Dance Studio Owners: A Plan for Weekly Productivity

How many times do you get to the end of the week and feel like you’ve been so busy teaching and taking care of everyone in the studio that you haven’t had a moment to yourself?

Just “keeping up” with the workload of running a studio can make it tricky to get the important things done…

Here’s a tip to help you make the most out of each week in your studio! 

First up, download this free Weekly Studio Planner. Next, each Sunday evening or Monday morning, sit down and answer the questions below to set your goals for the week in each category:

ATTRACTION
What can I do this week to gain more awareness in our community and bring more students into the studio?

RETENTION
How can I boost the ‘wow’ factor and create an even more addictive studio environment for our students?

TEAM
In what ways can I take on more of a mentoring role with my teachers to help them blossom and give the best experience to our students?  

SYSTEMS
How can I streamline my workload this week by outsourcing, automating or delegating?  

These are the four main categories for studio management, and each week our goal is to make sure we’re nurturing each of these areas within our business. We can’t neglect one by focusing too much on the others.

Using this weekly planner is going to help you focus on what’s really important in your studio.  

Print it out and keep your weekly planner next to your computer, stick it on the wall where you can see it, or take a photo of it and set it as your phone wallpaper – anything that’s going to keep giving you little reminders to take action!

Download your Weekly Studio Planner PDF for free by clicking here.

How do you manage your workload in your studio?  Do you have any tips for staying productive when you wear 10 different hats in the studio?  

In the comments below, share your best productivity tip for studio owners…

Here’s to more passion, more profits and more purpose in your studio! 

All my best, Chantelle

By Chantelle Bruinsma Duffield of www.studioexpansion.com.

The post Dance Studio Owners: A Plan for Weekly Productivity appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

9 Reasons to Thank Our Dance Teachers This Thanksgiving

Being thankful is a great mindset to adopt all year round. But Thanksgiving, in particular, is a great reason to vocalize what we’re thankful for.

Emily Bufferd teaching at Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive. Photo courtesy of Joffrey Ballet School.

This Turkey Day, we’re saluting those who keep us pointing our toes, on our legs and grooving in the dance studio. Let’s give thanks to the tireless, passionate dance teachers out there. Here are nine reasons why to say gratzi to dance educators — although, you can probably think of many more.

#1. Physical fitness

Whether it’s ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop or ballroom, dance is a great full-body workout.

#2. Physical awareness

There’s a reason dancers often say they really know their bodies… enter dance teachers here.

#3. Good posture

Your carriage will become the envy of your non-dancer friends, family and colleagues.

#4. Discipline

You may not appreciate the routine and regime that go hand-in-hand with most dance forms in this very moment, but you will down the road.

#5. Learning how to take criticism

In dance, you are used to constant feedback. While it can at times be disheartening or trying, learning how to be open and receptive to criticism is a major skill. So thank our dance teachers for that one.

Matthew Powell teaching company class at Slovak National Ballet. Photo by Costin Radu.

#6. Making you tough as nails

Dance, no matter what style or form, makes you strong physically and mentally.

#7. Providing a sanctuary

In the spirit of Juliette Simone from the classic dance movie — well maybe not a classic, but a guilty pleasure for sure — Center Stage: The dance studio can be your safe haven when other things in life feel hectic or imbalanced.

#8. Well, this may be obvious, but they teach you steps and how to string them together

The gift of dance, how can you not be thankful for that?

#9. The encouragement to pursue your wildest dreams

You may or may not have visions of being in the spotlight. But for many of you reading this, a dance teacher has played a significant role in your life. Maybe dance is your dream, or perhaps it’s to be a doctor, journalist, attorney, parent. No matter what your aspirations are or were, dance teachers often push us to our limits and then encourage us to reach even further.

By Stephanie Wolf of Dance Informa.

Photo (top): Dance Informa Editor Deborah Searle with her students from Project Dance Atlanta 2015. Photo courtesy of Searle.

