If you live in the northern hemisphere January to March can be dreary months. If you live in the southern hemisphere the reverse is true. At the beginning of our seasons there is always a lot of excitement but when the weather becomes cold and grey it is sometimes difficult to keep that enthusiasm alive. By planning ahead you can come up with some events that will help to keep your students motivated and looking forward to their time at your studio or school.

Master classes are a great way to change the daily routine up. If you live in or near a big city there are a lot of teachers available for you to choose from. Google the top studios in the area where the professionals go to take classes and keep their training up to date. You will find a number of different teachers and usually it is not too hard to contact them. Perhaps choose someone who teaches a completely different style of dance to what you are offering or a teacher who is well known and has a great personality. Of course the more well known the teacher is the more expensive they will be but if you charge your dancers a fee for the class or classes you will be able to offset their cost. If the dancers and their parents are really excited about the event they will generally be willing to pay something for the unique experience.

If you live in a lesser populated area you may consider bringing a teacher in for a few days to not only give classes but also to create choreography for them. Again, once you have figured out the entire cost then you can be creative with ways to cover those costs so you are not out of pocket. There may be times when you may have to front some of the expenses but you can truly put that cost toward your marketing budget for all the goodwill it will bring to your business.

Performances are also a great way to keep the excitement and positive buzz alive. If you are a school that does competitions on a regular basis that will probably keep the excitement level up but if you do one or two competitions a year or perhaps none it will be a great help to your students and your business if you find places for those students to keep performing. One of the ways to get that organized is to make a list of all the potential places where a performance would be welcomed. Some will involve paying a rental fee and other expenses connected to producing a show, others may cost you absolutely nothing but will give you a tremendous amount of exposure.

Some ideas for performances are:

Senior citizen centers

Regular hospitals and Veterans hospitals

Malls

Local schools

Local festivals

Holiday events planned by your town or city

Tie in with local theatre productions

Tie in with local colleges or universities

Any event that involves children

Senior citizens and hospitals are always absolutely delighted to have performances in their facilities and it is a great way to bring joy to those who perhaps need a little cheering up. I like these events because it is also a way for us all to give back to our communities. As a result the students also have that awareness of the impact they are able to bring to their audiences through dance.

Mall appearances can be a good way to not only get the word about your school but also for a lot of people to share in the energy provided by your dancers. Always insist that you have a large enough stage area for your dancers to perform on.

Schools will often bring in a group of dancers to celebrate a particular event or to teach the students about something specific. What better way than to appear at a school to boost your enrollment and also to educate the students and teachers alike about how important the arts are for all students in order to succeed. If you have boys at your school, all the better because this is a great way to break down some barriers and misconceptions. Contact the schools to find out where your dancers could be a fit.

Every city or town or even village has local events throughout the year, contact your local Chamber of Commerce or Town Hall to find out what could possibly work.

Holiday events are also a fun way for your dancers to get out there and perform. You could make your own event or join together with others in your community to celebrate whatever the holiday is. Good ones for this are Christmas and Hanukah, New Year, Valentine's Day and Easter.

Tie in with local colleges and universities by approaching them and offering to provide entertainment at any of their events. They won't offer it to you initially but you don't know what relationships you can establish by talking with them to see where your dancers could fit in with them.

Perhaps your local theatre is doing a holiday concert with vocalists. Why not offer to do an opening, one number and the finale to make their concert more divers and to help them sell tickets?

There are very few children's events that don't welcome the addition of a performance. Check out what is going on in your community and find ways to give your dancers another opportunity to perform.

Your desire to keep the enthusiasm and energy alive and well in your studio will be much appreciated by your students and their parents but it will also give you more visibility in your community which in turn can most definitely produce more revenue for your business.