show and your studio. Plus something that cheap is not a souvenir of your Recital that people will be proud to keep and show off to other potential clients. On the flip side I went to a Recital a few years ago where the studio prints up yearbooks that double as their Recital Program, however, they cost $20 to buy a the door ($15 if you were lucky enough to order in advance!). Now I already paid for a $40 ticket, and drove to the Theatre, so I was not paying money to buy a book to be able to follow along with your show.

The second marketing tool that is essential to any business in these times is a good website. I always keep my website updated, and recently added an interactive Google calendar on it so that my clients are kept in the loop with what's going on. Make it attractive for your current client base, and easy to use. I can't stand that some studios have their teachers from two years ago listed that don't even work at their studio anymore. Maybe the majority of clients don't know the difference, but if someone is coming to your studio because they want to work with a teacher that you advertised you had, but you really don't = bad marketing!

The third thing, which I think is the most important, is simply word of mouth. If a parent and their child are happy at my studio, they will always go out of their way to tell someone else that they are. Let's face it, there are a dozen dance studios in my area and all these kids go to school together. When one parent is complaining about their studio, and the parent from my studio is saying how happy they are with me... do I need to state the obvious here! I even reward families at my studio when they refer a friend to come and they register for the year.

There are several studios around me that have weekly newspaper ads, and the biggest ad they can buy in the phone book, but I'm not interested in necessarily attracting those types of people. They run coupons for free classes, or a half price month, in order to attract a mass amount of kids at their Registration. Which is fine at first, but what happens after that? Those people who are just coming for free classes, cause they're free, are not the people who are interested in their kid taking dance long term. I want to attract the long term clients, who have an understanding that quality training at a dance studio is not free.

I even heard from a friend the other day that they only wanted to compete around their area so they could attract kids from other local studios to switch over to his. Are you serious? That is the last type of parent I want at my studio! If a parent is happy at my studio with the weekly classes their child receives, the prices are fair, and the fact that I do my best to make their kid look great on stage, then they won't switch studios. It's simple; make your current clients happy... they'll bring you more clients!

I have a marketing plan that works for my business, in my area, and for my clients. I am successful at marketing, and in business, because I have taken these things into consideration and use it to my advantage. There is no black and white list for marketing... but maybe this Brian McGovern guy will come up with one quickly for all of us!

I'm sure Mr. McGovern will never read this, because he has clearly wasted enough time on useless blogs... but maybe I just saved someone else the time of creating a "Free Trial Class" coupon tonight!

"Crazy In Love"

2010-01-02T21:08:00.003-05:00

As much as I love the original Beyonce song, I am a sucker for covers, and Anthony & The Johnsons version generally gets to me every time. So of course I decided to use it for a dance this year!

I spent today at the studio for the first time in 2 weeks. I had even forgotten what a mess I had left it in! I cleaned for a bit while my friend from Vlad's Dance Company, Jordan Clark, was down working on a solo for one of my students, Savanah. Jordan is Savanah's idol and we surprised her with a solo choreographed by Jordan this year, so needless to say she was elated and fought through a 4 hour solo class today to finish the entire thing. I can always tell early on with a number whether or not it's going to be successful at competition, and the combination of everything to do with this solo screams winner to me!

So in honor or Savanah today and one of my favorite cover finds of 2009 I need to share this short little video. It's a clip of the start of one of Savanah's other solos that I'm working on. About a month back I was taping her running through the beginning for the first time and she had a little mishap! One of the many things I love about this kid is her ability to work through pain and generally push through anything...

It gets me every time that she just keeps going! She held her head for quite a while after that, but that was a fully developed 13 year old body's weight landing on that head, so you have to feel for her!

Yes I said 13, she's just a baby, so her head will probably heal quickly!

I couldn't think of a better way to kick off what will be a fabulous year at DF then being at the studio today with Jordan and Sav. We share a passion for dance that enables us communicate with each other in a language of movement that touches right to my soul.

I have in the past declared myself "crazy in love" with many things, like my Christian Louboutin boots, or that Oscar de la Renta dress I'm waiting for a sale to buy! But I officially declare 2010 the year I will breathe nothing but passion and love into my studio and my choreography.

Out with the frivolous things in my life... and in with giving more kids concussion symptoms!

"Sleeping to Dream"

2010-01-01T14:48:00.002-05:00

I woke up today in my bed to the sounds of my good friend Alison in my kitchen making coffee... normally I'd panic that she's touching my appliances, but I was actually really happy that spread out throughout the 3 floors of my house were my closest friends all sleeping in!

It's probably lame to anyone younger than us, but our New Year's Eve was very enjoyable. We played board games... well us girls played board games as Scott quit at Candy Land cause it was clearly too complicated for him! We drank fancy drinks from the Magic Bullet and ate yummy food. We cracked open a bottle of champagne at midnight and then we watched "The Hangover" and slowly everyone fell asleep around the tv. At 2am the movie was over and we all separated to our sleeping quarters to go have some lovely dreams of the great year ahead.

Now everyone has gone home and I am left with a semi-clean house and lots of laundry... however, I am sitting on the couch and not worrying about any of it! I think in 2010 I'm going to take a lot more time to relax about those things that generally cause me anxiety and just enjoy my day as I choose. Hopefully come competition season I'll remember that... and if not I still have a garage full of Merlot!

I think I will take a nap in anticipation of Jordan Clark coming to my house later on today. She's coming to the studio with me tomorrow to do some choreography and she's generally my comic relief right in the New Year!

