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In Episode 90, we're sharing ALL the details about our two brand new Camp Confetti themes which are available now to pre-order! You don't want to miss out on the K-Pop trend this summer, and we've got you covered with not one but TWO fun K-Pop camps...one for preschool and one for elementary ages!

You can read all about these fun new camps on our blog!

Don't miss out on our K-Pop Bundle that includes our NEW Marketing Max Pack for FREE ($150 value!). This offer expires on 12/1/25, so get both camps plus a bonus extra 6 social images with canva template for customizing and a short promo reel!

After 12/1, the Marketing Max Pack will be $75 per camp!

Shop it all on our website on the Camp Confetti Tab!

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In Episode 89, we're back with our 5 Fun Things series! After a very busy stretch at Rhythm and Confetti, we’re excited to reconnect and share what we’ve been up to. Here are 5 Fun Fall Festivities we've been up to at Rhythm since our last episode!

1. Year-End Show Reveal
Our annual Reveal continues to be one of the most anticipated events of the entire season. With a large graduating class and a need for lots of character opportunities, we built four days of clues leading up to the announcement. The reveal of The Greatest Rhythm Show: A Sparktacular Circus Spectacle—our circus-inspired spin on The Greatest Showman—generated huge buzz in the studio and online. Immediately afterward, we decorated our Fun Wall with themed banners and balloons, which became a favorite photo spot throughout the fall.

2. Fun at the Fair with Senior Edge Company
To celebrate the new show theme and give our seniors a night out, we headed to the North Georgia State Fair. The dancers arrived in Circus-inspired looks (with grads dressed as their individual show characters), and the bright fairgrounds provided the perfect backdrop for fun and colorful photos we’ll use throughout the season. We created a scavenger hunt, divided them into teams, and sent them off to complete creative tasks—from snapping cotton candy pics to teaching dance moves to strangers. At the end of the night, dancers filled out a form with personalized compliments for each teammate. We compiled the messages into keepsake prints featuring a photo and all the notes from their peers.

3. Year-End Show Retreat
Our annual retreat remains a cornerstone of our season. We rented a peaceful Airbnb south of Atlanta to focus on planning the entire show—concepts, music, edits, costumes, costume orders, emails, dress rehearsal schedules, and more. The setting allowed for fresh air, walks, porch time, and the kind of creative space that makes the workload manageable. It was packed with productivity, but also with fun, food, and a little college football in the background.

4. Halloweek at Rhythm
Halloweek is always a fall favorite. Dancers dress up all week long, and our faculty goes all-in with coordinated costumes for a themed photo and video shoot scheduled during a staff meeting. This year, even with a circus theme in play, K-Pop Demon Hunter–inspired costumes absolutely dominated. Our adult classes also delivered full-out, spooky, highly produced videos with elaborate staging and costumes. Their commitment grows every year and the results are always a highlight!

5. Raise the Roof and Hammer Out Hunger
With construction still underway on our new studios, we leaned into a building theme for our fall community outreach. We launched a food drive benefiting MUST Ministries, and our Rhythm families responded with incredible generosity. A friendly competition between companies added extra excitement, with the winning group earning a pizza party. Next month we’ll shift from food to warm clothing, collecting coats and winter wear for local schools. We always look forward to giving back to our community!

That’s our fall recap. If you’d like us to dive deeper into any of these topics, reach out by DM or email. And be sure to join us next time—we’re heading into Camp Confetti reveal season, and we can’t wait to share what’s coming for summer!

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In Episode 88, we’re diving into 5 Fun Things from our annual Staff Kick-Off—a tradition that helps us reconnect, realign on our mission, and set the tone for a great season. With our big move coming up, we kept this year’s meeting intentionally lighter, knowing a more intensive training is on deck soon.

1) Staff Lunch Away from the Studio
A cozy, cute space that keeps setup and cleanup simple—perfect for keeping the vibe relaxed and focused on connection.

2) Big Build Bash Theme Carryover
We love a theme for clarity and cohesion. With our new studio underway, the construction vibe we used at Open House made decor, slides, and materials easy and on-brand.