The post 9 Reasons to Thank Our Dance Teachers This Thanksgiving appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Sound Wisdom: A Guide to Tap Dance from Tony Coppola

As I removed my tap shoes and sat down to write this article, I thought, “What is the most important thing I’d like my readers to get from this article?” Well, obviously, I would wish for you all to fall in love with tap dance. I know, I know, that’s quite a lofty goal, but maybe if you’d get a standing ovation with a tap piece, you’ll embrace tap with a healthy respect. It is a truly American genre (now danced worldwide), and it’s a joy and a challenge to create music while you dance. To quote an old phrase: “It’s a treat to beat your feet!” It is my personal hope that rather than recycling the tap of the past, we can keep what is valuable from bygone eras and endeavor to take tap forward in an effective, energetic and entertaining way.

One of your first considerations is to assess the purpose and demographics of the performance for which the piece will be performed. Is it a concert, or a recital, or a commercial setting (such as a showroom or a theme park), or a competition? And what kind of audience would you have: 60 people, or 600, or 2,000? And what is the age span? In addition, is the piece a solo, a small group or a larger production? All of these considerations will guide you in making one of your most important decisions – your choice of music.

Coppola Rhythm Ensemble. Photo by Sergio Minero.

In choosing music, you should choose music that your audience can relate to, that they can attach to and enjoy the groove with the dancers. That doesn’t mean predictable; it’s good to have a few surprises or highlights in the piece, both audibly and visually. Your simplest consideration in choosing music is: Can the audience hear the taps? And that means all the way at the back of the theatre. Music that’s too heavily orchestrated will smother the taps. Also, check out the acoustics in the theatre. In preparing your dancers, I’ll assume that the level of tap technique is adequate to support the choreography. Young dancers should be in a class that includes a healthy dose of technique. A class which only works on a routine short-changes the dancers; they will have less substance to put into a dance.

As a judge, I often see tap pieces which include several dancers who do not execute all the sounds. Make sure each dancer can do the steps alone and a cappella. Then when you reassemble the dance it will be stronger.

Once you’ve chosen your music, listen to it over and over before choreographing so that you can effectively use the phrases and accents in your choreography rather than just choreographing 8’s. If you’re creating an a cappella piece, you need to drill the dancers to keep time; there is generally a tendency to rush, which is very unsettling to the audience. Musicality is the goal of the choreographer and the dancer. (Challenge yourself with music in other meters such as 6/8, 3/4, 5/4, 9/8, etc.)

So now that you’re married to the music, it’s wise to create a theme – a series of steps or a phrase that’s recognizable when it is reprised. It is the signature of the piece, and it should grab the audience both audibly and visually and show the character of the piece. Tap’s musicality can be applied to many styles, from traditional hoofing to Latin, to rap, to blues, classical, to rock and show tunes.

Some specifics:

• Unison: never underestimate the value of unison. A good step laid down in perfect synchronization is very satisfying to people. It’s a valuable technique to spread out various rhythms and return to unison for a dynamic punch. An entire dance done in unison can be boring.
• Canon: Canon, or presenting rhythms in a round, can be very effective. It works for duos, groups and lines. Have several of the dancers start a choreographic phrase, and then have the other dancers start the same phrase later. How much later? Eight counts is pretty safe, but four counts is very effective (assuming the music is in straight, or 4/4, time). If you separate by only two counts, it can sound like a mistake to the audience, like botched unison.
• Counterpoint: This refers to two rhythms sounding at the same time. Canon will automatically produce counterpoint, but you may want to create two different tap idioms complementing each other. Be careful – if the steps are too busy, it will just sound cluttered. Leave spaces. Single sounds are valuable.

Tap is conversational. Just like verbal language, it needs inflection, causes, punctuation and emphasis. Don’t let it become a run-on sentence. 

