It’s the most wonderful time of the year? If you feel like you’re crawling into 2021, you aren’t alone. Crisis leadership is exhausting, and we haven’t had a break since March. With holidays feeling unusual amidst an escalating pandemic, the heaviness may continue to weigh on you during this festive season. Now is the time to take a breath, inventory where you stand, and prepare for the push forward. You’ve made it this far, and you can make it to 2021 and beyond!
TAKE A BREATH
Give yourself space. When the adrenaline and/or fear kicks in, it can be easy to feel reactionary, stressed, angry, out of control, and /or frustrated. Using the tips below, monitor your self-awareness and give yourself permission to breathe.
Monitor your health: exercise, stay hydrated, eat healthily, and sleep!
Have non-professional hobbies: find a new project, skill, or activity, and dig in!
Seek inspiration: make sure you aren’t becoming paralyzed to the new reality, seek inspirational sources.
Monitor your time: do you find yourself doomscrolling or plunging into the wasteland of social media? Be mindful of how you’re spending your time.
Reach out: talk to friends, other businesses, and maintain your connections.
Self-advocate: skip the gathering, decorate for Christmas early, do whatever you need to do to protect your well-being.
INVENTORY WHERE YOU STAND
Now is a great time to review the months behind us while looking forward to the future. Make sure you aren’t only looking to the immediate future. Continue your long-term strategy, as well.
Continue to mitigate: keep your studios and classrooms as safe as possible through consistent messaging, cohesive leadership, and standardized enforcement. Remind your community that it is a shared responsibility to keep the community safe.
Recognize your accomplishments: celebrate your pivots and recognize the fact that you have worked really hard to get to where you are today. Take a minute to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how you can learn/grow from this experience in the future.
Do the numbers: this may feel painful, but it is necessary for your financial planning and projections. What’s your percentage compared to past years? How long can you sustain?
PREPARE FOR THE PUSH FORWARD
While you may want to stop, don’t. Keep going, keep planning, and keep dreaming. Never lose sight that YOU create and inspire magic!
Create contingencies: There’s no need for surprises or panic-inducing situations at this point. Create contingencies and work smartly, so you do not have to rework strategies or plans.
Think beyond the pandemic: When this subsides, what do you want your business to look like? How will you continue to grow, scale, and serve your community?
Involve others in the conversations: Lean into your team, a mentor, a therapist, and/or a leadership coach to help you navigate the now and the future.
Stay optimistic: optimism isn’t the same as always being positive. Keep your outlook in check and remind yourself that you have the power to influence others.
Looking for more great ideas from Chasta? Check out the following articles:
Whew, what a year it has been! As we cruise into the home stretch of 2020 (cheers!), now is the time to think about safe and seasonal ways to focus on your community and generate some additional revenue for your dance studio biz.
CUSTOM PARTIES & PLAYDATES
This is a great menu item to consider offering to your current clients. If you already have birthday party packages available for booking, consider adding custom parties and playdates themed for the season.If you haven’t added birthday parties to your offerings, consider launching this new revenue source with seasonal highlights.
Seasonal theme ideas are endless, but may include:
Tutu Boo
Dance-O-Ween
Gobble Wobble
Friendsgiving
Sugar Plum Party
A Very Merry Holiday Jam
Nites and Lites Hanukkah Party
A Royal Christmas Affair
New Year’s Eve Disco Party
STUDIO EVENTS
With people traveling less this season, it is the perfect time to focus on bringing joy to your dance community. Have you thought about the following ideas?
Trunk or Treat or Fall Fest
Nutcracker-Themed Camp or Mini Virtual Performance
Drive-Through Lights Display at Your Facility
Holiday Morning Mini Camps
New Year’s Parties
Remote Parent Observation or Parent Participation
Because CDC and state/local protocols must be followed and vary from place to place, plan ahead and communicate any adaptations and safety protocols and expectations in advance.
If your event doesn’t fill up immediately, don’t stress. People are waiting until the last minute to do things right now, and that’s okay! They will appreciate your effort, and in return, you’ll gain: client loyalty/buy-in, marketing exposure/impressions, and the satisfaction of bringing joy to others!
OTHER IDEAS
Now is the time to pull out of all of the stops! After a year of pivots and constant creativity, I know we are all ready for some “downtime”, but don’t lose sight of the momentum your brand has the potential to deliver. This season, people are eager to support local businesses, which includes dance studios! Here are a few additional revenue sources you can consider:
Gift Cards
Private Lesson Packages
Holiday Merchandise Orders
Gift Wrapping Drop-Off/ Pick-Up
New Dancer Starter Kits (focus on recruiting January enrollment!)
Now’s the time to really get creative and get ready to start strong in 2021. Got any ideas you want to share with us? Send ’em to marketing (at) TutuTix (dot) com and let us know if we can share them in a future post!