3) Fun, Organized Info Delivery + New Staff Resources
We used Canva slides and Rhythm visuals to make “important things” engaging. Faculty leads covered key areas: HR processes (payroll, time-off, sub logs), taking roll/Dancer of the month, assistant best practices, and more.
We paired this with Rhythmpedia—our new branded Enrollio landing page linking everything (policies, forms, calendars, schedules)—and a staff "BAND" in the BAND app for ongoing team communication.

4) Personalized Notebook with Staff Guidelines
Digital is great, but a printed, stickered, Rhythm-branded notebook helps everyone follow along. We added our Top 10 must-knows from our Staff Guidelines for quick reference and asked every team member to send their top 5 takeaways from the handbook.

5) Rhythm-Branded Bag with Fun Items
A last-minute win that felt personal: a cute tote with a Rhythm patch (heat-pressed!), plus fun goodies like a mini brush, hair ties, electronic wipes—and a colorful pouch with cash to purchase role-ready items (dance shoes, a class bag, hair supplies, leggings/dancewear). It’s practical, appreciated, and fun to see what everyone picks!

This was Part 1 of our season kick-off. -- a lighter version but still very necessary to bring everyone together and put us all on the same page at the start of a new season. A larger training will follow as we prep for our big move later this year.

Thanks for listening—we’ll be back soon with a brand-new episode!

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Episode 87 – Dance Teacher Summit Recap

In this episode of Make Dance Fun, Becca and Dani share a recap from Dance Teacher Summit in New York City.

Dance Teacher Summit Highlights:

• New York Energy: Being back in NYC was a highlight in itself—the food, style, and nonstop inspiration brought fresh energy to the experience.
• Connecting with Friends: They reconnected with industry friends, fellow teachers, and alumni. Meeting Melissa McGee and her Ohio State Dance Team in person was a highlight, and their staffs bonded over brunch and shared ideas.
• Garment District Becca and Dani, along with some staff, squeezed in a quick trip to the garment district.
• Creative Staff Outing: A fun trip to an Klein Designs embroidery studio in Brooklyn, run by a Rhythm alum, gave their staff a chance to personalize items and have a fun night out.
• ACE Awards: Rhythm alum Bella Mills presented choreography and they loved attending this event.

Becca and Dani presented two sessions:

1. “Summer Down to a Science” – using the scientific method as a creative framework for structuring fun and successful summer programs.
2. Branding & Social Media – tips, strategies, and reminders for keeping your studio’s presence strong and fresh.

Staff Takeaways

With a large group of their team in attendance, Rhythm was able to “divide and conquer” across multiple classes. The staff shared notes and insights in real time and are already implementing improvements, such as updating trial class processes and refreshing assistant teacher strategies. Their teachers especially loved the hip hop sessions and getting inspo for new class combos!

Becca & Dani’s Personal Favorite Classes

• Dani: A seminar with Lauren Ritchie on guiding kids through their emotional journey in dance.
• Becca: Classes with Shanna Kirkpatrick, especially Discipline Over Distraction, which offered practical time management tools.

Looking Ahead

The Summit energized them to bring new ideas back to Rhythm and continue implementing them with their staff. Next up - travel to Nashville for the Dance Educators Collective, where they’ll present again and serve as council members.

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In Episode 86, we welcome back Melissa McGee from Lineage Dance in Columbus, Ohio. Melissa has had incredible growth since opening her studio just a few years ago, and she’s here to continue our 5 Fun Things series and share what she’s doing at her studio right now that you might want to try, too!

1. Back-to-Dance Merchandise Boxes
Melissa noticed there weren’t many local dancewear shopping options, so she created an easy, branded “dancewear in a box” package. Parents can order or attend try-on nights, and each box includes everything dancers need—shoes, tights, leotards, and more—ready for pickup at the studio’s open house. It’s a huge time-saver for parents and ensures dancers are performance-ready from day one.

2. Choreo Camp with Clues
For their competition hip hop production, Melissa added extra excitement by mailing physical clues to dancers before camp. Each clue hinted at the theme, building anticipation and making the choreo week feel like a big reveal and team-bonding event.

3. Friday Night Lights Parents’ Night Out
Capitalizing on football season, the studio offers themed “Friday Night Lights” events so parents can enjoy the game while younger dancers have fun at the studio. These are offered a few times each fall, sell out quickly, and are a great way to provide a community service while bringing in extra revenue.