• Trades: So if tap is conversational, it lends itself to back-and-forth as in question-and-answer. A literal trade would be where one dancer (or group) lays down a rhythm, and the second group repeats the rhythm verbatim, usually trading either eight counts or four counts. A more conversational approach is to vary the second rhythm (the answer). Often the second rhythm is trying to outdo the first.
• Supplemental sounds: It’s a nice change of pace to throw in other sounds such as claps, snaps, yells and sounds made with props or different surfaces. (Effective use of set pieces and props can fill a whole article by itself.)
• Dynamics: I can’t help but notice the lack of dynamics (degrees of volume). It takes more than just “banging out steps”. A cappella tap is a great opportunity to use some very soft and quiet choreography; it will force the audience to listen closely. Then you can rebound with something aggressive. Contrast is very valuable musicality.

Coppola Rhythm Ensemble. Photo by Sergio Minero.

It’s also effective to contrast the difference between direct rhythms (on the beat) and syncopated (off-beat). Since tap sounds are mostly staccato, you can get sustained sounds with a myriad of slides and nerve taps used like a drum roll.

• The visual imperative: If you have blazing fast feet (you can start fires on the floor with your feet), it’s not enough! Rapid fire sounds may be impressive, but without something visual happening the audience will be bored sooner rather than later (not to mention that the audience may not grasp the new ounces in a blur of sound). We live in a time when, due to technology, quick cuts and editing, and social media, people’s attention span and our concentration and focus will follow that which moves. But before delving into staging, it’s wise to look at the visual energy of the individual dancer. A high energy dancer should get upper body energy by “selling the step” – putting emphasis on the body; the arms, unless specific, will usually follow the torque in the torso. I am very fortunate that in my tap ensemble here in Las Vegas, my pro dancers are high energy; I rarely have to choreograph port de bras (arm movements). This is conducive to the feeling of a “jam”. It’s an advantage if the dancers are versed in other genres, and it is often reflected in their carriage and port de bras. Upper body movement of the head, arms and torso can help you emphasize and pick up the accents in the music. Also, use of levels doesn’t only mean levels of the set pieces. The individual dancer can use the floor and the air to create levels.

One of the things I’ve seen in judging that really makes me cringe is tapping with the hands held behind the back. While you may think that it lets the dancers concentrate on the feet and gives it uniformity, it subtracts all the energy in the upper body and can become a bad habit. It’ll be more difficult to break that habit when you do need port de bras. When I see the hands held behind the back, it looks to me like the dancers got taken prisoner during their tap dance. One of my colleagues actually refers to it as “prisoner tap”.

• Mixed Genre: We touched upon drawing from other genres. I wish for my students to not just think upon themselves as tappers, but as tap dancers. The more versatile and well-rounded you are, the more choice you have to create effective, dynamic tap. Combining forms of dance gives you many options and catches the audience’s interest. I had success several years ago combining a cast of ballet dancers and tap dancers complementing each other and integrating motifs. We are in the time of hybrid dance forms, so take a chance. Stir a pot of “dance soup”.
• Staging: If you’ve created the steps, body lines and matching port de bras that compliments your music, now it’s time to stage it: to move the bodies around to create patterns, angles and enhance the energy of the piece. In decades past, dancers stayed in a particular formation for longer than in present time. We discussed the audience’s shorter attention span, so it’s fashionable and effective to change positions more often. How and when and why is the art of staging; there are so many choices. You can move the dancers downstage, upstage, laterally, diagonally, and up and down for levels. By moving the dancers, I mean dance them to the pattern – don’t walk or march them there. It’s dance, not drill team or military corps. Obviously, diagonal allows you a longer pass (and provides more interesting angles in the body). Opposition, dancers moving in opposite directions, creates a simple and effective choice. Staging the dancers in pairs lends itself to such tools as having the two “do-si-do” around each other, coming back to the original position. When choosing steps that travel, you’ll need to get dancers on the ball of the foot so they can “fly” like sprinters.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that if there are props in your dance, make sure the dancers can handle them gracefully without anything looking clumsy or cumbersome. If the props are stationary, it can work to create paths in and out, around, over and under, and on top of the props. This can also give you a variety in the pitch of the sounds that the steps lay down.

• Performance: I hope in a future article to discuss the value of the art of theatrics. All of the elements for creating effective and entertaining tap must of course be performed to the max, with connection to the audience, strong and appropriate characterization with performers who relate to each other and command the stage…and wrapped up in a magical intangible called style!

By Tony Coppola of Dance Informa.

Tap master Tony Coppola is also a former All-American gymnast and a percussionist. He has taught at conventions and judged competitions for several decades. Tony directs and choreographs the Las Vegas-based Coppola Rhythm Ensemble.

Photo (top): Coppola Rhythm Ensemble. Photo by Sergio Minero.

The post Sound Wisdom: A Guide to Tap Dance from Tony Coppola appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Dance Informa’s 13 Favorite Dance Costumes This Season

Whether you’re shopping dance costumes for competition, a Christmas show, spring concert or recital, there are a ton of reliable, fabulous costume companies to choose from. In no particular order, here are Dance Informa’s 13 favorite dance costumes this season.

‘Cosmic’ from Tenth House, Designed by Allison Holker. Photo courtesy of Tenth House.

#1. “Cosmic” from Tenth House

This ballroom-inspired costume, designed by Allison Holker, has everything you could possibly want in a costume — sequins, fringe and a beautiful neckline. Included with the costume are rhinestone hair clips and a sequin armband.

#2. “Fly” from Art Stone: The Competitor

This stunning grey costume has sequined appliques that complete the look of a girl floating in the clouds. I especially love the top with mesh straps and the asymmetrical skirt that is sure to float on stage beautifully.

#3. “Walk the Walk” from A Wish Come True

If you’re thinking, “I need a really shiny gold costume for this musical theatre production”, A Wish Come True has a perfect costume for you! Available in 12 different sizes, you can create a sparkly fun piece with a wide variety of ages involved. Included with this costume are a sequin bow and hair barrette.

#4. “Sugar and Spice” from Curtain Call

This adorable costume is perfect for a little princess. It’s truly “Sugar and Spice”, and everything nice! There is a flower and tricot barrette included with this costume.

#5. “Neon Lights” from Weissman

“Neon Lights” is such a vivacious and vibrant costume for any dancer to feel super confident in when on stage. These neon colors will shine under the lights during an upbeat jazz, tap or musical theatre number. This costume includes a jeweled feather patch for your hair!

‘The Dream’ from Victoria Dancewear. Photo courtesy of Victoria Dancewear.

#6. “The Dream” from Victoria Dancewear

This leotard with attached tutu truly is a “dream” ballet costume. The brown and teal colors work well together to create a kind of ombre effect on the skirt. Included with this costume is a floral wreath headpiece.

#7. “Jungle Warrior” from Dansco

This “warrior” character costume is fun and yet strong at the same time. With a cool-patterned skirt, and arm bands included, I wouldn’t want to mess with any girl wearing this tribal costume.

#8. “Latin Flair” from Eurtotard

Give me a playful full skirt with sassy polka dots any day! What I love about this skirt from Eurotard is that you can dress it up with a shiny top, or keep it simple with a black leotard. This is a popular skirt for Spanish dances and The Nutcracker.

#9. “Sugar Plum” from Revolution Dancewear

Velvet is back! This costume is made from a glitter stretch velvet fabric, and the color pops so well. A ton of accessories come with this costume, including a tiara on comb, arm ruffles and choker, all wrapped and sent on a hanger in a garment bag.

#10. “Bounce” from Stage Couture

This girly, yet strong hip hop costume is perfect for the fierce competitor, or an awesome hip hop routine for recital! Great on all shapes, the stretch fabric can move well and is not too form-fitting.

‘Rumor’ from Costume Gallery. Photo courtesy of Costume Gallery.

#11. “Rumor” from Costume Gallery

Available in three colors, this fun costume has sparkles and a circular skirt, which will move beautifully on stage. I can definitely see a fun jazz number with this costume! Included with the costume is a glitter stretch headband.

#12. “Distant Melody” from Theatricals Costumes by Discount Dance Supply

I absolutely adore the color and style of this costume. I feel this would be a perfect “first lyrical piece” costume for any young dancer. With adjustable straps, it is sure to fit well with all shapes and ages. Included with this costume is a light green tulle pouf hair clip with a rhinestone butterfly attached.

#13. “Star Studded” from NX3 (pictured up top)

I want this sweatshirt just to wear everywhere, especially during a cool hip hop number. Simple, yet awesome, this swagged out new costume brand is sure to please dancers and audiences.

To see more spectacular costumes from all of these companies, visit Dance Informa’s Costume Guide here.

By Allison Gupton of Dance Informa.

Photo (top): “Star Studded” from NX3. Photo courtesy of NX3.

The post Dance Informa’s 13 Favorite Dance Costumes This Season appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Dance Competition & Convention Guide

WHERE WILL YOU DANCE THIS SEASON?

The 2015/16 Competition and Convention Guide is out now! See the hottest dance competitions and conventions this season. Check what events will be in or near your city this year.

Many events are visiting new cities, so make sure to check out the calendars.

View the guide at www.danceinforma.us/dance-competition-and-convention-guide

The post Dance Competition & Convention Guide appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Studio Owner Tips: 3 Ways to Enroll More Students FAST!

Welcome to the first episode of Dance Informa’s new video series, Studio Owner Tips from Studio Expansion.

If the enrollments in your studio could do with a boost, here are three ways to get more students through the door quickly!

1. The “Invitation” Strategy

This strategy works wonders! By using personalized invitations, you’ll bond your students even closer to your studio, and this costs next to nothing to roll out.

Simply print out gorgeous invitations to a free workshop or event at your studio for your current students to give to their friends. The key here lies in the personal approach. Take a few minutes at the end of one of your classes and pass these invitations around to your students. Give them some markers, and at the top of the invite ensure there is a space for them to write their name and the name of a friend they would like to invite along.

The kids will love the chance to invite their best friends! It’s like a party invitation and is the easiest way to promote word-of-mouth enrollments without having to have those awkward conversations about bringing a friend along!

2. The “Find Out More” Strategy

Targeted Facebook ads are one of the most powerful ways to connect with your dream students in your local neighborhood. Facebook ads give you the ability to target the exact person you would like to attract – even as specific as a female, aged 33, who lives in a particular suburb and who likes Lululemon!

One little secret to help you make the most out of your ad budget is to make sure you choose the “Find Out More” option when creating your ad. It’s common to see studios using the “Sign Up” button choice, but through testing, we’ve found that this is asking for too much too soon.

We want to choose “Find Out More”, as then we can gently guide and educate people into why to choose your studio. Our intention is to nurture them toward coming to your studio, and this tiny little tweak in your strategy will help you attract more students through Facebook.

3. The “Phone Strategy”

Think back over the past month to how many inquiries you’ve received in your studio. If you were to add them up, how many of those inquiries were you are able to enroll into your classes?

To make the most of every precious inquiry you’ve received, one tip is to get off out of your inbox and get onto the phone!

Use your passion for teaching dance and sharing that gift with your students to connect with the potential new student. Ask them questions, get curious about why they are looking for lessons and what is important to them in a studio. By asking more questions about them, you’ll demonstrate how much you care, and that will put you head and shoulders above the competition. Write a list of three to five questions, and keep them by the phone in your studio so you can easily refer to them next time you’re on the phone.