Maybe I should vouch to take more naps in 2010... I generally do my best work in my sleep and I can dream up fantastical ideas. Last night I came up with a brilliant Recital finale number!

Too bad when I sleep my costume order doesn't get done...

"Party Like It's 1999"

2009-12-31T19:29:00.002-05:00

So it's a decade after Prince released this fantastic song! It's interesting to look back and think about what you were doing 10 years ago...

New Year's Eve of 1999 I was going into my last semester of OAC in high school and getting ready for University! It was also the New Years that I hosted my very first New Year's Eveparty at my house. It wasn't that great, as I remember running out of alcohol very early on in the evening, and my mother coming home early, but it was still a party!

Now ten years later I am hosting my 2nd ever New Year's Eve party! This time way more laid back and only with my closest friends drinking wine around my fire place and watching crappy movies on tv! I have all the food and drinks ready and now I am sitting here waiting in my Free City track pants as my friends are on their way. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my last evening of 2009!

Inspired by my friend Alison I am going to set some goals for 2010... not like lose weight, or whatever, but 3 realistic goals that I can ask my friends and family to help me with!

1. Stop spending so much money on clothes - it's obvious to people who are close to me that I have a serious issue with this, however, MasterCard doesn't seem to agree! I will stop spending money on frivolous items that I can't find space for in my 3 closets and instead spend money/time doing things with people that are important to me. Ie. go to the movies with my mom, or have lunch with Shelby before we teach.

2. I will think before I speak to avoid hurting people's feelings - this one will be tough for me but I'm determined to try! I have a lack of verbal filter when it comes to people I love, and I'm sure I hurt their feelings more then I intend to. So I will make a point of not saying what I really want to say in some cases, and spare their feelings.

3. Learn to cook more things - I know how to cook, it's just out of absolute laziness that I don't more often. I also seem to cook the familiar/likeable things most often, probably out of ease and satisfaction that it will be good. So this year I want to actually go buy ingredients that the cookbook recommends and make meals with them!

I think 3 goals is plenty to think about and work on so I will stop there!

Gotta go check on my baked brie with figs and apples now... already working on goal #3! Oh wait it's still 2009 so I guess that doesn't count???

Tonight I toast to all the great things that happened to me in the past year, and the not-so great things that I learned great things from!

2010 is going to be epic - I just know it!

"Bad Romance"

2009-12-30T22:38:00.003-05:00

It's almost the end of the day... but I'm keeping to my word and blogging!

I would have done it earlier, but I sat at the US/Canada border tonight in traffic for almost 2 hours coming home from Buffalo. I would have blogged from my fance iPhone blogging app, but I refuse to pay those US roaming fees with Rogers!

It was my third trip to shop in the US in the past two weeks... which I'm pretty sure nominates me for Shopaholics Anonymous. I don't always go looking for things for myself, but it usually ends up that I come out of every store with something that I absolutely must have. I bought several costumes for Competitive routines today, so that qualifies writing the entire trip off on my taxes!

However, on an extremely great note I discovered a new authentic Mexican restaurant right by the Outlets on Niagara Falls Blvd... La Galera! Not exciting enough for you... it is within 5 minutes of the competition site we will be going to in April. That means DF post-competition dinner at La Galera - Chimichangas for everyone!

Now in keeping with the theme of naming all my blogs after songs, this one just seemed fitting today, as I heard Lady Gaga sing this song 47 times on the radio in an 8 hour span.

Damn you US border... I have now memorized all the words!

"I Can Cook Too!"

2009-12-29T21:29:00.003-05:00

I officially failed at this blogging thing... truthfully I forgot my password for a while there and then gave up. Now, since I work with kids, giving up is generally not an option that I like to preach, but realistically I could not be bothered for a while!

So tonight I had a revelation and I have decided that I will blog something, no matter how small, every day for an entire year. I actually just watched "Julie & Julia" with my mom and am inspired to write every day about what I love to do... which may change depending on the day! And maybe there is a small glimmer of hope someone will make a movie about my life like they did for Julie Powell, that unfortunately had a lame ending!

This Tuesday night is not like any other I usually have during the year. I am not at the studio, I am not even in the same city as my studio, and instead of teaching or making up choreography I am impatiently searching through the television channels looking for a familiar weekly show. Unfortunately, not only is my dancing life on hiatus, but my regular reality television programming is as well.

I have not been to my studio in over a week and I even miss the intolerable scent that comes from the lockers. I do know that the return of dance in January will bring with it the excitement and stress of the fast approaching competitive season, but bring it on! Most people think my optimistic attitude about our competitive season in 2010 is about proving myself to people and even a bit of revenge... and as shameful as it makes me feel, I will admit that a bit of it is true. Along with a plethora of positive reasons that have nothing to do with anybody else!

With 2009 coming to an end I have made time to reflect a lot on things that have happened at the studio this past year. A lot of good, then the not-so-good, but then more good! I was told once by a teacher that the road to success is paved with a lot of bumps and even small failures. Regardless of all the things that have been not so great this year, I definitely don't think I have failed at anything. Instead, I've decided that I've learned, grown, re-directed and re-focused! No bull-shit, not trying to cover up any feelings, but truly I have had a chance to see what is really important and valuable now in my life, teaching, and my studio.

I feel like I actually have a lot of things to write about... things I've learned about, things I still need help with, and things that maybe will help other people!

I'm no Julia Child... but I can bake a mean red velvet cupcake, adorned with cream cheese icing!