How to get the Most out of Attending a Conference

How to get the Most out of Attending a Conference
Tiffany Henderson with Amanda Scott
Twinkle Star Dance


As a dance teacher or studio owner, there are minimal opportunities throughout the season to foster your growth as a dance educator. However, as we approach the summer months (when most dance studios are running limited class hours) there are conferences geared towards dance teachers to rekindle your passion for dance, working with children, and teaching!


Every August, we host over 200 attendees for the Twinkle Star Dance Annual Conference. Over three packed days of dance movement and business classes we present new and exciting ideas to streamline your dance studio business and increase your profit. We love connecting with our attendees during the weekend and always return to the studio refreshed and inspired.


Whether it is your first conference with us or you join us every year, there is always fresh class content and cutting edge systems. Although attending a live event can be intimidating for some, we’ve put together a short checklist to insure your success!
Here are five tips to get the most out of attending a conference:


  1. Meet everyone you can - Network, network, network. Connect with dance teachers, studio owners, and industry experts at the event. If you’re not sure where to begin, simply ask them what their name is and what their favorite style of dance is to teach. Close the conversation by asking if they would like to stay in touch in the future.


  1. Get exposure to new companies and systems. We only invite our vetted industry partners to attend our conference and encourage attendees to ask questions and familiarize themselves with new systems that make their jobs easier during sessions and .


  1. Learn how to improve your business and teaching style. Conference sessions, especially those that reference case studies, offer actionable ideas to improve your business. We encourage you to sit as close to the front of the room as possible to stay engaged in the material and ask questions.


  1. Make the lessons you learn actionable. It’s easy to waste money on live events if you don’t have a goal in mind. Before you attend a conference make a list of things you want to improve in the new dance season. These can be both personal (more time with family, make 5 new connections) and professional (reach 250 students, hire a full-time administrator or teacher). As you attend sessions and speak with vendors, keep your goals in mind and make a plan for achieving your goals before leaving the weekend.  

  2. Set new goals based on what you learned at the event. One of the reasons dance teacher conferences are so beneficial is the opportunity to learn about new topics and subjects. For example, how and why to create a Holiday show for your students. When you hear mention of something new at events, set a task for yourself to learn more about this topic.


Ready to make the most out of attending a conference? Join us for the Twinkle Star Dance Annual Conference August 17-19 in New Orleans. Register by Friday, April 13 with promo code EVENT40 and Save $40 in conference fees.



Creating the Super Teacher

Creating the Super Teacher
Tiffany Henderson with Amanda Scott
Twinkle Star Dance


Why are good Children’s Dance Teachers so important to the success of our dance studio businesses?


Close to 90% of dance studios are comprised of children ages 2 - 12 which makes up the majority of your business. If you are the Studio Owner and you are teaching all the classes yourself, you simply cannot manage your dance studio business in a way that it can actually grow.


Good Children’s Dance Teachers are the pathway to growth. They enable you to step away and improve your work/life balance. Dance Teachers are the lifeblood of any dance studio and will make or break the future financial and emotional success of your dance studio business.
Why is finding good children’s dance teachers so difficult? Teaching Dance is a niche market and the pool of qualified dance teacher applicants is sparse and sometimes non-existent. Dance Teachers often come to you with different backgrounds and training, mostly with no “preschool” or “school-aged” dance teaching experience.


Common Dance Teacher applicants are only proficient in select styles or might have limited time in their schedule due to second or other full time job. Dance Teachers might also have limited availability due to geographical restrictions. Unfortunately, even if they come to you with an excellent dance education, most Universities and professional training programs don’t educate or ready dance students for a career teaching preschool or school-aged children dance.  
After nearly twenty years owning a dance studio, I can confidently say that there is good news - while it is difficult to find Super Teachers, with the right tools we can create them.  
What is a Super Teacher? A Super Teacher is an energetic, passionate, knowledgeable Dance Teacher who can teach a variety of styles, levels, and ages. Sounds dreamy right? You have the power to create Super Teachers.  As a studio owner you are proficient in training dancers as young as two years old dance steps of many styles. This is proof that you can also train a full grown adult any style in dance with the proper resources and procedures.
In my experience with potential teacher applicants it is not that they don’t want to teach preschool and school-aged dancers, it is that they don’t know what or how to teach them. Say hello to your newest set of dance students - your dance teachers!
How can you Create a Super Teacher?  All that you need is the raw materials - dance experience, passion and a love for children. Then follow the four easy steps below:


  1. Purchase or Develop a Complete Class Curriculum - Must include actual class Video and Lessons Plans, Music, Teacher Methods, and Monthly Updates.  Class Curriculum has to include the full class - choreographed warm ups, center skill building exercises, across the floor progressions, and class combinations.  Miss Suzie who was a Modern Dance Major needs to have a clear path for teaching her first 6-9 year old Hip-Hop Class.  She simply cannot do this with a list of terms!
  2. Prepare Written Lesson Plans, Music Playlists, and Teaching Methods Notes for each teacher.
  3. Email protected Link and Password to teacher training video galleries to each teacher ahead of training session for reference before and after sessions.
  4. Plan Teacher Training Sessions - Allow at least one hour for each age division and style.  
Sample Training Session Schedule:
Day 1
9am - 10am - Twinkle Babies Ages 2-3
10am - 11am - Twinkle Stars 3-4
11am - 12pm - Twinkle Stars Ages 4-5 and 5-6
12pm - Lunch
12:30 - 1:30 - Show Stars Jazz Ages 5-7 and 7-11
1:30 - 2:30 - Show Stars Ballet Ages 5-7 and 7-11
2:30 - 3:30 - Show Stars Hip-Hop Ages 5-7 - and 7-11
3:30 - 4:30 - Show Stars Tap Ages 5-7 and 7-11
Day 2
10am - 10:30am - Mock Twinkle Babies 2-3
10:30 - 11:15 - Mock Twinkle Stars 3-4
11:15 - 12:00 - Mock Twinkle Stars 4-5
12pm - 12:30pm - Lunch
12:30 - 1:30 - Preschool Teaching Methods
1:30 - 2:30 - Show Stars Teaching Methods
Ready to start creating your Super Teachers? Get started with our trademarked Twinkle Star Dance Curriculum here.

