How to meet dance moms
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A+E Networks EMEA
At A+E Networks EMEA, we share stories that matter. A global broadcaster since 1995, we reach audiences in over 100 countries, including the UK, Nordics, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, Spain, Italy, Germany, Africa and the Middle East. Our stories are global and local, linear and digital, and always compelling.
Our culture
Personalities shine at A+E Networks EMEA. Our culture embraces individuals, in all their daring, passionate, ambitious glory. Our people are our strength, and our differences are celebrated. We challenge each other, collaborate and come together, just as a family does; winning as a team and celebrating as one too. Everyone has a voice and should feel proud and free to run with their ideas, enjoying their successes and journey with us. And in such an evolving industry, tomorrow is always today.
We anticipate change, identify future opportunities and are excited by the potential that tomorrow brings.
Our culture
Our purpose
We want to be famous for creating and sharing stories that matter – unique, trusted, entertaining, everywhere. Whether our stories challenge and inspire intellectually or simply entertain, we know that we are making a positive contribution to our audiences across the many diverse regions and countries in the UK, Europe, The Middle East and Africa. Striving to always do so requires passion. And it’s with just as much passion that we strive to gain new audiences with our creativity and by using innovative technology, by partnering with leading and emerging local platforms.
Our purpose
Partnerships
With our diverse line-up of original, high-quality programming, our distribution partners across EMEA recognise the benefits of offering A+E Networks EMEA's distinctive, high quality brands on their platforms and services.
We understand the opportunity to grow engagement with new audiences of all ages and through new partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, along with our podcasts and on-demand SVOD services, we ensure our programming and unique stories reach audiences across the full demographic spectrum.
Our partnerships
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Join our global team of talent. At A+E Networks EMEA you’ll find a team of innovative, creative and collaborative people who embrace change and want to continually try new things. With offices in London, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Munich and Johannesburg, we are a truly international company that celebrates difference and diversity. We offer a range of benefits such as a generous pension plan, life assurance and holiday allowance, and there are useful local perks in various offices, and summer Fridays across the whole company. But most of all, we will support you to develop and grow throughout your time with us.
Learning is part of the journey at A+E Networks EMEA and you’ll be offered personal and professional development opportunities throughout your career with us. We’ll do everything we can to see you thrive and grow.
Join us
A+E Networks EMEA commissions ITNP Productions for new UK true crime series, Cops Who Kill
A+E Networks CEE to premiere first local commission on HISTORY Channel® Romania
A+E Networks chooses Whizpr as their PR partner in the Netherlands
COSMO launches online breast cancer clinic in partnership with CRIS Cancer Foundation
Dance studio "Big Family" » Student Entrepreneurship Center
Director of a children's dance studio - how to turn a hobby into a business.
Who
Lena Goryacheva, director of the "Big Family" dance studio
What's the matter
The "Big Family" modern dance studio trains children from 2.5 to 17 years old. Dance classes are held in the complex, children study more than 10 dance styles: classical dance, modern choreography, modern, folk-stylized, Hip-Hop, Jazz-funk, Contemporary. The program of classes includes: stretching, the development of plasticity, the study of the basics of dance, familiarity with classical and modern types of dance, improvisation.
Regular dance lessons improve the body and character, the child learns to work both in a team and independently. Additionally, tasks related to help in self-expression, the development of a sense of rhythm, musicality, and the development of coordination of movements are solved.
Dance groups are formed according to the age and level of preparation of children.
2.5-3 years old are children who have never been involved in dancing.
The main problem of this age is adaptation. Some of the children do not go to kindergarten, they have no experience of communicating with their peers. For a stress-free entry into the dance environment, parents are involved in the classes. The lessons are playful in nature, but at the same time, it is a serious disciplinary exercise. Children at this age are not afraid of the stage and love to perform.
4-6 years old is a more conscious age, it is easier to communicate with them, children are less capricious and ready to learn. The basics of classical dances are being studied, children may well perform dance combinations. Balance is important here - before the lesson you can indulge, but after the appearance of the teacher in the hall - you need to work.
7-10 years old - someone is naughty or does not know if he wants to dance, but there are children who are ready to work and dance. At this age, children are ready to follow the instructions of the teacher, if the teacher says: "sit down and stretch" - they do it without question.
Often we increase the duration of classes.