Roll out these strategies in your studio, and very soon you’ll start seeing your numbers grow and grow.

If you’d like more ways to grow your studio, click here to sign up for “30 Enrollments in 30 days” – a free video training course for studio owners!

By Chantelle Duffield, Studio Strategist at StudioExpansion.com.

Photo (top): By Richard Calmes. www.richardcalmes.com

The post Studio Owner Tips: 3 Ways to Enroll More Students FAST! appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Fierce and Genuine: Convention Teacher Meghan Sanett

Fierce, sassy, fabulous, and genuine. Those are the first four words that come to mind when I think of up and coming dancer/teacher Meghan Sanett. With a recent nomination for an Industry Dance Award, and touring as a faculty member with Tremaine Dance Conventions, Meghan Sanett is definitely making a [ball change] splash in the dance world.

Dance Informa had the honor of interviewing Ms. Sanett about teaching for conventions, her challenges in the dance world, and the importance of social media in her dance career.

Meghan Sanett. Photo by Hollywood Dance Shoot, Cody Green and Kylie Shea.

Tell me a bit about your dance background.

“I started dancing when I was three years old out in Southern California. I trained for many years by just taking various classes at The Edge in Hollywood and Millennium in North Hollywood. (Big shout-out to my Mom for being my personal taxi driver). When I was 13, Keri LaGrand told me about the Tremaine Performance Company so I auditioned and I have been with Joe and the incredible variety of teachers who have made up his faculty for the last 12 years.”

With whom are you currently working?

“Currently I’m touring as a faculty member with Tremaine Dance Conventions!”

What do you love most about teaching at conventions?

“I love being able to be a positive influence to this next generation of dancers. I feel like there are so many negative people that kids today are latching on to and I just want to let them know you can achieve your goals, be a positive person, and most importantly be yourself even if you’re different, unique, or just straight up weird! I’m all about being different and making kids realize that that’s absolutely okay.”

Do you think social media has helped your career, and if so, how?

“Oh, it definitely has! I’m so thankful for it! As dancers we have very limited ways of really getting our name out there in terms of being noticed as your own brand. What social media has done for me has been incredible. It’s given me a voice…a platform to the public that I never knew was possible! I’ve always posted my choreography on YouTube since I started high school. When I was in high school, social media wasn’t a huge thing. I didn’t post videos in order to get views or likes or hope to become instantly famous, I put them up to just share with friends and I constantly asked for feedback from teachers. I would email the links to my dance inspirations, and I would just try to better myself. That’s always my goal. Never to stay the same, always keep growing, always keep challenging your mind.”

How did it feel to be nominated for an Industry Dance Award?

“Holy moly! I was so insanely shocked. I performed in the IDA’s last year and the event was so wonderful and glamorous. I felt so honored to be there because Joe Tremaine won the Dance Legend of the Year award and my fellow Tremaine faculty member Derrick Schrader won Favorite Convention Teacher of the Year! So when I found out I was nominated after only teaching on convention for one year, I practically fell off my chair in the airport. To be recognized for something I have dreamt of doing since I was little still blows my mind. Also, to be in the same category as one of my personal heroes Brian Friedman, the incredible diva herself, Tricia Miranda, and my fellow faculty member (AND WINNER OF THE AWARD THIS YEAR!!) Ms. Laurie Johnson who I took classes from when I attended Tremaine Conventions, was just such an honor in itself.”

Meghan Sanett teaching at Tremaine Dance Conventions in Los Angeles in April 2015. Photo by Susan Sanett.

What is your favorite style of dance to teach?

“I love teaching either sassy jazz or really aggressive contemporary. I love sassy jazz because I get to incorporate not just dance steps but also lessons about confidence. This generation has some serious self esteem issues and just overthinking EVERYTHING and I love to be the person to instill that Beyoncé fierce confidence and let them know that it’s okay to come out of your shell and just LIVE! And I love teaching aggressive contemporary because I am a huge fan of musicality and being super athletic. I was always taught that girls should be able to do everything boys can do, so when I get a chance to give ladies some hard choreography that makes them absolutely beastly, I just am a consistent smiling weirdo throughout the entire class. I love seeing people go past their comfort zones and accomplishing steps and movements they never knew they could do!”