Looking for more great ideas from Chasta? Check out the following articles:
It’s the holidays, which lets us offer a gift to those people who make such a difference in our sons’ and daughters’ lives: dance teachers! Take a look at this list of dance teacher gift ideas that could brighten their season!
Gift Cards
It may seem cliché, but a gift card is simple and gives your teacher the freedom to use it how they want to, when they want to! Some gift card ideas to think about might come from:
iTunes, since dance teachers always need new music for class.
Amazon, where they can get pretty much anything.
Starbucks, for coffee lovers!
The Spa
There’s few things that sound better to a tired dance teacher than a spa session.
Whether it’s a massage or a mani/pedi combo, your teacher will absolutely appreciate the opportunity to sit back and relax for a day.
If you’re looking for other ideas to make your teachers cozy, consider:
Bath bombs, which they can use at home
Candles, which can brighten up a space (or help a dance studio smell more….festive)
Chocolates, because dancing takes a lot of energy, right?
Dinner and a Show
Dance teachers spend many of their evenings at the studio, or planning for future time when they’ll be at the studio. Treat them to a nice dinner, or maybe tickets to an upcoming show in the city!
It’s not always “things” that make the best gifts, and since you know your teachers well, you’ll know if that upcoming concert or a new restaurant in town might be extra special for them.
Handmade and from the Heart
The reality is that sometimes a dancer might have two, three, maybe four dance teachers, plus a choreographer, plus whoever else is important at the studio! And that can add up to a LOT of gifts.
Dance teachers work to make your sons and daughters better, more expressive people, and recognition that they’re accomplishing that can really go a long way. Sometimes a simple “thank you” card written by you and your dancer can communicate your thanks! Or maybe some nice baked goods (only if you know nobody is allergic to anything!!), or a knitted scarf.
Also, keep in mind that it’s not just the teachers on the front lines who would appreciate thanks. Behind the scenes of every dance studio are husbands and wives who support teachers working long nights and traveling to competition. Add them to your holiday list and it’ll really make a great personal impact on your dance studio family.
We hope you found these ideas helpful! Please feel free to share this article on Facebook or browse our “Dance Teacher Gift Ideas” board on Pinterest.
Also, you’re welcome to comment below with any gifts you’ve given that teachers particularly loved!
The holiday season is underway! With Halloween behind us, check these great activities, songs, dances, and fun costume ideas to celebrate Thanksgiving at your studio!
Thanksgiving-Themed Games
Ideally, activities for a dance class will have kids running and moving
If you’re looking for some fun games to play in the classroom, Dance Exploration put together a fun list of games like “Gobble Gobble Turkey Says,” and other activities that encourage sharing between kids.
For other ideas to get kids up and moving, Pre-K and K Sharing has a few ideas for songs you can sing to get kids dancing and flapping their turkey wings!
Thanksgiving Songs
The Hokey Pokey is a classic for any time of the year, but this video has it themed for Thanksgiving!
Or, check out the easy-to-follow Turkey Dance Freeze! Great for the little ones!
Easy Hair Styles
The Turkey Bun
This super cute bun takes a simple braid and some colored pipe cleaners, and transforms your dancer’s bun into a Thanksgiving turkey! See the full tutorial for making the bun from our friends at Babes in Hairland.
The Turkey Ribbon Bow
Want something a little less complicated than the bun? With a little ribbon and a hot glue gun, you can have a classroom of little turkeys running around in no time! See the full instructions here.
Does your studio have any Thanksgiving traditions you’d like to share? Post a comment below! If you thought these ideas were helpful, don’t forget to share it with others on the TutuTix Facebook page!
With the Thanksgiving holidays coming to a close, the holiday countdown is ON! Here are some fun, culturally diverse holiday music tunes to incorporate into your classes for the remainder of the month.
You can preview any of these holiday music songs here via our Spotify Playlist!