11-13 and 13-17 years old - if the child is suitable for growth and physical development, then these groups are combined. This is due to the fact that the younger ones will reach for the older ones. Of course, if the child, due to his physical development, does not keep up with the group, the teacher will offer classes in a group one year younger, where adaptation will be faster. Children of this age are very motivated: by the example of teachers, someone likes to watch music videos, someone already has far-reaching plans - to become a choreographer.
Teachers of the "Big Family" school are choreographers with experience working with children, laureates and winners of city, republican, all-Russian and international competitions, participants in the opening and closing show of the 2013 Universiade, the FINA World Aquatics Championship.
Where we work
Kazan, branch addresses https://vk.com/topic-122432491_37580840.
Social networks:
VK group https://vk.com/big_family_tancy_kazan
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/big_family_tancy_kazan/
Why exactly this?
I have been dancing since I was 6 years old, and then I really didn’t like it, why I don’t remember anymore. But somewhere around the age of 7-8, I got involved and started dancing with pleasure, stayed with the older groups for a long time and tried to keep up with them. In dance performances, I, tall and thin, was put on the last line, and my goal was to come forward and, preferably, to the front rows, and for this you need to work very hard.
Until the age of 12, I studied at a school dance studio, then I joined the Accent dance group. After graduating from school, she began to dance as part of the dance theater group "MOMENT". In parallel with her studies, she studied radiophysics at the university. In the family, relatives said that “Dancing is not serious, it will not feed you,” because technical sciences in life will be more useful than humanitarian ones.
But radiophysics did not work out, and a year later I entered the choreographer.
Having chosen the dance path, be prepared to combine study, work, training and personal life in 24 hours. My schedule was as follows: from 8 o'clock classes at the university, from 5 o'clock to 11 pm work or training in the theater. To gain experience, she taught at a circus school, trained at a regular school.
Rest from dancing
After graduating from college, I realized that every aspect of my life is connected with dancing, and I need a rest. To switch, she entered the second higher education in psychology. Found a non-dance job as a children's fitness teacher. In the center, for the first time, I started working with children from 1.5 years old together with their mothers, additionally I taught lessons in a dance group. As a result, I was not dancing for long, maybe six months.
One day I was asked to put on a performance for the "Spring Drop" competition at a construction college.
Everything worked out, we won the Grand Prix of the competition at the very first city festival, in the same year we took third place in the republican competition. So I ended up in college, where I organized my own dance group "Big Family".
I like to work with people and change them for the better, children from the orphanage, difficult teenagers, went to my classes, and through dancing they became better. Partly due to the atmosphere of the team, plus dancing is discipline and responsibility, this is 4 hours of training 4 times a week.
After three years, I learned many nuances, gained experience and realized that it was time to move on. My friends opened a dance studio, then I thought: “Why can’t I do that?”. And I decided to try, even if it was insanely scary to go nowhere.
My first September in the already open studio was disappointing - a total of 7 people worked, and I paid all the money I received for rent. But there was no turning back, which means that we must move forward, since there is nothing to lose.
I started looking for places where you can open branches - schools, kindergartens, fitness rooms with rented premises. In the first year of work, only 40 children studied with me, and I conducted all the classes myself, exactly as I solved organizational issues. In the second year, I found an administrator and trained teachers who took on some of the work.
We work according to a simplified taxation system, I do my own bookkeeping. If you want to understand something, then on the Internet you can find all the answers to your questions. Plus, you can always consult with familiar entrepreneurs.
Now we need to make a name, earn popularity and get all the affiliates working.
Payback
7 branches of the studio have been opened in Kazan, several more are at the launch stage. I am expanding the staff of teachers and administrators. In several branches, I teach classes myself, so it turns out that the profit in these branches is higher compared to hired teachers.
The main expenses are rent of premises and salaries of employees. In addition, the studio pays for applications for participation in dance competitions and holds December reporting concerts of the studio's students.
What were the difficulties
For the success of classes, the charisma and energy of the teacher is very important - this is 80% of the success of any dance studio. I teach teachers myself. First, they are trained in my classes. They help, they watch how I work, then they begin to teach part of the lesson, then the full lesson. Our main rule is to share emotions. You can do everything perfectly, but without emotions, just practicing the lesson - the children will not appreciate it. If you have affection for children, if you have energy and willingness to share it, they will feel it, and their result will be better.
Difficulty in recruiting employees. Young specialists aged 19-22 have excessive requirements, for me this problem is still relevant.
