5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Hiring and Management

Congratulations! You are a Dance Studio Owner. You are now what I like to call a “Teacher of Teachers.” Your number one job is to inspire, motivate, and provide resources to your staff so that they can be successful. 

As a recovering one woman show, I do this by having the following set up in my business: 

• Systems 

• Annual Training 

• Weekly Meetings

• Office Hours  

Systems - I use Twinkle Star Dance, a video-based curriculum for my preschool and school-aged dance classes, with monthly themes, new skills progressions, and engaging class combinations.  

Annual Training - I hold annual training periods for all of my staff in January for recital choreography, in May to prepare for Summer camp and review curriculum for the new season start, as well as in September for fall curriculum updates and holiday show choreography. 

Weekly Meetings - I have a standing staff meeting every Tuesday via Zoom to cover curriculum updates, studio reminders and events, as well as tackle any questions or problems. 

Office Hours - I have set availability to meet one-on-one with my staff throughout the week. 

Want more insights and practical advice? Join me for a dance studio owner weekend getaway to Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat this July 20-21, 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

Check back next week for my tips and tricks to Gaining Competitive Edge in a Saturated Market. 

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Connect to the Joy

If you are teaching dance or doing dance for a living then you are one of the lucky ones. 

You were born with the natural gift of light, that you recognized from an early age.  

Most people spend their whole lives searching for that thing that “lights them up” and in turn gives them purpose. For dancers and dance educators, that light found us.  

It is a gift that must be shared, so that it can be carried on in those we teach.

So how do we continue to nurture our light and become the very best dance educators we can be?

Connect to the Joy and reason you were drawn to dance.

• Discover your authentic “dance self.”

• Think about your Favorite teacher. How did they inspire or affect you?

• Take dance classes for yourself. Remember what it is like to be a student. 

• Explore your own movement. 

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Save $100 on Attendee Fees

Make the vital decision to hit reset this summer in order to benefit your business, yourself, and your entire staff.

Pinnacle is designed to help studio owners build a strong recreational student base by implementing proven systems to streamline their dance studio.

Our inspiring two-day conference benefits studio owners, teachers, and administrators alike in an intimate, retreat conference setting.​

• Experience Fresh Class Content, Curriculum, and Choreography

• Access to Dance Studio Business Strategies and Trends

• Outsource with Proven Systems and Industry Trade Secrets 

• Recharge with Fun, Themed Events

Learn More

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Treading Water? We can help!

In our seven dance studios across the San Francisco Bay Area we “treading water.” It’s November and the enrollment number we started with in August at the beginning of the new dance season is about the same. Which is about 30% of my enrollment at this time last year. 

In business the name of the game is how can I increase my revenue without also increasing my expenses. Said another way, for our businesses to continue to stay afloat how do we get the dancers currently enrolled to earn us more revenue? 

Here are five ways to start earning more revenue: 

1.Encourage dancers to take 2-3 classes per week

Although we often focus on enrollment numbers, more important is the average tuition per student. You can have 150 students, but if they are only paying you $50 per month you are only earning $7500 in tuition. If you get just half of those dancers to take a second class and pay $30 more that’s an additional $2250 each month.

2.Invite dancers to join your Performing Company  

Create or invite them to an existing performance group that gets them to take an additional class or rehearsal, buy additional costumes, and be more invested in your studio. 

3.Open registration for Mini Camps 

Offering one-hour mini dance camps during weekdays or on the weekends is a great way to earn additional revenue; dancers can even invite their friends to help increase valuable Word of Mouth Marketing to your business. 

4.Increase dancer participation in your Holiday Show and Recital 

Dancers need a goal to work towards and having two performance opportunities per season makes them more invested and better dancers. Shows are also an important revenue stream for our business and offering virtual performances or in studio filmings are very little cost to you.  

5.Don’t forget Studio Swag 

T-shirts, trophies, flowers, etc. Even in Covid-19 climate families want to buy something to commemorate their performance. 

Want more inspiration? Join us live for Studio Owner OVERCOME a two-day virtual conference experience presented by dance studio owner and industry leader, Tiffany Henderson, featuring intimate conversations with women business owners and experts. 

 Gain Insight and Expert Advice on: 

• Battling Burnout 

• Managing Cash Flow

• Optimizing Additional Revenue Streams 

• Planning a Recital Experience 

• Marketing to New and Returning Dancers 

• Hiring, Training, Managing Teachers and Staff 

Network from the comfort of your home! Studio Owner OVERCOME is scheduled for November 12-13, 2020 and will contain Live Q+A with Expert Panelists, Business Sessions, and Inspirational Keynote. We will be releasing the schedule and class descriptions for Studio Owner OVERCOME very soon.

Three Silver Linings of Virtual Events

The pandemic changed everything, but some things changed for the better. 

One of the most valuable aspects of any professional dance studio owner event is the opportunity to grow and expand your network. Whether it’s a multi-day conference with hundreds of attendees or a half-day workshop with 20 people, connecting with dance studio owners who share similar challenges and responsibilities is a huge benefit for attendees.  

Today, that same power of community and growth is happening online through virtual events. Attending a virtual conference is a new experience for many of us that offers many new benefits. 

Virtual events: 

• Expand your network. Without travel costs, attendees can participate from almost anywhere they have internet access. You have the opportunity to listen and learn from other studio owners faced with the same challenges as you - hear how they have weathered the storm and created new streams of revenue for their dance studio business. 

• Lower your training costs. Access to industry professionals and business sessions used to cost upwards of hundreds of dollars per attendee, plus additional expenses for travel, lodging, food, etc. making them not accessible to many studio owners. By attending virtual events, you can access all the content for a small studio fee. 

• Learn on your own time. All the business sessions, speaker panelists, and other conference content will be available for a few weeks after the conference ends. So, even if you can’t attend the entire live conference, you can still benefit from the event. 

Have questions about how to attend? Contact the Studio Owner OVERCOME team at amanda@twinklestardance.com or 925-583-2830. 

Upcoming virtual events:

• November 12-13, 2020 - Studio Owner OVERCOME

Join us live for Studio Owner OVERCOME a two-day virtual conference experience presented by dance studio owner and industry leader, Tiffany Henderson, featuring intimate conversations with women business owners and experts. 

 Gain Insight and Expert Advice on: 

• Battling Burnout 

• Managing Cash Flow

• Optimizing Additional Revenue Streams 

• Planning a Recital Experience 

• Marketing to New and Returning Dancers 

• Hiring, Training, Managing Teachers and Staff 

Network from the comfort of your home! Studio Owner OVERCOME is scheduled for November 12-13, 2020 and will contain Live Q+A with Expert Panelists, Business Sessions, and Inspirational Keynote. We will be releasing the schedule and class descriptions for Studio Owner OVERCOME very soon.