4. Studio Orientation Videos with Kids as Hosts
Melissa’s team created short, engaging social media videos featuring an adorable young dancer guiding viewers through the new studio space. This fun, shareable format communicates important information in a way parents and kids love—while also showing off the studio’s personality.

5. Academic Partnership Incentive (In the Works!)
Inspired by programs like Pizza Hut’s “Book It,” Melissa is working with a local business, Storyline, to create a reward system for academic achievements. The idea is to encourage dancers to excel both in the studio and at school, with incentives like dancewear or special perks for reaching reading or grade goals.

We love how Melissa combines smart business ideas, strong branding, and creative twists to make her studio experience stand out. Whether it’s streamlining the parent experience, building anticipation for big events, or finding new ways to connect with the community, these 5 Fun Things are full of inspiration you can adapt for your own studio!

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We’re heading back to New York City for Dance Teacher Summit, and we couldn’t be more excited! In this episode of the Make Dance Fun Podcast, we’re sharing the top 5 things we’re looking forward to as we prepare for this incredible event. Whether you’re attending DTS this year or just dreaming of a trip to NYC, this episode will inspire you with ideas and tips for making the most of your experience.

Here’s what we’re talking about:

1. Attending with our Executive Leadership Team
It’s been so long since we’ve been able to attend DTS together as a full team, and we know it will be energizing and inspiring.

2. Networking and Brainstorming
One of the best parts of DTS is connecting with other like-minded studio owners and educators. We can’t wait to brainstorm ideas and bring renewed energy and inspiration back to our team and students.

3. Confetti on the Dance Floor at DTS
NYC is where we first launched Confetti on the Dance Floor in 2016, so being back at this event is extra special. We’ll be debuting new WOW Cards, offering show specials, and hosting two seminars:

• Summer Down to a Science: Formulas for Fun & Success
• Confetti Worthy Content: Social Media & Branding

4. Hitting the Garment District
We only have one afternoon to explore, but we’ll make it count! We’ll visit our favorite fabric and trim stores, including MOOD, Hai Trim, and Spandex House, with Beth joining us for the first time.

5. Being Inspired by NYC
Broadway shows, unique restaurants, retail spaces, museums—the city itself is a creative reset. We’re excited to soak up all the inspiration NYC has to offer and bring it back home for the upcoming season.

We’re also sharing tips for making the most of Dance Teacher Summit, from how to stay organized, to making time for daily debriefs, to how to take what you’ve learned and put it into action when you return home.

If you’ll be at DTS, we’d love to see you! Stop by our booth, attend one of our seminars, or say hello in the hall. If you’re listening from home, we hope this episode gives you a peek into the magic of DTS and a little NYC inspiration for your next visit.

If you’re enjoying the Make Dance Fun Podcast, we’d love for you to leave a 5-star review! Your feedback means so much to us, and you might even get a shout-out or fun prize in a future episode.

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In Episode 84 of the Make Dance Fun Podcast, we're back with another edition of our “5 Fun Things” series—this time, highlighting some of our favorite resources that we use at our studio on the regular!

Here are 5 fun resources that make our studio lives easier, more creative, and more fun! Check out our blog post for links!

1. Canva Print Services
Yes, everyone uses Canva but have you explored their print services? We've used them for mugs, banners, flyers, and more. The quality is fantastic, the turnaround is quick, and it's so easy to design and order in one spot. Go to “Print Products” in Canva and browse. So much you can create and order!

2. Sticker Mule
We use Sticker Mule for nearly every event at Rhythm: stickers, magnets, car decals, you name it. While we usually upload our own designs, they’ve really improved their internal design tools too, so you can play around with their templates if needed. They’re reliable, fast, and the product always turns out great.

3. QR Code Monkey
We’re making QR codes constantly, and this is our favorite site. It's free, super easy, and gives you tons of fun options to customize the look—colors, logos, styles, and more. It’s a simple way to align your QR codes with your branding or campaign and help you stay organized by dropping your logo into the center.