With some we work, with some we don't.
Difficulties with renting premises. Some branches of the studio are open at kindergartens or schools, and changing plans for hours or completely refusing to rent out the premises is a very common story. In order not to lose customers, we are urgently looking for a new place in the same area.
Small return on advertising. It is not known where the submitted advertisement will work and where it will not, what type of advertisement to choose, how it should look, etc. I and the administrator are engaged in advertising of the studio, we do not have an advertising specialist.
Difficulties with clients. There are difficult clients, but it is better to give a nice bonus to an existing client than to save money and lose it. I believe that only a customer-oriented business that understands and solves the problems of the customer well can survive.
It happens that parents cannot pay for their child's education. If I know that the family is delaying payment due to something serious, then I make installments.
It's not the child's fault, and I want dance classes to be available to everyone.
Tips for young entrepreneurs
TOP-3 tips from my practice
- Don't be afraid to hit the bumps, they are useful. Thanks to these cones, you, as an entrepreneur, grow much faster and higher - you learn from mistakes and remember that there are no hopeless situations.
- Always be yourself. Do not think that something is wrong with you or you are a little strange, because now there are so many things that are the same and similar to each other - be special. It is on the dissimilarity and originality that people are drawn. Every day, every minute, look for yourself, think about it. Find mentors, those who inspire you and who you would like to learn from.
- Before starting your own business, work for someone, and it's good if it's a big business. So you will understand how the work is organized from the inside, how managers conduct their business, how customer service works for them, how work with employees is established.
And remember that the main thing in organizing a good and sustainable business is the attitude towards your employees.
Ask us about dancing - answers to questions for moms and dads!
When looking for a dance club, every responsible parent asks a lot of questions - which is understandable, because we are talking about classes for their child. I want my child to get into a really serious school with a good mentor. How to choose what to pay attention to, how to understand where real classes and work for results are behind advertising promises? The Step Forward Modern Dance Studio has been operating in Chelyabinsk since 2008, during which time we have accumulated quite a lot of experience, collected the most frequently asked questions and prepared answers to them, which we present to your attention!
Price question or price question?
We live in a market economy and a competitive environment, so very often the question of the cost of classes comes to the fore or, at least, is one of the most basic.
We understand how relevant this is - and yet, try to never put cheapness in a priority, because then there is a very high risk that money will be thrown to the wind. The most reasonable is to look for an average price category and then choose the best price-quality ratio in this category.
In relation to dance schools, the "price-quality" ratio means the qualifications of the staff, the effectiveness of the classes, their clear organization, the participation of children in competitions and performances, the comfort in the room and, of course, the friendly attitude and competent work of the administrative staff.
It is necessary to understand, on the one hand, that very expensive is not a guarantee that it will be very good. There are examples of dance studio brands that come to various cities with Moscow prices, that is, two or three times higher than average - while, in fact, offering absolutely nothing unique, something that local dance schools do not provide. We don’t see the point in overpaying for this, because you definitely won’t get the best quality of classes.
On the other hand, we strongly discourage chasing the cheapest. You need to understand that if somewhere something is very cheap, it means that they probably saved on something. Private dance schools are far from trading in oil or metal, there are no super profits here, which means that a very low price suggests that in this place less money is spent either on employee salaries or on conditions for classes.
Speaking about the conditions for classes, we mean not only the physical size and equipment of the halls, changing rooms, etc., but also such an important parameter as the number of people in a group - it is much more profitable for any dance school to open one group of thirty people than to maintain two groups of fifteen or three of ten children. At the same time, any literate person will say that it is absolutely impossible to ensure proper quality, to devote time to each child during, say, an hour or an hour and a half lesson, when there are thirty children in a group.
It’s unrealistic and paying even if it’s very cheap, but it’s probably not worth it for your child to stand somewhere in the fifth row on the side and see not the choreographer, but the backs of those who are standing in front of him. In addition, of course, any self-respecting dance school that does not save on clients should have modern comfortable rooms for lessons - good flooring, mirrors, equipment.
Well, let's not even talk about saving on salaries. Decent work should be well paid. This creates motivation for the employee - not the only one, but an important one - to really invest in their work. Enthusiasm has not been canceled, but it is better to love your job and get a good salary for it than to run part-time in ten places, as a huge number of representatives of creative professions do in our time, trying to earn a living.
Therefore, in "Step Forward" there are fundamental principles on which the studio rests: affordable tuition fees, optimal price-quality ratio, a limited number of people in groups, on average, 12-14 people, and full-time professional choreographers, not part-time, for whom "Step Forward" is the main place of work, and the pupils of the studio are like their own children, each of whom they know and love.
We recommend that you do not chase after cheap prices, but also take a sober attitude towards advertising very expensive services. Look for the optimal "price-quality" ratio and try to immediately understand what exactly is included in the price and by what criteria the quality is evaluated. Then you and your child are guaranteed to be satisfied.
How many people should be in a group?
Let's return once again to the question of how many people should be in a group for comfortable and, importantly, effective learning. There are two main opinions on this. The first is that the fewer children, the better. This, however, is not entirely true. The fact is that in dance classes the concept of a team is very important. Children are interested when there are many peers and friends around - and interest, including that which is born due to the presence of friends nearby, is a very significant motivation in classes. Therefore, it is probably not worth sending the child to a place where there will be two or three people in the classroom instead of a full-fledged group, unless, of course, these are specially designated individual lessons.
Better think about why there are so few children - perhaps the teacher is not qualified enough, and the classes are boring and the guys do not stay in this place.
On the other hand, as we already wrote, answering the question about the cost, it is highly undesirable to go where there is an obvious overkill in terms of the number of children. As professionals with extensive experience, we can absolutely say that your child will not get the most out of visiting any studio if he is in a crowded group. Within the framework of, for example, one or one and a half hours, you can fully pay attention to fifteen pupils. But not thirty or fifty, but it happens sometimes. A well-structured lesson always involves different forms of work with children - for example, frontal or group work, when the choreographer shows something or learns the material with everyone, pair or work in mini-groups, when children work out the material or come up with something on their own, as well as individual, when each child completes the task, and the mentor corrects the mistakes.
This is not to mention the various activities - warming up, exercising, learning dance combinations and more. How, tell me, with this variety of forms of work and activities, can a teacher approach each child in an hour and a half, correct him, help him, if there are, for example, forty people in a group? Anyone who imagines the process of studying will say that this is unrealizable.
Therefore, our advice is simple - pay attention to the number of people in the group where you send your child to study. Let this be the average. For example, in "Step Forward", as a rule, it is about 14-15 people. Then the child will be interested and his leader will be able to keep track of everyone.
Conditions for training?
An important factor that many pay attention to is the space and conditions for classes. What is meant in this case? The point is that the dance school should have comfortable and cozy dance halls adapted for classes. We live in a modern world and we no longer need to endure shabby walls and the same floors.
If the hall is clean, beautiful, comfortable - the child will come there with great pleasure, which means that it will be better to study and the result will be higher. Therefore, of course, pay attention to the room where the children are dancing. There should be good flooring, mirrors, it should be regularly ventilated. At the same time, after all, you should not go to extremes and choose a dance school only according to the criterion of having a comfortable room. The main thing is the studio itself, its employees, in any case. You need to think soberly and understand, for example, that for the average monthly cost that the city pays for dance classes now, no one will provide you with golden doorknobs, antique furniture and locker rooms larger than the dance halls themselves. For example, most dance studios in Chelyabinsk are not designed for all parents to expect their children somewhere at the reception - after all, then you need a room twice as large in area and, accordingly, twice as expensive.
Therefore, schools find a compromise between comfort and reasonable price, keep this in mind. The main thing that should be a priority is clean and modern dance classes with the necessary equipment. And things like Wi-Fi for parents or, say, a coffee machine - let them be nice additions.
Who works for you?
Our world now is the world of marketing and advertising. Dance schools are no exception. Each claims that their employees are the best, the most talented, the most professional. How to figure it out and get to a really good choreographer in a decent studio? Let's try to give some advice:
First, don't believe the advertisements. You can write anything and no one in their right mind will say about their employees - and therefore about their services - that they are not "the best." Therefore, we would recommend simply ignoring such assurances, because, by and large, they mean nothing.
Second, learn to pay attention to reviews.
Best of all - on the reviews of people you know. It is also important not to fall into one of two extremes. The first is the reviews that the interested parties themselves write about themselves, it can be quite difficult to distinguish them from the real ones, especially if the studio is really working well. The second extreme is negative feedback from people who initially came with wrong expectations. It is very important here to see if there is a reaction to these reviews from the organization to which they are addressed, and what kind of reaction it is. If there is a worthy, competent and balanced answer, this indicates that such an organization can be relied upon, because they monitor the quality of their work and value the opinions of people.
The best option is word of mouth. If your friends like something, you should try it too - they are the uninterested side, they can be trusted. By the way, a significant proportion of customers come to Step Forward through word of mouth.
Returning to the question of choreographers - in addition to reviews, the most important criterion should be the availability of an appropriate completed full-time professional education. Precisely professional and precisely full-time, because in our country, education is not at all, alas, an indicator of quality and a guarantor of a person's obtaining real qualifications. That is, if you go to a dance school, your mentor there must have, we repeat, a completed full-time higher or secondary special education and qualifications with the words "teacher-choreographer", "choreographer". No other way. There are, yes, good fans. But tell me, for God's sake - will you go to treat your teeth to a doctor who does not have a medical education? For whom dentistry is a hobby? Or can you imagine a pilot who learned to fly a plane by correspondence? It is unlikely that you will fly with this somewhere. Therefore, your children should be given only to professionals.
In addition to education, it is the experience of working with children that is important.
Very often, when applying for a job, when applying for a position, young people talk in their resumes about their own dancing experience. Like, I want to work for you, I myself have been dancing since the age of five, I participated in such and such competitions, won, and so on. Parents, pay attention - you give your child to a mentor, namely a mentor - and it is his pedagogical skills that are decisive. You can dance very well, but not be able to get along with children at all. Therefore, the best indicator of the quality of the work of any choreographer is the results of his children. Bright productions, victories in competitions, stable groups. We at "Step Forward" pay great attention to this. In addition, the studio itself also trains its staff and provides methodological support. Therefore, all our employees have the appropriate completed higher or secondary specialized vocational education, experience working with children, all have passed the competition for employment, interview and selection in several stages.
Therefore, children love us, and the results of our work hang on the walls of the studio in the form of certificates and diplomas.
How often do children perform and what is the result of the lessons?
Why are you sending your child to dance? Why did you suddenly decide to do this? Typically, there are three possible answers. The first - the child himself dances at home in front of the TV and not only, shows the corresponding inclinations. The second - the child expressed a corresponding desire, asked to write it down, or even signed up himself, if we are talking about schoolchildren. And the third - you want to ensure the full development of your child, for example, in physical terms, give him the opportunity to improve his posture, learn to sit on the twine, and so on. There is, of course, a fourth option, when you need to give it somewhere so that you don’t sit at home or throw out energy - no matter what the child amuses, as they say - we’ll consider this one.
Each of these options has a common nuance, which is that you will always give a certain amount of money for classes. Even in the municipal palaces of culture and centers for children's creativity, most of the classes are now one way or another paid, and if they are free, you need to buy costumes, props, and so on. Therefore, let's think about what result the child will receive for this money.
The result of dance lessons should be expressed in various forms and attention should be paid to this. For example, if a child goes to dances, he must learn something there, he must develop somehow, he must show it somewhere and, preferably, receive some kind of reward for it. Otherwise, if children don’t learn anything and don’t show it anywhere, then why go? Isn't it better to dance at home on the carpet in front of the TV for free?
Therefore, in dance studios and groups where they are professionally involved in the development of children, there must always be such things as open classes where children demonstrate what they have learned, reporting concerts - as a way out of classes into practical creative activity, and, of course, performances at festivals and competitions, which gives not only the opportunity to objectively and critically evaluate your successes, but also look at others, recharge your batteries, get to know something new.
In Step Up, all of these things are mandatory. Twice a year, in autumn and spring, we hold open classes for parents - a serious test for children, no less exciting than going on stage. Also, twice a year, the studio organizes large reporting concerts, large events where each child dances on a large stage, being part of a costumed performance, gaining a unique experience. And, of course, several times a year, without fail, our children participate in various competitions and festivals, because without this it is impossible to talk about serious dance classes in general. But that's not all - the parents themselves see the changes in their children. They see how a shy child turns into a more open and sociable one, how children skip to the studio, how the guys suddenly sit on the twine for the first time, stand on the bridge. Many things can be listed, but all this is the result of regular practice in the "Step Forward".
And here it must be said frankly - if all this is not there, why go to dances at all? These things must be present, the children must perform, they must go on stage and do it successfully.