Action Songs for Creative Movement
Jingle Bells/ Jingle Song by Hap Palmer
We Wish You A Merry Christmas by Hap Palmer
Shake Shake Shake by Dora The Explorer
Wiggle Wiggle by Dora The Explorer
Santa Shuffle by Christopher Zondaflex Tyler
Xmas Hop by Christopher Zondaflex Tyler
Santa’s Christmas Wrap by Santa & His Little Helpers
Festive Songs for Younger Dancers
Christmas is Coming by Ariel
Jingle Bells by Mickey & the Gang
The Santa Wrap by Rayvon
One More Sleep ’til Christmas by Kermit
Santa, Please Don’t Forget Me by Kidsongs
Caroling, Caroling by Kids Sing Christmas
Last Christmas by The Christmas Elf
Must Be Santa by Kidz Bop Kids
Go Christmas by Kidz Bop Kids
Christmas Alphabet by Dickie Valentine
Candy Cane Jane by The Laurie Berkner Band
Shake Santa Shake (from ‘Shake It Up) by Zendaya
My Song For You (from ‘Good Luck Charlie’) by Bridgit Mendler
Jingle Bells (A Hip-Hop Carol) by Kyle Massey
It’s Always Christmas With You! by The Wiggles
Linus & Lucy by Vince Guaraldi Trio
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Christmas Songs
Wassailia by Cast-Sofia the First
Hanukkah Is Here by Jon Nelson
Latke Cakes by David and the High Spirit
Oh Hanukkah by Kidz Bop Kids
Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel by Kidz Bop Kids
Seven Kwanzaa Candles by 50 Songs for Kids
Holiday Music for All Dancers
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by San Francisco Ballet Orchestra
The Nutcracker Suite: Russian Dance by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by N Sync
Boogie Woogie Santa Clause by Mabel Scott
I love Christmas by Ross Lynch
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland
I Think You Might Like It by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
Baby It’s Cold Outside (From Elf)- Movie Sounds Unlimited
All I Want For Christmas Is You (SuperFestive!) Duet with Mariah Carey- Justin Bieber
Christmas Wrapping (Glee Cast Version) by Glee Cast
A Mad Russian’s Christmas-Instrumental by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Step Into Christmas by Elton John
What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder
My Favourite Things by Tony Bennett
Carol of the Bells by Pentatonix
My Only Wish (This Year) by Britney Spears
Hark the Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful by Clay Aiken
Let It Snow (Glee Cast Version) by Glee Cast
Winter Wonderland by The Andrews Sisters
Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes
A Marshmallow World by Brenda Lee
Home For The Holidays by Keke Palmer
Who Lit the Candles by Jon Simon
Hava Nagila-Jewish Accordion Music by Haunkkah Songs
Celebrate Kwanzaa by Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus
Seven Joyous Days: Reprise by Frank Smallwood
Heri Za Kwanzaa- Andrea James Rohlehr/Brian M by Ann Ruckert
Winter Song by Sara Bareilles
Winter Solstice by Michele McLaughlin
Auld Lang Syne by Susan Boyle
Ave Maria by Beyonce
Visit here to read all about the varying December celebrations!
Last year, our studio purchased lunch boxes with the studio logo to distribute as gifts for dance students. This began a tradition of distributing a logo-oriented item prior to the Winter Break. All of our students love receiving the gift, and it doubly serves as a marketing strategy and brand reinforcement technique.
Gifts for dance students could include:
Pencil Cases
Hair Ties
Drawstring Bags
Water Bottles
Pencils
Pens
Tote Bag
Car Magnets
T-Shirts
Shorts
Sweatpants
Hats
Socks
Hairbands
Sticker set
Bracelets / Wristbands
Towels
Sweatshirts
Picture frame
Cups
And any other items you think your dancers might like! Think of these gifts both as a “thank you” to your students for their hard work and for their commitment to your studio, and as an investment for keeping your class sizes high and hopefully attracting some new students.
It’s the holiday season and your dancers are surely excited for winter break. No matter what their backgrounds, kids are always glad to spend time with family and friends and take a break from school! If you want a way to bring some of the seasonal spirit into your studio, check out our tips on fun holiday warm-up music for dance. Dancers will love to sing along to their favorite festive tunes while they stretch and practice the moves for the upcoming show.
However, the issue becomes playing songs that are both appropriate for students and, if yours is not a faith-based arts organization, nondenominational. The Street explained that focusing too much on religious music or decorations in any business can rub certain customers the wrong way and, in extreme cases, end up in court. Here are a few tips on how to keep your holiday cheer appropriate for all your dancers and their families.
Upbeat Songs From Pop Favorites
Many classic holiday tunes express religious sentiments, so they’re not the best choice to play in the studio. Instead, check out some holiday albums from contemporary artists for some holiday songs. These types of tracks usually have lyrics that are relatable to everyone, as well as an upbeat tempo that’s perfect as warm-up music for dance. Women’s Health magazine recommended the following songs to accompany a workout:
“Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
“My Only Wish (This Year)” by Britney Spears
“Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande
Another option is to use instrumental tracks of songs like “Jingle Bells,” “Winter Wonderland” or “Deck the Halls.” However, be sure to respect the wishes of any parents or students if they ask you use different songs.
Don’t Forget about Licensing
It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday spirit, but don’t forget you need the proper licensing to play music in the classroom. You might have bought holiday songs through iTunes or another music site, but they’re not licensed for “public” use. Check the details of your blanket business license to see whether your favorite holiday tracks are included. If they’re not, you can always search through royalty free music databases for some comparable tunes. Either way, your dancers will appreciate the change of pace in the classroom, and everyone will get in the holiday spirit!