4. Studio Shuffle
We discovered this amazing resource at Studio Owner University and were instantly sold. It has completely changed the way we build our class schedules. It offers drag-and-drop, visual layout, conflict alerts, color coding and more! We use it for full-year schedules, summer camps, and rehearsal planning. Bonus: it actually makes the whole process kind of fun?!

5. Custom Patch Experience
We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating. We created our own designs in Canva and uploaded them to Ninja Patches. The quality is awesome, the turnaround is quick, and the options are versatile (iron-on, glue, or attach to merch). We’ve used patches for dress rehearsals, shows, open houses, team wear, even teacher gifts. We purchased our patch press machine from amazon and it even came in a fun pink color! Pro tip: use it on a sturdy table!

These are just a few of the ways we’re staying inspired and prepared for the season ahead. If you’re using a resource you love, let us know—we’re always on the hunt for fun and functional new finds!

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Welcome to Episode 83 of the Make Dance Fun Podcast! It’s the middle of summer, and while we’re all squeezing in a little time off between camps and competitions, it’s also a great window to knock out a few things around the studio—and actually make them fun!

We’re continuing our Five Fun Things series with this week’s topic: 5 Fun Things to Freshen Up Your Studio before the new season begins. These updates don’t have to be major or expensive, even small changes can bring fresh energy and boost excitement for both your staff and your dancers.

Here are the5 Fun Things we talk about in this episode:

1. Refresh Your Branding
Summer is the perfect time to update your branding. Think logos, retractable banners, step and repeats, A-frame signs, neon signs, and business cards. Whether it's a full refresh or just a few new pieces, make sure your look is current and consistent across your studio, website, and social media. It’s a great way to reintroduce your brand with a fresh perspective.

2. Upgrade a Space (and Make It Fun)
Pick one area to give a little glow-up—your lobby, front desk, staff room, or even a customer space. A new coat of paint, some wallpaper, fresh desk accessories, or a fun vase with flowers can completely change the vibe. It doesn’t have to be expensive—just intentional and inviting.

3. Create a Kickoff Theme
Planning a theme for your season kickoff can set the tone in the best way. Carry it through your open house, team kickoff, first week of classes, and even into your decor and playlists. Some theme ideas we love:

• Go for Goals (Olympic theme)
• Team Rhythm
• Retro Rhythm Beach Bash
• Electric Garden Party
• Planet Rhythm Launch Party
• Rhythm Berry Bananza

Themes make everything easier to brand—from dress-up days to welcome gifts and social content.

4. Build a Selfie or TikTok Wall
Encourage engagement by creating a fun, on-brand photo or video wall. It could be a painted mural, a paper roll backdrop, felt cutouts, or anything creative. Add a sign or sticker incentive to get dancers posting and tagging your studio.

5. Drop Some Fresh Merch
Nothing says "new season" like new swag. Update your logo wear with things dancers and parents actually want...t-shirts, patch hats or bags, water bottles, ribbon elastics, scrunchies, pencils, car magnets, even jibbitz. These items help build excitement and create walking advertisements for your brand.

BONUS TIP
Now’s a great time to restock any resources you use throughout the season—like WOW Cards, 567cre8 Cards, Twirl, and Twist materials. A little prep now saves a lot of time later.

So… what are we working on right now?
We’re updating our website and refreshing our logo, and while we’re still nailing down the exact theme for our open house, we’re definitely in full-on planning mode—especially with our new studio on the horizon. Some of these projects will roll out this season, and others will debut with the big move, but it’s exciting to be laying the groundwork now.

Even one small update can boo

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Welcome to episode 82 of the Make Dance Fun Podcast! Today, we’re kicking off a brand-new series called Five Fun Things—a collection of episodes where we’ll share creative ways to bring more FUN into different parts of your dance season. Because, after all, our mission is to help you Make Dance Fun!

In this episode, we’re focusing on five fun things you can do during company intensives, summer camps, choreography weeks, or anytime your company dancers are spending extra time together. These ideas are geared specifically toward team bonding, motivation, and building studio culture—and they’ve all been tested and loved at our own studio.

Here are the 5 Fun Things we’re diving into:

1. Outside-the-Studio Adventures
From pool parties and popsicles to mini golf and roller skating, getting dancers out of the studio helps them connect in a totally different way. These casual hangouts create space for conversations and camaraderie. Add in a fun challenge like a scavenger hunt or team craft to encourage interaction with someone new.

2. Motivational Prizes
A little surprise can go a long way. Stock up on fun finds from the Target dollar aisle or similar spots, and hand them out as rewards for hard work, leadership, or positive attitudes. We’ve done custom prizes like the Happy Rhythm Hippo or Sharp Rhythm Shark, often paired with a snack and a fun graphic. These are great for staff to hand out—or even let dancers nominate each other!

3. Headshots & Posters
We love taking individual headshots of our company dancers and creating colorful, branded posters for display at events. It adds a level of professionalism and pride. Group shots are great too if time allows. We include this in our company fees and use the photos throughout the season.

4. Get-to-Know-You Games
A great icebreaker activity to build connections. You can DIY fun superlatives or prompts like “Most likely to win a tap battle” or “Always has snacks.” These spark laughter and help dancers get off their phones and into real conversations. We’re actually working on releasing this activity as a digital download soon!

5. Team Goal Setting & Vision Boards
Whether you're guiding individual dancers or small groups, vision boards are a meaningful way to set goals together. Give them a worksheet, or let them cut and paste from magazines, printouts, or Pinterest. We’ve done this at the studio and even off-site at art studios. The goal is for them to collaborate on something visual that can hang in the studio and remind them of their shared purpose. Group photos add a nice personal touch.

Our Favorite Team Bonding Memory?
A Barbie-themed night at Avalon—complete with dinner, a scavenger hunt, games, crafts, friendship bracelets, and a photo shoot. It was pink, fun, and unforgettable!

We hope today’s episode inspires you to incorporate a few of these ideas into your own intensives, rehearsals, or company gatherings. Not only do they build stronger teams—they also make for great content. Capture the moments and share them through a reel, TikTok, vlog, or photo carousel. These are the things that highlight your studio’s personality and set you apart.

Thanks so much for listening. We’ll be back next week with another fun and creative episode of the Make Dance Fun Podcast!

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Welcome back to Make Dance Fun! In episode 81, we’re diving into something BIG: our brand-new dance studio space!

Now that nationals are behind us, we’re shifting focus to prepping for the upcoming season—and at the top of our list is building out our brand-new studio!

This week, we’re sharing more about the journey that’s been 32 years in the making. We’re reflecting on where we started (hello, one-studio-one-bathroom days!) and how we’ve intentionally grown—saving, scaling, and setting goals every step of the way.

Here’s a peek at what we cover in this episode:

The New Studio Journey

• Initial plans began in 2020—just as we were navigating COVID
• Explored staying in our current space vs. finding something new
• 2023–24: started working with a broker and project manager to explore every option: renovating, buying, building, even shopping centers!
• May 2024: shifted to looking at lease options
• June 2024: toured what would become the space
• Hired an architect (after interviewing several!) and finalized the design vision
• Signed the lease in February 2025 and started the permitting and demo process
• Spoiler: lots of fun planning… and lots of not-so-fun budgeting

Our Must-Haves (aka solutions to our current pain points!)

• Parking! (finally)
• Storage, including a loading dock and lift
• Better layout for functionality—hello outlets and delivery zones!
• 9 total dance studios (including 4 big ones!)
• Better bathrooms, family-friendly options, and dedicated changing rooms (that won’t double as closets!)
• Dedicated costume/craft space + staff lounge + conference room
• Senior Edge hangout space upstairs

The FUN Stuff We’re Dreaming Up

• Eye-catching entrance and front desk (still designing this!)
• Merch area + podcast room + RHYTHM wall
• Gorgeous staircase that leads to an upstairs overlook
• A colorful, sparkly, personality-packed space that feels like us

This is truly going to be the most RHYTHM-y space we’ve ever created, and we cannot wait to bring it to life! There’s still a long road ahead, but we’ll keep you posted along the way—with lots more behind-the-scenes updates to come in future episodes.

Thanks for tuning in—and if you're dreaming of a new space for your studio someday, we hope our journey inspires you!

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In Episode 80, we’re diving into what happens once the show begins—from loading the truck to the final confetti blast!! If you caught Episode 79, you already heard all the behind-the-scenes prep that goes into our show season. If not, make sure to listen to that one as well!