Want some more information on Twinkle Star Dance? Fill out this interest form.

Why Brand your Preschool Dance Classes with Twinkle Star Dance Today

Why Brand your Preschool Dance Classes with Twinkle Star Dance Today
Amanda Scott
Twinkle Star Dance

One of my favorite parts of my job is interacting with Dance Studio Owners and Teachers through our extended Twinkle Star Dance community. Looking ahead to the new year, I hear a lot of studio owners and teachers who haven’t implemented Twinkle Star Dance yet say, “I don’t think this would work for me right now since my classes are already running.”

I want to challenge the notion that you can only implement a curriculum at the start of a season.  Right now is a great time to subscribe to Twinkle Stars Dance and have immediate, 24/7 access to our trademarked curriculum and video-based teacher training system.

I’m guessing you, like most studios owners right now, are struggling with new teachers not attracting enough new students to fill up their classes; maybe you are facing the fact that your current marketing and branding is not attracting Millennial Moms; or maybe your pain is the result of a beloved teacher leaving mid-season and you need a more efficient way to train their replacement.   
These are all issues studio owners around the world struggle with. Tiffany likes to say, “It is not if, if it when.” Luckily, having a tried and true system in place like Twinkle Star Dance sets you up to deal with recurring obstacles studio owners face so you can handle problems thrown your way and reclaim your sanity.

It is normal to have feelings of reservation about making changes mid-season, but there are also huge benefits. Here are five reasons why you should subscribe to Twinkle Star Dance today:
  1. Build a Buzz
We talk a ton about how Word-of-Mouth Marketing is the best marketing for your dance studio and your classes. Introducing new classes to your schedule mid-season gets dancers and families buzzing about your dance studio and telling all of their friends. Even better, holding a free Twinkle Star Dance “Sparkle Day” event at the start of the year also helps encourage new dancers and families to check out your school.

  1. Attract your Target Student
A successful dance studio business is built on a strong foundation of recreational dancers. The 2-6 age group is the biggest pool of dancers that don’t already have a dance home, welcome them! With our Twinkle Star Dance branding and marketing graphics you capture the eye of Millennial Moms and get them buzzing about your classes.   

  1. Update your Menu
Pre-dance, Combo, Kinder Dance.. Wah wah. These dance class names might have worked in the past, but armed with smartphones consumers are changing at a rapid pace. The names of your classes have to elicit a feeling, a connection to parents and fulfill their idea of dance class.

  1. Train your Teachers Consistently
Trained teachers and limited teacher turnover are the key to a successful dance studio business. Having a preschool dance curriculum makes your teachers more well-rounded and also gives them the opportunity to have more teaching hours at your studio.  

  1. Protect your Business
Twinkle Star Dance is the only trademarked preschool dance curriculum proven in over 250 dance studios world-wide. A lesson plan doesn’t protect your business. Invest in our video-based teacher training system and trademarked curriculum to be protected.

Learn more about getting started with Twinkle Star Dance here.

Hurry to claim this limited-time special!

Hurry to claim this limited-time special!
Thank you for being a part of our Twinkle Star Dance community. As a token of our appreciation, we invite you to join us for our TSD Live! Events January and February 2018. Register by December 15 with promo code "Tiffany" and receive a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with industry expert and Twinkle Star Dance founder, Tiffany Henderson. 


Vancouver - http://bit.ly/2zCBT0p
South San Francisco - http://bit.ly/2zPKJc7
New Jersey - http://bit.ly/2xnED1c


Announcing our #twinkleturkeys Video Contest Winner!


Announcing our #twinkleturkeys Video Contest Winner!
Thank you to all of the studios that entered our #twinkleturkeys video contest!
NorthStar Dance Center, OH 
Define Dance and Arts Studio, TX 
Miss Rachael's Dance, CO    
Dance Motion, VA 
Leroux School of Dance, PA
Newport Dance &Cheer Academy, TN
JDM School of Dance, TX
Cheryl's Dance Centre, NC
Sister Act Dance Academy, IN
e.Studio Performing Arts, TN

We would like to thank all of the studios that participated in the #twinkleturkeys contest by offering a discounted registration fee of $99 per attendee to our TSD Live! Events. 
Register for the event of your choice below and use code "twinkle turkeys" 
by Friday, Dec. 15. 

Vancouver - http://bit.ly/2zCBT0p
South San Francisco - http://bit.ly/2zPKJc7
New Jersey - http://bit.ly/2xnED1c
Congratulations to our Winner, Cheryl's Dance Centre! 
Please email amanda@twinklestardance.com to claim your two free attendee passes to a TSD Live! Event in January or February 2018. 

 

Are you a parent or dancer looking for a Twinkle Star Dance Academy near you? Visit our website here: