Every studio has adults that want to dance. They may be former Students, mothers of students, former dancers or just housewives that dont like going to the gym to work out. Over the years we have experimented with a variety of different classes. We have morning classes and evening classes to suit everyone.

There are always a few die harts that want to take ballet. They are mostly comprised of former dancers who still respect the fact that ballet is indeed the base for all types of dance and because they have done it for a large part of their lives and feel the need to continue it not only to continue to master the technique but to express their artistry. Of course, on the whole the adults who take ballet are not able to execute most steps that are of an intermediate or advanced level, so that means that the classes are usually on the basic side. We do have open ballet classes at night and on Saturday mornings where those young and not so young adults who are capable of more, are able to take a more difficult and challenging class.

Tap is also becoming more and more popular. Again you are going to attract people who have done tap before but we have also have had a lot of success with adult beginner tap classes. The key is to get those feet making some cool sounds with music that your adults can identify with. Guys are very often game to try tap and often stick with it when they find that they are able to still look macho! We have found that adults dont like to be treated as beginners and it is to our advantage to camouflage their inadequacies and make them feel, through the choreography, that they are accomplishing a lot. A great song for this type of routine is Hit the Road Jack.

Another class that has worked well for our adults is our Core Barre class. I always use very calming and stress relieving music to get them in the mood. My Core Barre class incorporates stretching, strengthening with the use of different size exercise balls and resistance bands and balancing. It is a great class to streamline the body. Breath control is also used throughout the class to help in controlling the movements, relaxing the muscles and to build stamina. Apart from working really hard, I always inject humor into the session to help keep them motivated and also to make it an enjoyable moment that they will keep coming back to. If you look back in the archives you will find some of my Core Barre Class exercises and there will be more in the upcoming months. For this class you will need yoga mats, resistance bands (medium weight) small, medium and large inflatable balls. The size of the person will determine what size ball would be appropriate for them and basketball size balls. Just working with all these different balls and bands creates a good atmosphere and makes it fun and challenging. Your adults will be thrilled with the results if they are consistent with this class.

Musical Theater class has also been a big hit. A prerequisite is a pair of heeled character shoes, feather boas, chairs, top hats and canes. People always seem to enjoy working with props. Very often it gives them something to do with their arms that would otherwise not look so great! The Broadway show tunes are familiar to most adults and invariably bring back memories that make it all the more fun to dance to them. Who doesnt know Guys and Dolls, West Side Story or that infamous song Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend? Of course, if you have a few guys to do this class you could really do some terrific numbers and again it is something that a guy could feel comfortable with.

Jazz Class will still draw a big crowd especially if the music is fun and funky. You can always build a lot of energy with those across the floor combinations. Something about having a partner to come across the floor with builds camaraderie. Watch out though, adults do tend to get a little bit territorial and they will carve out their space in the studio. Having someone to teach who can inspire and build a good relationship with these adults is the key.

Hip Hop is the cool class to be seen in and for adults does not require a great deal of technique, just a lot of attitude!! Our weekly evening hip hop class is full of older teens, college students and young adults who want to be seen as doing the latest thing. They enjoy the energy of the music and the raw movement that is typical to this type of dance. It has become so popular that we will be adding additional classes to fulfill the need.

Last, but not least, we highly encourage you to add some kind of Latin based class that has a lot of basic movements to highly charged music, which not only gives the adults the feeling that they are really dancing the samba, rumba, salsa and meringue but also gives them a fantastic workout. The adults that take this type of class are really looking to sweat, to move and to feel a part of the excitement generated by the teacher and the music. Ideally the teacher would be a guy and I am not suggesting this to be chauvinistic, it is just a guy/girl thing. Those adults will gladly attend this class three times a week if they feel they are getting some attention from a male teacher. They will even be devastated if you happen to close your studio for a weeks much needed vacation and they are not able to be there like clockwork. If you have large classes, it is almost in your interest to arrange for someone to open the studio for that class during the week that you plan to be closed just to keep everyone happy! Another class that is in the same vein and becoming very popular is Zumba. You need to become licensed to teach it but I understand that the training is not too extensive and obviously if you are a dance teacher to start with it will be fairly effortless.

Try these ideas to build your adult program. As far as payment, our clients that are on the morning dance program sign up in advance for ten week sessions, which is really helpful when it comes to paying the faculty. Adults can be both fickle and fanatical but if you have some of the money up front and they decide not to attend a class on any given day you are not out of pocket when it comes to paying the teacher. The rest of the adults who take classes buy ten class dance cards. Building your adult classes will add revenue to your studio and create a lot of goodwill.