Have you and your child ever wondered what goes on at SB Dance Arts when you’re not there? There’s a whole other side to the dance studio that some people never know about! Here’s a little report on how the magic happens and what you don’t usually see …
Documents, spreadsheets, and software, oh my … You don’t usually associate these things with teaching dance, but it’s how we stay organized and prepared. On any given day, you’ll find Dance Arts staffers plugging away at computer work, all in the name of maintaining reliable systems so we can serve you better!
Creating classes... Dance Arts teachers are in constant creative-mode, working on which curricula will be the focus of which class, how that material will be introduced, and to which music. They are always experimenting with different combinations of steps to find just the right mix for each class’s students.
Marketing development … You know the fun social media posts you see? Created and scheduled behind-the-scenes! That amazing master class opportunity coming up? Contracted last year. The new brochures, flyers, or rack cards that go up at the front desk? You guessed it; they were all designed and printed with months of planning from our marketing calendar.
Problem-solving … Whether we’re troubleshooting a scheduling snafu, juggling a tricky music edit, or working through a budget, there’s always some element of problem-solving at play. Our creativity can’t stop at the classroom doors; we need to use it everywhere!
Performance prep … The recital may only come around once a year, but the work needed to make it successful goes on all year long. From planning choreography to choosing costumes, and from reserving the venue to setting the show order, every detail is sharpened before the information becomes public.
Mentorship … We are always making time to help our students in and out of the classroom. Whether it is counseling them on study-dance balance, helping them navigate a social situation, or meeting with them to set and evaluate goals, we love offering support and guidance to our young dancers.
Always Learning… Our staff is always learning together. This month Alana is off to Studio Owner University with the International Association, More Than Just Great Dancing. She will take public speaking and leadership courses, inspiring ideas for the classroom, and innovation for our programming. Our staff actively engages in leadership training, listening to podcasts, reading, and we actively educate our teachers with new methods, workshops, and resources to make your classroom experience the best it can be.
Giving Back … Because Dance Arts has a partnership with the non-profit Arts Mentorship Program, we are able to give back to the most vulnerable populations in our community. We work closely with the Board of Directors, attend meetings, help create forms, policy and programing that serve all facets of our community. In addition, Dance Arts generously donates to dozens of local schools, CALM, Teen Star, NCL, and other organizations to support their missions to make Santa Barbara a vibrant and special place.
So now you know: Dance Arts is full of bustling activity, even when classes aren’t in session! The best part of the day though, comes when we see our first group of students for the day. It’s when the behind-the-scenes hustle pauses and we all get to do our favorite thing in the world: teach dance!