how do i start a dance school?

Question

need help with all details

Answer 1

get a business liscence
buy a building or lease it
renovate it
hire a dance instructor
Market yourself to schools or community centres
I think thats it...
Oh yeah one other thing... make sure your floors are wood much easier to dance on.

Answer 2

First and foremost you need to be able to dance and know all aspects of the style you are teaching.

Here is a checklist:
Business License
Insurance
Business Bank Account
Building (own or lease)
Permits (if your location is not "zoned" correctly)
Dance Subfloor
Dance floor (hardwood or vinyl/marley)
Mirrors
Sound systems
Clients!!! That's the most important.
After all of that, you need to figure out how much your tuition is going to be, your class schedule, how many teachers you will have. If you have teachers, then you will have to process payroll, which comes with payroll taxes, workers compensation, etc.

I am in the process of opening up a bigger school. (I currently have under 50 students and I am moving so that I can have over 300). This is not as easy as it sounds. Not only have I been teaching dance for the past 10 years, I have also been involved administratively for the past 7. You should probably work at a dance school for a while before you start to think about doing it on your own.

Answer 3

If you need help with ALL details, it's doubtful you'll be successful. I'd recommend getting at least an associates degree in arts administration with a minor in dance. But most studio owners are qualified to teach dance, themselves, and pick up the necessary business skills on the side. It's vital that you are knowledgeable about what makes a dance teacher qualified to teach as well as the needs of dancers (such as a SPRUNG floor).

Answer 4

The main thing to be aware of, is that as the owner of the school, you could be sued if anyone injures themselves while they are your student. You can protect yourself by having good insurances, but it's also important to minimise your risk by knowing how to teach people SAFELY.

If you had a good teacher yourself, someone who explained the risks of different moves, then you may know enough already. If not, then you should take a course. Dance teaching courses can be expensive, and it may be cheaper to do a fitness leader or personal trainer course, which will also teach you about anatomy etc.

The advice about floors is good - dancing on concrete, or any floor that is laid straight on to concrete, is dangerous and people will hurt themselves.

Get yourself some good books about starting a small business, as you need to be aware of things like keeping good accounts, taxes, marketing etc.

Answer 5

What he ^ said. But make sure that the floor is good for dancing - not only it needs to have nice wood surface but it has to be springy enough. Example of a super bad floor would be wood glued on top of concrete. Dancers hate it. If concrete fllors is all you have - put it some wooden structure underneath. Also, make sure ceiling are hight enough to do the lifts.

I'd recommend singing up for some adult classes and see how this kind of business works, unless you already have some experience with it.

Answer 6

not really sure but, reading the other answers given make sure the floors aren't just wood, but rather floor that are elevated off the actual ground, u can do this with wood and other floor surfaces. the reason u need 2 have the floors not directly on the ground is because it is bad for yr ankles and it can increase yr chance of getting arthritis

Answer 7

be sure to check other schools in the area to get an idea of tuitions. be sure you are charging enough for your time, and your teachers time, and your overheads (space lease, utilities, etc).
And as far as the floor goes - it's called a "floated" floor.

Answer 8

And PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you are qualified to teach. There's nothing worse than kids with bad ballet technique.