What are some challenges you face in the dance world?

“There are so many challenges! To name a few… Keeping yourself healthy and feeling and looking good because at the end of the day your body is your product. You are selling your look just as much as your talent. Weight was an issue with me when I was younger, I always was the heavier girl in my dance classes growing up but it just really inspired me to keep working and pushing even if I didn’t look like everyone else. I’m so glad I did because being different and unique is one of my favorite things about myself whether it’s personality or body shape. And now that I have the courage to admit that, it speaks volumes about how far I’ve come in terms of confidence. So cool!”

Meghan Sanett. Photo by Meghan Sanett (iPhone timers are magical).

What does a ‘day in the life’ of Meghan Sanett look like?

“Oh boy. Well a day in the life of Meghan Sanett Los Angeles edition always consists of getting coffee in the morning…otherwise I don’t function. That sometimes involves my two best friends and me going to breakfast once a week. It’s our thing. You have to have those friends to turn to so your life makes sense! Then going to the gym (if I’m feeling the muscle vibes), teaching class or taking class depending on what day it is, browsing through social media to see what’s happening, and if I have the time I’ll go into a studio and improv my life away. Usually that turns into staying for 3-4 hours without me realizing. Then I head back home to my apartment in North Hollywood, have a glass of wine, and chill. I am a total homebody. I’d much rather be home in sweats and embarrassing fuzzy socks then out and about.

THEN, if it’s a Day In The Life of Meghan Sanett Travel Day edition, I usually won’t sleep the night before, I’ll go to LAX super early (I call LAX my boyfriend since I see it so often) and grab breakfast from the same place in the American Airlines terminal. (They know who I am now). I’ll board a flight to go choreograph and teach at studios across the country. If it’s during the year I’ll board a flight with my Tremaine faculty friends and end up in a beautiful city for a full out weekend of dancing, teaching, judging competitions, and performing. And as a personal tradition, after I land at LAX, I always drive back home on Pacific Coast Highway to see the ocean. It’s a total stress reliever and it just reminds me how much I love California.”

What is some advice you have for dancers wanting to break in to the world of professional dance or conventions?

“Don’t compromise who you are in order to book jobs. Become the working dancer you want to be by staying true to yourself. If people ask you to do things you’re not comfortable with, don’t do it. You have the power to create the career you want. I’ll just say…being genuinely kind, having loyalty and hard work goes a long way. A loooooong way.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

“Oooh that’s a good question. I see myself being married to some really attractive, amazing, creative, funny man that I’ll be so happy with, maybe with a cute little dancer or sports fan crawling around the house. Industry wise, I see myself choreographing for either television, film, or Broadway shows. I, of course, still want to be involved in the performing aspect of the industry so acting or work like that would still be fun. I definitely want to live in California but if I also had a place in NYC, I would not be mad about it. I just want to be healthy, doing what I love and am passionate about, being surrounded by supportive, loving people, traveling like crazy, and having a great time in this crazy thing we call life.”

By Allison Gupton of Dance Informa.

Photo (top): Meghan Sanett on the Industry Dance Awards red carpet in August 2015. Photo courtesy of the Industry Dance Awards.

The post Fierce and Genuine: Convention Teacher Meghan Sanett appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Back to Dance Guide

Sadly summer break is over, but that means it’s time to get back to dance class!

Dance Informa’s Back to School Guide includes great products and studio solutions to start your dance year off right.

Get back to the studio with a fresh look, ideas and resources and make this dance year your best yet!

Visit www.danceinforma.us/back-to-school-guide

The post Back to Dance Guide appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.