Studio Registration and Logistics
If you are reading this, I hope you have already enrolled with Burns Dance Studio. August is usually that time of year when dance studios across the country are holding registration for a new season. We are certainly accepting enrollment through August. If you’re still deciding whether dance is for you, or maybe what studio family you want to join, I’d like to share some dance studio information to help you think through your options.
Where you spend your extra time and money is important; knowing a few things before jumping in can help you find the studio where you belong.
What To Expect
There are many studios starting up for the first time, and many studios with decades of experience. Each year every studio begins the formulation of schedules, fees, themes, classes and choreography in hopes that families will choose their program for kids to enroll. Here are some common things all dance studios have:
1. Enrollment fees: all studios have some form of enrollment fee. This can be done by class, by student, or by family. The enrollment fees usually cover the cost of labor and software used to run the operations of the business. In today’s climate, online software companies base their fees off studio size, so to pay those fees, studios must charge for enrollment. These may also cover fees associated with setting up payments via electronic means.
2. Tuition: This is the lifeblood of our business. Each studio has cost of business to include facilities, salaries, insurance, materials, utilities and continuing education. There is no universe where all tuition goes into salaries of teachers.
3. Costumes: In each dance studio, costumes are developed or ordered for students to wear in performances. Every studio has their own system, but rest assured, if you are enrolling your child in a dance studio, a costume is in your future.
4. Equipment: Dance requires specific shoes and outfits. In most cases this would be tap shoes, ballet shoes, jazz shoes, or even ballroom shoes. Outfits can be as basic as a leotard or activewear that someone would wear to a gym or a workout. Each studio usually has a posted dress code. Some go as far as requiring customers to purchase dancewear and shoes from the studio in hopes to help the bottom line for studio operations.
5. Pictures: At some point in the year, usually late spring, studios will host a professional photographer to take pictures of kids and groups in costumes.
6. Recital fees: The end of the year show is often called a recital. Some studios rely solely on ticket sales for producing a show. I’d say the most basic of dance recitals can cost anywhere from $8000-$10,000. The bigger the venue, the higher the cost. Other studios may charge a recital fee to participating families that covers basic projected costs of the show. Ticket sales may supplement that revenue, but I feel comfortable saying that recitals are not the most profitable parts of the dance studio business.
Look for the Stand-Outs
While most studios follow a “norm” and you can fairly easily expect those norms to be the same or at least similar across the board, there are a few things that would make a dance studio stand out from the rest. These would be the traits that make all the difference to your experience.
Some of those things might be…
1. Quality of Instruction: There are 2 parts to dance: training and performance. How students are trained and the time commitment required varies from studio to studio. The performance on stage also varies from studio to studio. Studios may have recreational, competitive and professional programs. Burns Dance Studio has recreational and competitive teams, but our market has not shown a strong desire for professional programs.
2. Facilities: A dance studio can literally be in a garage, shopping center, school classroom or a custom made studio. While no facility should be a defining feature, it is definitely worthy of consideration when it comes to choosing a studio. As parents think through what their family’s experience will be like at a given studio, they may want to consider certain areas of the dance facility: the class observation area, dressing space, classroom space, and waiting area. A studio with a nice facility in a safe area of town certainly shows a level of quality and commitment to families.
3. Organization and structure: You want a studio that runs classes on time, provides clear communication to parents about important matters, and has good financial practices. Some studios have business managers that deal with this, especially if the owner or director is more artistically involved. One word of caution; look out for a parent or dance mom in charge of collection of money or handling payments. Usually this is best handled by a paid employee who can be impartial.
4. Teachers: This is the most important variable. Yes, you want your kids to have fun. Yes, you want your kid to learn technique and routines. However, without a teacher that can communicate new techniques, provide feedback, motivate and challenge, your kid’s potential will not be maximized. Not to mention the extensive knowledge of dance and training the best teachers can bring to the classroom! While not everything relies on the teacher - parents’ value systems also play a part in a child’s success whatever they do - the relationships dance teachers develop with their students makes a big difference in a student’s experience at a studio. Often, a teacher’s influence lasts long after a dancer graduates. We want that lasting impact to be a positive one. I am proud of the teachers we have working with the kids in our BDS program. I believe they are the best in our area! I think you will agree.
Join the Family!
If you are in the Aiken area, we certainly hope you have looked at Burns Dance Studio for dance lessons. We work hard to maintain a high quality program for families with a desire to give their kids a challenging and fun dance experience. Our culture, facility, process and location are all unique. After 42 years in business, we still haven’t figured it all out, but we keep reflecting and improving every year. We would love the opportunity to welcome you into our dance family! Check us out at burnsdancestudio.com
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