Part 1: Training the Super Teacher

Now that you hired your dance teacher, it is time to plan teacher training session(s). Pick a date a few weeks out and/or plan a training at the beginning of the year and again mid-season for all teachers. I recommend allowing at least 1-1.5 hours for each age division and style. 

Once you have the training date and schedule set, communicate the mandatory training to your teaching staff. If your employees are required to be there you should pay a training rate for their training hours. If you can, provide lunch or dinner as well. 

To prepare for the teacher training, download and print out all materials ahead of time. If you are using Twinkle Star Dance, show the teachers how to access the curriculum lesson plans and  video gallery for review. Be sure to also show how to access music playlists. 

Sample Training Session Schedule Day 1

9am - 10am - Twinkle Babies ages 2-3

10am - 11am - Twinkle Stars ages 3-4

11am - 12pm - Twinkle Stars ages 4-5 and 5-6

12pm - 12:30pm - Lunch

12:30pm - 1:30pm - Showstars Jazz ages 5-7/6-8 and 7-9/8-10

1:30pm - 2:30pm - Showstars Ballet ages 5-7/6-8 and 7-9/8-10

2:30pm - 3:30pm - Showstars Hip-Hop ages 5-7/6-8 and 7-9/8-10

3:30pm - 4:30pm - Showstars Tap ages 5-7/6-8 and 7-9/8-10

Sample Training Session Schedule Day 2

10am - 10:30am - Mock Twinkle Babies ages 2-3

10:30 - 11:15am - Mock Twinkle Stars ages 3-4 

11:15 - 12:00pm - Mock Twinkle Stars ages 4-5

12pm - 12:30pm - Lunch

12:30pm - 1:30pm - Twinkle Babies/Stars Teaching Methods

1:30pm - 2:30pm - Showstars Teaching Methods

In addition to the class curriculum you need to prepare the following for each teacher:

• Monthly Lesson Plans

• Passport Books/Dance Journals

• Teaching Methods 

• Music Playlists

Email the link and password to Twinkle Star Dance instructor user to each teacher ahead of training session for reference before and after sessions.

Some additional teacher training tips to keep in mind: 

• All teachers attend all training sessions!

• Everyone dances - using actual energy and movement

• No sitting and talking through notes!

• Model voice and energy levels that you want dance teachers to use in class

• Let dance teachers trade off leading class content and give feedback

Check back next week for Part 2: Training the Super Teacher. Learn more about Twinkle Star Dance and get your “Super Teachers” certified at Spark Chicago. 

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.

Hiring the Super Teacher

After 20+ years of hiring, training, and managing dance teachers I have a few tips and tricks. The first is to always be hiring, not all teachers will make the journey with you and having a “bench” of trained teachers can give you peace of mind and a new teacher in a pinch. 

Lately, the majority of my dance teacher candidates come from paid dance teacher ads on Indeed. Sometimes an ad might not get much attention and it helps to remove the ad for a few days and then repost to “shuffle the deck” if you will. Reserve a set interview day and time so you are not going back and forth with each person about their availability. 

I have a 3-step interview process. After I receive a dance teacher resume, the first step is scheduling the candidate for a phone call or zoom interview. I like to ask them about their availability, dance/teaching experience, and include a scenario based question.

1. Styles of dance they are comfortable teaching/what they have taught

2. Ages of dance they are comfortable teaching/what they have taught

3. Availability - most important

4. What do they think are the most important quality a dance teacher should possess

5. How do they handle a dancer that is acting out in class? (scenario based question)

6. What do they love about dance/teaching dance

7. Dance training they have received

The second step is having them meet me in person at the studio. I invite them to attend our weekly teacher meeting held every Tuesday. The third step is to invite them to a class observation. I have them co-teach with one of my instructors and then ask them to teach a 10-minute portion of the ballet section of a Twinkle Stars class. I tell them that I’m “not looking for content.” 

When hiring dance teachers there are plenty of additional things to consider including compensation and motivation. I try to make my job offer a career dance teaching opportunity by offering full-time teaching hours (20+ hours per week), competitive hourly rates, Medical and Dental insurance, and a matching 401K program. 