In this episode, we're covering:

• The week of the show:
  • Friday truck load-out
  • Tuesday–Wednesday: lobby decor, tech, rehearsals, props, balloons & more
  • Thursday–Sunday: 8 shows, organized call times, calm backstage vibes
  • Sunday night: smooth load-out and a well-deserved Monday break
• Top 10 Things That Make Our Shows Special
• Full Team Commitment – Our love for the show runs deep, and it’s contagious!
• Smiling Greeters – From parking lot to program hand-off, happy faces are everywhere.
• Lobby Decor Magic – Oz-themed displays, vintage finds, and thoughtful details set the tone.
• On-Stage Welcome – We open every show personally to recognize staff, seniors, and YOU.
• Opening Number + Welcome Video – It sets the tone and flows right into our tiny dancers.
• Preschool & Elementary Productions – They get the royal treatment, with full props and character interaction.
• On-Theme Everything – From dressing rooms to signage to stanchions, every detail reflects the show’s theme.
• Backstage Dream Team – Assigned teams for props, dressing rooms, character changes, and crowd control.
• Pro Photo + Video – Capturing content live so we can share real-time show magic online.
• Clear Ending + Confetti – A joyful, energetic finale every single time.

Plus, we share a few more wins, some behind-the-scenes logistics, and how intentional planning keeps things running smoothly—even when last-minute challenges pop up.

We truly believe our Year-End Show is our best marketing of the year. And if you're a studio owner who wants help with recital planning, check out our in-depth course—we break it all down step-by-step.

Thanks for tuning in, and we hope this inspires you to make your next show even more FUN!

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In episode 79, we're taking you behind the scenes of our 7-month journey from our October Year-End Show Retreat all the way through dress rehearsal week! We’re sharing how we plan, what gets done when, and how our team brings it all together to create a magical show experience.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of our show planning timeline:

November:

• Met with full staff to recap retreat plans
• Saw Wicked (three times!) for creative inspiration
• Sent show day/time and costume info to families
• Master spreadsheet begins!

December:

• Ordered costumes
• Continued editing music for every class

January:

• Delivered music to staff
• Launched costume lookbooks and theme reveals
• Started choreography and prop planning
• Costumes began arriving and were sorted into garment bags

February:

• Finalized music (voiceovers, sound effects, etc.)
• Continued choreography and prop building
• Began building our personalized show app
• Started early logistics planning with DRT (ticketing partner)

March:

• Choreography goal: complete by month’s end
• Uploaded practice videos for dancers
• Preschool show leaders began working directly with classes
• Started planning backstage team

April:

• Routines finalized and shared with characters
• Set pieces in full creation mode
• Began building show program
• Ordered merch + goody bag items
• Released full show info packet to families

May:

• PURE MADNESS (and lots of magic!)
• Final staff meeting before the big week
• Tickets and merch sales go smoothly
• Hosted our character photo shoot
• Dress rehearsal week! Rehearse, group photo, photo ops, and more
• Finished and printed the program – a fan favorite!
• Created fun new photo ops and custom merch experiences
• Filmed our Welcome Video – 15 years strong!
• Set the finale and wrapped up with final rehearsals
• Packed up every last thing needed for the theater

Final Curveball:
Just days before the show, we were hit with a last-minute venue construction notice! We had to pivot quickly, reconfigure logistics, and communicate new plans—all during a major storm! But with quick thinking and teamwork, everything came together.

Challenges:

• Delays due to waiting on music tied to the Wicked movie
• Balancing a busy comp/convention season with show planning
• Last-minute venue access change

Wins:

• Incredible production value and theme
• More creative and fun merch options
• Our custom app made info easy to access
• Our rockstar team made it all happen!

Every season is a new adventure—and we’re always learning and improving. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we’ll dive into everything that happens at the theater—from load-in to load-out!

Thanks for listening! Have a tip or trick that works for your studio? We’d love to hear it.

