Business Seminars at Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat

We are thrilled to announce an exclusive lineup of business seminars curated to inspire and empower dance studio owners and educators at the upcoming Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat, taking place on July 20-21, 2024, at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. Presented by Tiffany Henderson and Twinkle Star Dance, Pinnacle promises to equip attendees with invaluable tools and knowledge to enhance their studio operations and foster growth in the dance community.

Exciting Topics to Explore:

• What is "Grit" and How to Get More for You and Your Dancers: Dive into the concept of grit and learn practical strategies to cultivate resilience both personally and among your dancers.

• Studio Owner Only Session: The Power of Positivity: Discover the transformative power of positivity in leadership and its impact on studio culture and success.

• How to Create Content Faster and Better Using AI (Paid & Organic) with Jennifer Randall: Explore innovative ways to leverage artificial intelligence for efficient content creation, essential for digital marketing success.

• Paths to Empowerment and Leadership with Christine Dion: Gain insights into fostering female empowerment within your studio community and beyond, promoting inclusivity and growth.

• Balancing Learning Differences in Dancers and Insights from a New Twinkle Star Teacher: Learn strategies to accommodate learning differences among dancers and benefit from firsthand experiences shared by a new Twinkle Star teacher.

• Social and Emotional Development in Preschoolers: Understand the importance of social and emotional development in preschool-aged dancers and how to support their growth effectively.

• Taking Risks - From Idea to Implementation: Explore the journey from conceptualizing ideas to successfully implementing them, fostering innovation and growth in your studio.

• Managing an Admin Team with Boundaries and Care: Discover best practices for managing administrative teams with compassion while maintaining effective boundaries, crucial for a harmonious work environment.

Why Attend?

These seminars are designed not only to enrich your professional knowledge but also to provide practical tools that you can immediately implement in your dance studio. Whether you are looking to enhance your digital marketing strategies, improve student engagement, or strengthen your leadership skills, the Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat offers invaluable insights tailored to meet your needs.

Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity to network with industry leaders, gain fresh perspectives, and elevate your studio to new heights of success. Join us at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, on July 20-21, 2024, for an unforgettable experience that will inspire, educate, and empower.

For more information and to register, visit Pinnacle Dance Conference and Retreat. We look forward to seeing you there!

Adding Magic to Preschool Dance Classes

Bring a fresh, exciting look to your preschool and school-aged dance classes in the New Year! Curated class materials like Passports and Dance Journals as well as the Adventures of Twinkle Bear Book Series increase student enrollment, engagement, and retention. 

PASSPORTS AND DANCE JOURNALS 

Add fun to your classes each month and track dancer progress with the Twinkle Stars Passport Books and Showstars Dance Journals! The Passports and Dance Journals are used with the Twinkle Stars and Showstars curriculum as your guide. We provide an outline each month for each age level and class. Coordinating stickers accompany each Passport and Dance Journal.

Passports and Dance Journals help preschool and school-aged dance teachers organize lesson plans with a focus on specific Skill Building each month. Center Movements keep the class fresh and introduce dancers to new and challenging material throughout the year. The Just For Fun section provides videos that follow the holidays and seasons.

The Passport and Dance Journal also serves as a monthly scrapbook for the dancers, with a place for a photo or writing prompt. Concluding with a Certificate of Completion for the class The Twinkle Star Dance Passports and Dance Journals are the perfect companion to your Twinkle Star Dance classes.

ADVENTURES OF TWINKLE BEAR BOOK SERIES 

The Adventures of Twinkle Bear Book Series are dance-along adventures that introduce monthly themes and narratives into your Twinkle Stars dance class. 

Instructor books are printed on high quality, thick, 11 x 17 paper. They are colorful and delightful! There are 4-6 dance exercises in each of the books and they come with an audio version too that is perfect to use in your dance class. Purchase individually or purchase the entire series. Series includes:

• Twinkle Bear Goes to Ballet

• Twinkle Bear Goes to Tap Class

• Adventures of Twinkle Bear: Twinkle Bear Goes on a Picnic

• Adventures of Twinkle Bear: Twinkle Bear Hosts a Tea Party

• Adventures of Twinkle Bear: Twinkle Bear Goes to the Zoo

• Adventures of Twinkle Bear: Share the Love

• Adventures of Twinkle Bear: Pumpkin Party

• Adventures of Twinkle Bear: Nutcracker

Learn more about Twinkle Star Dance and our live teacher certifications: https://www.twinklestardance.com/how-it-works

Free Webinar

On top of offering the Twinkle Stars and Showstars Curriculum and Choreography subscriptions, Tiffany strives to provide real-time business insights from her experience of owning and managing multiple dance studio locations. Each month she holds free webinars. Learn more: https://www.twinklestardance.com/webinars

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.

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.

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.

Engaging Preschool Dancers

Students are engaged when they are interested or curious. Sometimes if the class material is too difficult or too easy they lose interest. 

Preschool dancers also thrive on verbal feedback and are inspired by the teacher's energy and enthusiasm for the material. A good teacher knows her student's ability and gives material that will challenge the child while making them feel a sense of accomplishment. 

Remember, If you love it, they will. A balanced preschool dance class ebbs between free moving exercises followed by periods of sustained focus. A preschool dance curriculum, such as Twinkle Star Dance, should strike a balance of structure and fun. 

Make sure to slow down and lower your voice if the class is getting loud and wiggly, and raise your voice and speed up if they are staring off into space.

Humor is also a great way to connect with your dancers.

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

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.