Check back next week for my tips about training the Super Teacher. 

Learn more about Twinkle Star Dance and get your “Super Teachers” certified at Spark Chicago. 

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.

finding the Super Teacher

We know that Super Teachers are important to the success of our dance studio business. 

Why is finding Super Teachers so difficult? 

Dance is a niche market. Depending on where your studio is located, the pool of qualified dance teacher applicants is sparse and sometimes non-existent. 

Dance teachers come to us with different backgrounds and dance training. Often they have little to no “preschool” or “school-aged” dance teaching experience; prefer teaching high school dancers. 

Some dance teacher applicants have limited skills or little professional dance training. Maybe they are proficient in only one or a few styles of dance. Unfortunately, most Universities and professional training programs don’t educate or ready them for a career teaching preschool or school-aged children dance. 

Additionally, dance teachers have schedule conflicts due to other full or part time work. They can also have limited availability due to geographical restrictions.

Check back next week for my tips about hiring the Super Teacher. 

Learn more about Twinkle Star Dance and get your “Super Teachers” certified at Spark Chicago. 

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.

Creating the Super Teacher

Let’s chat about the importance of your preschool and school-aged dance teachers in your studio. I’ll refer to them as “Super Teachers.” 

90% of dance studios are composed of a population of dancers ages 2 - 12. This is your largest pool of potential customers and the majority of your existing customers. 

As a studio owner, you are only one person. If you are teaching all the classes, you simply cannot manage the business in a way that it can grow. Super Teachers are the pathway to growth; they enable you to step away and improve your work/life balance. 

Super Teachers are the lifeblood of any dance studio and will make or break the future financial and emotional success of your dance studio business. 

So how do you create a Super Teacher? 

As a studio owner you are proficient in training dancers as young as 2 years old dance steps of many styles. 

This is proof that you can also train an adult in any style in dance with the proper resources and procedures. In my experience, it’s 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. 

Learn more about Twinkle Star Dance and get your “Super Teachers” certified at Spark Chicago. 

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.

Model Musical Connection

Connecting to music and moving your body is how we fall in love with dance. Music is pleasurable and plays an essential role in our wellbeing. Many researchers also believe that music strengthens social bonds and connections. 

Dancing to music increases coordination and cooperation with others; gives us an oxytocin boost; and strengthens our ”theory of mind” and empathy for others. 

Music works a lot like language does—except instead of words and ideas, emotions and intent are communicated. In this way, similar to language, music and dance can be passed from generation to generation. 

Here are some tips to model musical connection in your dance classes:  

Discuss How to Listen to Music 

Talk about the set of 8, beat, and tempo with your preschool and recreational dancers. Practice counting the 8-count and clapping the beat with them. Discuss how the speed of the beat is the tempo. 

When choreographing for preschool and recreational dancers try to keep phrases in 4’s and 8’s with a repetitive chorus. Use musical cues in - they can hear them and it makes the dance interesting. 

Use themes that are appropriate for the dancer's age and stage. For example, Twinkle Babies 2-3 dancing to “Cuddle Bug Boogie” with imagery of ladybugs, gardens, etc. 

Sing the Song

When teaching them, 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. 

Sing the song with them with arms while seated before you stand up to teach the 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.

Perfect Practice Makes Progress

Preschool and recreational dancers will give half of what you give them so when you teach babies you have to give 200% energy and enthusiasm for the movement as well as exaggerate your arms and steps.

Only work on the recital dance for 10 minutes max in each class. This should be a part of what they are learning and running the dance 2-3 times in each class will keep them excited and eager to come back to class the next week. Give them as much time as you possibly can to learn the dance.

Face them away from the mirror and/or cover mirrors one month prior to your show. Sit down with your hands behind your back and watch the class do the dance one month before the recital. This will give you a true assessment of what they know without your help and what you need to work on. You will automatically want to help them, so that is why you need to put your hands behind your back. 

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

https://www.twinklestardance.com/spark-chicago

https://www.twinklestardance.com/spark-new-jersey

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.