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We’re back with Episode 78! And we’re recapping six big things that have happened over the past six months at Rhythm and Confetti on the Dance Floor — and giving you a sneak peek at what’s coming this summer. From new Camp Confettis to our biggest announcement ever (we’re moving!), this episode is packed with all the fun, chaos, and sparkle you expect from us. Here's what we cover:

1. New Camp Confetti Themes
We launched Pink Bubbles & Emerald Energy (Wicked-inspired) and Bark in the Park: A Big Blue Adventure (Bluey-inspired), and we’re loving all the pics and videos coming in. These two new themes have been a huge hit with studio owners and dancers alike.

2. Studio Owner University with MTJGD
We attended Studio Owner University in beautiful Amelia Island with our team—Krista, Kelsey, and Shelley—and left full of inspiration, ideas, and to-do lists. SOU is always a reset, and having our team there this year gave us fresh perspectives on everything from tuition to communication. Plus, our Confetti booth had one of its best events yet.

3. Summer at Rhythm is in Full Swing
Even though summer registration launched in February, we officially kicked off summer camps just a few days ago. After a quick regroup post-show, our team is dialed in and ready—improving everything from communications and staffing to crafts and content creation. The energy in the studio is high, and we’re loving it.

4. We’re Moving and Expanding
After 32 years (and 25 in our current building), we’re making a massive move to a brand new, 9-studio, 25,000 sq. ft. space later this fall. It’s a huge milestone and we’re still in permitting, but we’re so excited to share this journey with you. Expect full episodes soon about this transition—we’ve got big plans to make this the most Rhythm space ever.

5. Survived Competition & Convention Season
January through April was wild. From intense schedules to dazzling custom costumes (shoutout to Beth for sewing every piece!), we made it through the busiest season ever. Our production number continues to be a huge creative outlet—we may not choreograph it anymore, but we’re still deeply involved in all things music, costuming, and storytelling.

6. RHYTHMerald City OZtravaganza is in the Books
We just wrapped our epic Year-End Show and we’re still buzzing. From the vibrant theme to the over-the-top production, this show might be one of our all-time favorites. There’s so much to share, we’re planning a deep dive soon. If you have questions, send them our way.

Plus: Our Summer Confetti Schedule

• Dance Teacher Summit – August 8–11, New York City
• Energize Conference – August 14–17
• Dance Educators Collective – August 28–31, Nashville

Thanks for catching up with us—we’re excited to be back and have so much more in store.

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In episode 77, we're talking about our annual year-end show retreat, sharing our top takeaways, organization hacks, and some creative touches we add to make our year-end show is a fun and unique experience!

Annual Year-End Show Retreat Highlights

• Pre-Retreat Prep
  • Review last season’s recap to set clear goals.
  • Streamline props and sets; reduce and repurpose where possible.
  • Pre-plan with team: collaborative playlists, light decor, idea sharing via Google Docs.
  • Brainstorm preschool production ideas in advance with voice recordings.
• Setting the Creative Scene
  • Retreat held in a decor-rich setting inspired by Oz and Wicked themes.
  • Green decor, custom banners, themed books, and collectibles for an immersive environment.
  • Key team member Beth joined for early insight into props, sets, and coordination for smoother season planning.
• Retreat Agenda
  • Arrange costumes on poster boards for visual organization.
  • Finalize show concepts, music, costume sizing, and themes.
  • Develop massive planning spreadsheets, finalize dress rehearsal schedules, and outline communication materials for families.
  • Compile visual boards for costume inspiration and show themes.
• Costume Planning
  • Quicker costume selection process.
  • Frustrations with character costumes addressed.
  • Organized costumes with garment bags and tags.
  • Finished the lookbook ahead of schedule.
• Fun Elements
  • Listening to themed playlists.
  • Candy bar, themed drinks, bell for costume choices.
  • Oz-inspired “explosion” cake and charcuterie board.
• Top 3 Wins
  • Dani: Detailed notes, organized props and sets, early hand-held prop orders.
  • Becca: Completed lookbook early, streamlined decor, more organized with Beth’s support for team questions.

Pro Tip:
Consider planning a day or afternoon retreat if a full weekend isn’t possible.

Did You Know? We offer a recital planning course! Your Fun Big Show is a Complete Recital Planning Course with an extra fun Confetti factor! We’ll provide you with a proven formula and lots of tools to plan the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, CONFETTI-ational Fun Big Show ever!

