We are always looking for ways to come up with to expose our current students to styles of dance that they are not familiar with or have a fear of. If you can get your students to broaden their outlook and become more adventurous with the classes that they sign up for it will not only give you students who are more diverse but it will also affect your bottom line in a positive way! We have a number of recreational students who take only Jazz or Hip Hop because they feel intimidated by other styles such as Ballet or Contemporary and yet if they are able to try these different styles without initially having to commit to them we have found that it piques their interest and often they will end up taking a style of dance that they would never have thought of trying and end up loving it.

So what can you do to get their interest? Free trial classes will work for some students but again many kids feel embarrassed to come in to the studio to try a style of dance that they have no knowledge of. So consequently they end up never trying anything new for fear of their peers ridiculing them. How many times have a student or parent told you that they don't like Ballet because it is too slow or boring. I love being able to show them that Ballet can be fun and sometimes fast moving too! Some students love the sound that Tap shoes make and yet others feel filled with fear about being able to make those sounds successfully. The more students you can get to crossover the better it is for everyone. Even for dedicated Ballet dancers it is not only good for them to be exposed to other styles but will also make them more valuable to choreographers should they get into a professional Ballet Company. It will also open up the field for them to possibly go into a Modern or Contemporary Company or even a Broadway Show.

We have developed a system that we use for one week each school year and we generally do it during January, after the holidays when we are really trying to jump start the students after the break. We have three dance studios with generally three different styles of dance running each hour. Each teacher will rotate every half hour and go into the class that is teaching something different and then they will teach their style of dance for that half hour. So, for example, let's say that you have a Jazz teacher teaching a pre teen Jazz class, they could possibly go into a junior Ballet class and teach them Jazz for half an hour, and then go into a teen Tap class and teach them Jazz and so on and so forth. We have all our teachers rotating and getting a chance to teach students that they may never have seen otherwise. The students really seem to love this idea and the great thing is they are just getting a small feel of what the class will be like and the opportunity to try out some of the steps without too much pressure being put on them. Each teacher will have an opportunity to show these students who are totally unfamiliar with their style that they should try it and to show them that it is something they may be good at. Sometimes as a result of this introduction to something new they develop a love for it and because it is all done in a fun atmosphere it is more likely to be accepted. We do not do this with any of our pre-school classes because we feel that at that age they need continuity with their teachers and are not as open to change as the slightly older students are.

Trying to change things up is always a healthy thing to do because it stimulates excitement and enthusiasm in everyone at your studio. The students feel excited because they are trying something different, the faculty gets a chance to work with some different students and if the dancers begin to see themselves taking more styles and they end up signing up for more classes, you will definitely be feeling more excited because your studio will be making more money and your dancers will become better dancers. It is a win win situation for everyone!