Bringing back the blog page today, I had things to share, and there's no character limit on here!
IT'S COMPETITION DAY... I'm a little excited, but I'm also a little sad.
I'm excited for everyone to get to see what we've been doing all year. What all the blood, sweat, money and tears were for. I'm pumped to see the kids on stage, in costumes, with their hair and make-up done up all pretty. And I'm thrilled for the kids because they get to go on stage again so close to home, in front of all of their friends and family.
The sad part might sound kind of selfish, but it is not meant to be. I'm just not looking forward to letting go of some of these numbers and having them be judged. I am very emotionally attached to some of my work for the first time in my life this year, and having other people score it might ruin them for me. Not that I don't think they'll score high, but because I have finally come to realize that the score won't define it.
After last year I feel as though there was a lot of pressure to be "great" this year. It has made me even more of a perfectionist, harder to please, and my expectations of myself and my dancers has been very high. However, through all of the successes last year, awards included, it has also made me realize that I don't have anything left to prove to anyone else. I've proved it, I've won it. This year I felt like my work could be more self-indulgent. I took more risks. I choreographed some routines from a vulnerable place, and I felt relaxed and happy about all of it. I think it has made me a better choreographer. A more demanding teacher, but a much better choreographer.
I have the strongest group of Company dancers I have ever had this year, and I know every single one of them will dance with integrity this weekend. That is truly all I can ask of them. I've done my job, and I've taught them to do theirs the best they each can... and now I have to let go.
I know people will tell me how amazing things were, even if I don't agree in that moment. My mind is always thinking ahead, to the next one, or about making it better. I'm a perfectionist remember. It's what I do. But I can promise to my kids that I will clap for you, especially if you dance from your guts. When you're done, and exhausted, I will tell you how proud I am of you. And then I will kick your crying parents out of the rehearsal hall when they come to find you after. That's also what I do!
I'm sharing several bits of my soul on stage this weekend that hopefully everyone will enjoy. And if you don't, that's fine, go write your own blog about it!
Looking forward to the endless days of hugging, smiling and crying that competitions bring for our studio.
I think that this year more than ever we have a lot to celebrate already... but adding a few more trophies to the party won't hurt!
#DfHOLLA
Friday, March 1, 2013
Thursday, March 1, 2012
"Got To Be Real"
With one week to go until my first competition of the year, and the same amount of time before the second season is about to get underway in Canada, it is definitely time that I weighed in on a very hot topic... as I know some people have been waiting on edge to hear what I really have to say about 'Dance Moms'. Well hold onto your tutus, cause here it comes!
I have read and heard countless complaints from fellow dance teachers and dance competition directors about how they find this show to be a disgrace to our industry and they will never allow their business to partake in any thing related to the show... but seriously, give me a break! You're probably the same people who watch 'Toddlers & Tiaras' or 'Big Brother' and think that's all legit. Just because it's classified as Reality TV, does not make it all "real!"
I personally think the show is very entertaining and I will continue to watch it. Sure, it makes all of us dance teachers look crazy, but it's time to face the facts that we all have even the slightest bit of Abby Lee Miller in us. I definitely wish I got paid to have tv cameras follow me around my studio, and I know some of my parents would definitely appreciate the pay cheque from a tv network to help fund their child's dance training. It comes with the price of following a script and over dramatizing issues, but that's your choice to make. I'm not saying I would sign up for it, but a 6 figure contract might spark my interest.
Sure, there are downfalls with the show and everyone can approach those from their own perspective in the industry. The main one for me is that it would be a bit of a circus and distraction for other studios at competitions with film crews and their staff there. I personally will never take my kids to a competition where this is being filmed, and you have the right to make that decision for your own studio. I don't say that because I think it's rigged for them to win, I say that because I don't think we need to be bothered by the drama that comes with filming a tv show. You have the right to ask a competition if their studio will be there and then make the choice that's best for your students.
I don't think this show for dance moms is any different than any other reality tv show that showcases a specific industry. Why should beauty pageant moms have all the fun? And let's be honest with the fact that we all have a Maddie at our studio, and a Chloe and a mom just like Nia does. There is no point of judging them for doing this show based on what you see on television alone. If you don't like the show, then don't watch it, and then stop complaining about it! If the girls didn't like Abby or dancing at her studio, those parents could take their daughters to another studio... clearly they don't want to!
So, in honor of Abby Lee Miller, I wanted to put together a little list, or 'pyramid' of sorts!
