Sing the Arms: Recital Readiness Series with Tiffany Henderson

Do you struggle to get your littlest dancers to learn and perfect their annual recital dances? Here are some tips on how to make your youngest dancers shine:

Have the dancers sit down in a circle or line and go over just the arms before you stand up to teach the recital dance. 

Sometimes when they are standing and facing the mirror they become distracted and miss the choreography. They can only learn if they are focused. When standing they are also thinking about what their feet are doing. 

Learning the words with arms first is best!

Make sure to match words or sing the recital dance song as you are going over the arm movements, and have the dancers sing with you. This will help alleviate any distractions. 

After you ‘Sing the Arms” stand up and add the arms and feet together. Remember if they can say it they can do it!

Talk through the dance until you see their attention start to fade. At that point do the dance with the music and continue past the section that you taught them. They should be able to follow along with you and do that dance. 

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.

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.

Spatial Awareness: Recital Readiness Series with Tiffany Henderson

Even though your preschool dancers will most likely stand in one line onstage for the recital, they need to practice getting to that position, and holding their spacing.

Spatial awareness is as important as teaching the steps in the recital dance and will continue to be crucial in their dance training as they grow up.

Here are some tips for helping them understand how to enter the stage: 

• Use single line-marley tape rather than spots in the classroom. Be sure to use a Glow tape line onstage. 

• In the studio, have them hold hands and walk to one side of the room. If not too dark, turn off the lights as the stage will be dim when entering.

• Lead the dancers “onstage” holding the first dancer’s hand and walking them to their position. Hold hands and pull apart until their arms are extended. I like to tell them to have a “pretend dancer” in between each “real dancer.”

• Have the dancers stop, let go of hands, and find their “starting position.” Dancers should practice in the same space each week in class. 

• Turn on the studio lights and say “dancers go” then play the music. 

Most likely they will bunch up into each other the first time they practice this. Make sure to have them do it again so they can practice it the correct way.

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.

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.

Just For Fun: Recital Readiness Series with Tiffany Henderson

Do you have trouble keeping your youngest dancers' attention in class while preparing them for the recital? Try these tips for keeping your classes fun and engaging all year round.

1. Just For Fun 

Add in Seasonal “follow me” dances that can easily be added to your class without taking up too much “recital prep” time. 

This month,  we add our “The Bunny Jive” dance activity each week to add in Springtime fun. A “follow me” dance is one that can be easily executed just by watching the dance teacher with repetitive phrases and a standard chorus.  

2. Skill Building 

Take challenging steps or phrases from the recital dance and add it into other parts of the class. 

For example if the challenging phrase is an Irish tap step, make sure to add that into your tap warm up and at the tap barre for extra practice. This will make more time for adding in the fun seasonal dances that keep your classes magical!

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.

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.

5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Keeping up with Trends

We’ve been chatting the last several weeks about the five struggles of owning and operating dance studios:

1. Work/Life Balance 

2. Financial Instability 

3. Hiring and Management 

4. Gaining Competitive Edge in Saturated Markets

5. Keeping up with Trends 

Today I want to touch on longevity in a dance studio and keeping up with trends. Sometimes we do something in our business because it is the way our dance teacher did things or the way we have always done it.  

For example, offering Summer Sessions and Summer Camps versus running a year-round schedule. About twenty years ago, we transitioned to a year-round dance season which allows me to create one schedule that runs July 1 - June 30. 

We find most parents prefer to secure the day, time, and teacher for the whole season as well as paying $90 per month for class versus $250 for the week of camp. 

Some additional trends:  

1. Non-transactional buying - we want to make it easy for them to register, participate, etc. 

2. Constant changing digital marketing landscape - mobile first!

3. Sell the experience - focus on the benefits for the dancer. 

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.

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.

5 Struggles of Owning a Dance Studio: Gaining Competitive Edge in a Saturated Market

I’ve owned my dance studio for nearly 25 years. Business in our town and surrounding community is competitive; parents have lots of options for dance programs and children’s activities. 

I’ve discovered the key to longevity is to focus on your area of expertise and your main sources of revenue. 

My area of expertise is dance. I developed a preschool dance curriculum that balances structure and fun. I train all of my staff so I know exactly what is being taught in every class from ages 2-6. 

We don’t offer acro dance or gymnastics because that’s not my specialty. Do one thing and do it well. 

My two main sources of revenue are dance tuition and recitals. I spend the majority of my time and resources making sure my classes and shows are the best they can be. 

Each year, I take inventory and make sure there are classes for the foundation of my school offered each day at various times - Twinkle Babies 2-3, Twinkle Stars 3-4, and Twinkle Stars 4-5/5-6.  

Twenty years ago, I split my preschoolers out into smaller, shorter recitals and haven’t looked back. Parents appreciate they can be in and out in less than 45 minutes. 

As we prepare for new season registration, place your attention and energy on what you do best. You can always grow or rebuild your business and it starts with a great preschool dance program.  

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 Keeping up with Trends.

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.