The Top 5 Abby Lee Miller Quotes I Wish I Could Say To A Parent!
#5 - "Drop your kids off at the studio, go get a job and come back at the end of the night!"
Fairly self explanatory. Stop sitting around my studio lobby and gossiping about other kids or judging every kid in a class with yours. I actually don't mind parents hanging around for a bit and socializing, as long as it's a healthy discussion and they keep their comments and concerns about their kids dancing to themselves. Your child is safe in class with us and thus you have free time to go and make good use of. And if you don't feel safe leaving your child at my studio for a few hours to train, then it's time to find another studio!
#4 - "If you don't like it, then go open your own studio!"
I am happy and yet saddened to say that I have used this line before! If you don't like something then go do it better yourself. If you don't like a company then don't buy from them any more. If you don't like the way you are treated somewhere then don't go back. So simple, yet so difficult to comprehend! If you don't like the way I run my studio, how much my costumes cost or the solo your daughter received then go open up your own studio and do it all yourself. Please don't walk around complaining about it for months or even years, what a waste of your energy. I run my business and my life based on my experiences and ideologies and those might not be the same as yours. If you'd like to have a civilized discussion about it then I am completely open to it, but do not approach me with a new business model... not interested!
#3 - "It's not my job to make your child feel special... that's your job. It's my job to teach them how to dance!"
Dance is one of the best outlets I know of to allow kids to grow and develop so many wonderful characteristics they will have for life, including creativity, commitment, self-discipline, self-respect, team work and confidence... but those are just bonus rewards points that come from what you actually pay me to do! Part of helping a child grow as a dancer comes with correcting them. When kids are learning and improving their dance skills, they're also learning and improving on life skills. Children cannot always win, they cannot always do everything correctly the first time or the one hundredth time, and they need to be pushed sometimes. Some might call it tough love and not agree, but I call it life. And then, parents should be the people that are there to take their child out for ice cream and talk every time they had a rough performance or a bad day in class.
#2 - "Every time a parent opens their mouth, they're ruining their child!"
So this one is a bit more touchy, but still true. Every time a parent says something ridiculous or rude to me in front of their child I want to shake them. Did you really just complain about your daughter not having as good of a solo as her friend does? Maybe your child loves their solo, and you totally just stole that excitement from them. Let your kid relish in what they're doing and if you have issues as an adult about something than come and speak to me without them there. This is especially true when it comes to specifics about the dance industry that you might not understand. This is what I do for a living, and thus you should show a level of respect for that when it comes to talking to me about things relating to dance. You respecting me makes your child respect me, and thus your child becomes much more enjoyable to work with and eager to learn from me.
...and finally, my #1 favorite Abby Lee Miller quote - "I don't understand how parents don't get that we want every chid to win!?!?!?"
Seriously! I never want any kid at my studio to go on stage and not look good or do well. I want every kid at my studio to win every category. Is that realistic? No, but I can still hope for it! I've learned that it doesn't matter who won from my studio, a win is a win! But the flip side to that, which parents don't always understand, is that some kids are going to win more often than others. Dance competitions do not award favouritism... they award talent, hard work and strong performances.
I choreograph every routine at my studio to best showcase each dancer. Not every kid can do that wicked quirky tap solo, especially if they can't tap. I don't save my best choreography for the best dancer... maybe two kids even have the same choreography and that other kid performed it better! Why do I want my kids to win 2nd place? They represent my studio and my name... and I personally like those Ultimate Triple Platinum Titanium Diamond Awards and the cheques that go with them!
The truth is when I watch this show I actually can see a level of love and respect between Abby and the kids that they just can't edit out. The kids flock to her for approval and they run towards her for hugs after award ceremonies. She genuinely does care for them, and part of that from her comes out in her form of tough love in regards to their training. Abby states many times in the show that she makes 'stars', and let's be honest, she trains incredibly talented dancers who can have careers in this industry. I do get that they're exploiting these kids and they're trying to sell this over the top 'stage mom' deal for our viewing pleasure, but those types of parents and situations do exist. However, at my studio any parent who spoke to me in a dance competition setting the way those moms do would not make it to the next day in one of my studio jackets. But that also might be why I don't have my own weekly 10pm slot on LifeTime.
I have read many reviews of the show, some of which have been written by people who know very little to nothing about the dance industry. So here's the truth coming from a life long dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, former competition owner and competition adjudicator... enjoy a small glimpse of my life! I eat, sleep and breathe this dance industry and I am personally not offended by the show. In fact, I've seen worse out there! Then again, maybe I've learned through my years in this crazy business that I can't take too many things personally!
Now that I've pirouetted around that issue, I'm off to watch some 'real' tv programming, Survivor! I wonder what would happen if they threw a bunch of dance teachers and parents on an island together? My money would be on Abby Lee Miller to last the longest!
***I've sat on this blog for a long time now so I could edit it many times over before I posted it. My objective here is not to offend any one or prove that this show represents our industry truthfully. I am stating my opinions about it, as I don't think it is fair to only hear from those people who can't stand the show. However, I do not condone the types of behaviours in the show or think it sheds the most positive light on our industry, but it is what it is. If you don't like what I have to say (and if you don't know me than you clearly don't understand my wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor!) then having a discussion about it is totally acceptable. Comments are always welcome but please don't post comments bashing people on this show regarding things I've said in my blog. Go write your own!
I have read and heard countless complaints from fellow dance teachers and dance competition directors about how they find this show to be a disgrace to our industry and they will never allow their business to partake in any thing related to the show... but seriously, give me a break! You're probably the same people who watch 'Toddlers & Tiaras' or 'Big Brother' and think that's all legit. Just because it's classified as Reality TV, does not make it all "real!"
I personally think the show is very entertaining and I will continue to watch it. Sure, it makes all of us dance teachers look crazy, but it's time to face the facts that we all have even the slightest bit of Abby Lee Miller in us. I definitely wish I got paid to have tv cameras follow me around my studio, and I know some of my parents would definitely appreciate the pay cheque from a tv network to help fund their child's dance training. It comes with the price of following a script and over dramatizing issues, but that's your choice to make. I'm not saying I would sign up for it, but a 6 figure contract might spark my interest.
Sure, there are downfalls with the show and everyone can approach those from their own perspective in the industry. The main one for me is that it would be a bit of a circus and distraction for other studios at competitions with film crews and their staff there. I personally will never take my kids to a competition where this is being filmed, and you have the right to make that decision for your own studio. I don't say that because I think it's rigged for them to win, I say that because I don't think we need to be bothered by the drama that comes with filming a tv show. You have the right to ask a competition if their studio will be there and then make the choice that's best for your students.
I don't think this show for dance moms is any different than any other reality tv show that showcases a specific industry. Why should beauty pageant moms have all the fun? And let's be honest with the fact that we all have a Maddie at our studio, and a Chloe and a mom just like Nia does. There is no point of judging them for doing this show based on what you see on television alone. If you don't like the show, then don't watch it, and then stop complaining about it! If the girls didn't like Abby or dancing at her studio, those parents could take their daughters to another studio... clearly they don't want to!
So, in honor of Abby Lee Miller, I wanted to put together a little list, or 'pyramid' of sorts!
The Top 5 Abby Lee Miller Quotes I Wish I Could Say To A Parent!
#5 - "Drop your kids off at the studio, go get a job and come back at the end of the night!"
Fairly self explanatory. Stop sitting around my studio lobby and gossiping about other kids or judging every kid in a class with yours. I actually don't mind parents hanging around for a bit and socializing, as long as it's a healthy discussion and they keep their comments and concerns about their kids dancing to themselves. Your child is safe in class with us and thus you have free time to go and make good use of. And if you don't feel safe leaving your child at my studio for a few hours to train, then it's time to find another studio!
#4 - "If you don't like it, then go open your own studio!"
I am happy and yet saddened to say that I have used this line before! If you don't like something then go do it better yourself. If you don't like a company then don't buy from them any more. If you don't like the way you are treated somewhere then don't go back. So simple, yet so difficult to comprehend! If you don't like the way I run my studio, how much my costumes cost or the solo your daughter received then go open up your own studio and do it all yourself. Please don't walk around complaining about it for months or even years, what a waste of your energy. I run my business and my life based on my experiences and ideologies and those might not be the same as yours. If you'd like to have a civilized discussion about it then I am completely open to it, but do not approach me with a new business model... not interested!
#3 - "It's not my job to make your child feel special... that's your job. It's my job to teach them how to dance!"
Dance is one of the best outlets I know of to allow kids to grow and develop so many wonderful characteristics they will have for life, including creativity, commitment, self-discipline, self-respect, team work and confidence... but those are just bonus rewards points that come from what you actually pay me to do! Part of helping a child grow as a dancer comes with correcting them. When kids are learning and improving their dance skills, they're also learning and improving on life skills. Children cannot always win, they cannot always do everything correctly the first time or the one hundredth time, and they need to be pushed sometimes. Some might call it tough love and not agree, but I call it life. And then, parents should be the people that are there to take their child out for ice cream and talk every time they had a rough performance or a bad day in class.
#2 - "Every time a parent opens their mouth, they're ruining their child!"
So this one is a bit more touchy, but still true. Every time a parent says something ridiculous or rude to me in front of their child I want to shake them. Did you really just complain about your daughter not having as good of a solo as her friend does? Maybe your child loves their solo, and you totally just stole that excitement from them. Let your kid relish in what they're doing and if you have issues as an adult about something than come and speak to me without them there. This is especially true when it comes to specifics about the dance industry that you might not understand. This is what I do for a living, and thus you should show a level of respect for that when it comes to talking to me about things relating to dance. You respecting me makes your child respect me, and thus your child becomes much more enjoyable to work with and eager to learn from me.
...and finally, my #1 favorite Abby Lee Miller quote - "I don't understand how parents don't get that we want every chid to win!?!?!?"
Seriously! I never want any kid at my studio to go on stage and not look good or do well. I want every kid at my studio to win every category. Is that realistic? No, but I can still hope for it! I've learned that it doesn't matter who won from my studio, a win is a win! But the flip side to that, which parents don't always understand, is that some kids are going to win more often than others. Dance competitions do not award favouritism... they award talent, hard work and strong performances.
I choreograph every routine at my studio to best showcase each dancer. Not every kid can do that wicked quirky tap solo, especially if they can't tap. I don't save my best choreography for the best dancer... maybe two kids even have the same choreography and that other kid performed it better! Why do I want my kids to win 2nd place? They represent my studio and my name... and I personally like those Ultimate Triple Platinum Titanium Diamond Awards and the cheques that go with them!
The truth is when I watch this show I actually can see a level of love and respect between Abby and the kids that they just can't edit out. The kids flock to her for approval and they run towards her for hugs after award ceremonies. She genuinely does care for them, and part of that from her comes out in her form of tough love in regards to their training. Abby states many times in the show that she makes 'stars', and let's be honest, she trains incredibly talented dancers who can have careers in this industry. I do get that they're exploiting these kids and they're trying to sell this over the top 'stage mom' deal for our viewing pleasure, but those types of parents and situations do exist. However, at my studio any parent who spoke to me in a dance competition setting the way those moms do would not make it to the next day in one of my studio jackets. But that also might be why I don't have my own weekly 10pm slot on LifeTime.
I have read many reviews of the show, some of which have been written by people who know very little to nothing about the dance industry. So here's the truth coming from a life long dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, former competition owner and competition adjudicator... enjoy a small glimpse of my life! I eat, sleep and breathe this dance industry and I am personally not offended by the show. In fact, I've seen worse out there! Then again, maybe I've learned through my years in this crazy business that I can't take too many things personally!
Now that I've pirouetted around that issue, I'm off to watch some 'real' tv programming, Survivor! I wonder what would happen if they threw a bunch of dance teachers and parents on an island together? My money would be on Abby Lee Miller to last the longest!
***I've sat on this blog for a long time now so I could edit it many times over before I posted it. My objective here is not to offend any one or prove that this show represents our industry truthfully. I am stating my opinions about it, as I don't think it is fair to only hear from those people who can't stand the show. However, I do not condone the types of behaviours in the show or think it sheds the most positive light on our industry, but it is what it is. If you don't like what I have to say (and if you don't know me than you clearly don't understand my wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor!) then having a discussion about it is totally acceptable. Comments are always welcome but please don't post comments bashing people on this show regarding things I've said in my blog. Go write your own!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
"Auld Lang Syne"
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
"Good Life"
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
"Someone Like You"
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!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
"To Make You Feel My Love"
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!
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!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
"Turning Tables"
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
"Rolling In The Deep"
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
"What's My Name"
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!
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
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!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
"A Little More Of You"
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!
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!
Friday, October 22, 2010
"Us And Them"
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!
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!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
"Everything Old Is New Again"
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"When You Were Young"
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!
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!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
"This Year's Love"
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!
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!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
"Another Opening, Another Show"
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!
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!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
"Hot Lunch Jam"
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!
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!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
"Put It In A Love Song"
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'!
Monday, May 31, 2010
"100% Pure Love"
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!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
"We Belong Together"
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!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
"Picture Perfect"
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!
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