This Course allows you to listen and learn at your own pace to nearly 3 hours of recorded presentations from us, as well as all the notes, guides, resources and more! Purchase it today and your download will be emailed to you immediately!

Related Episodes on Recital and Show Planning

• Planning YOUR Fun Big Show (+ Our Fave Recital Moments)!
• Fall Recital-A-Rama
• Make Recital Planning Fun

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In Episode 76, we're talking all things HALLOWEEK and sharing fun things we do at our studio to make dance extra fun!

Some of the things we talk about are:

• Encourage dancers to dress as a character from our show theme and give out a special sticker if they do
• Staff Pumpkin Pizzazz party
• Staff photo - everyone chooses a character from our theme to dress as and we have an annual group and individual photo to use in program and on birthday posts.
• Halloween decor in our Year-End Show theme
• Class fun - our teachers all have their favorite games they do, from obstacle courses to choreo contests and a fun game called get it got it good
• Halloweek on the Dance Floor - our free Halloween Hip Hop Combo for you to teach to your classes. This is our 9th year! Check out this year's video and link to all our past ones too! You can read all about it in our blog post too, and see link to our past 8 years of fun Halloween videos also!

How to use the combo:

• Have dancers learn ahead of time - make it a competition
• Having an event? Teach to all and record it as a music video in diff areas of studio or outside!
• Learn it and teach it to your classes! Record and make some reels to post during Halloweek!
• Have your dancers get their phones during class and learn it! Give them some time and then have them record and put on your social
• Even have your staff learn it and do it all together. Kids will love that!

Don't overthink Halloweek! Just add something simple and new...use a halloween playlist in every class, share halloween coloring sheets with all your preschool classes, or create a pumpkin patch obstacle course with your elementary age dancers. Make it festive in any way you can and your dancers and families will love it.

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In Episode 75 of Make Dance Fun, we continue our Confetti Conversation with the amazing Melissa McGhee, Head Coach of The Ohio State Dance Team who also owns her own studio, Lineage Dance in Columbus, Ohio!

Make sure you listen to Part 1 if you haven't listened yet! In Part 2, Melissa talks all things team mentality, leadership, how she scouts, recruits, what she looks for in her team members and so much more. This is a great episode for everyone in the dance world to listen to, including dancers!

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In episode 74 of Make Dance Fun, we are SO excited to have a Confetti Conversation with Melissa McGhee, studio owner and Head Coach of The Ohio State Dance Team!

If you do not already know Melissa, you are in for a treat to learn about her background, how she became head coach of the nation's top dance team, and all about her own studio which is now in its third season! You'll also get to here the fun story of how we came to know Melissa!

We had so much to talk about with her that we had to break up the episode into two parts! So stay tuned for Part 2 of this episode next week!

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In this podcast episode, we introduce our new TWIST program, sharing why we created it and how it fits into our dance studio, along with the many class options we offer for our K-2 dancers.

We start by giving an update on our "State of Confetti" meeting, an annual planning session for our 9th Confetti season. During this meeting, we planned two Camp Confetti events, chose our marketing theme for the year (which you'll have to wait to see!), organized a photo shoot and trade shows, and reviewed what worked well last year and where we can improve. We also discussed customer engagement ideas like Halloweek on the Dance Floor and top customer gifts. Becca and Dani each shared their favorite part of the planning retreat and set goals for Confetti.

Now, on to the TWIST program. We created this program to offer more class variety for our Kindergarten dancers. Some of the classes we offer include:

1. TWIST – a tap class featured in our show
2. Fairytale Ballet
3. Hip Hop and Pop
4. TWIST Petite Pizzazz – an invite-only class with tap and jazz
5. K-2 Ballet/Tap
6. K-2 Jazz/Hip Hop
7. Acro
8. Musical Theater Dance
9. Marquee Magic
10. Pre Petite Spotlight (K-1)
11. Petite SL (1st-2nd grade)

We know this age group has a wide range of skill levels, so we wanted to provide plenty of options to meet their needs.

TWIST was created to replace our previous Twirl Agua program for Kindergarten. After noticing that Agua had lower enrollment compared to our other Twirl levels, we realized these dancers were ready for something more challenging and different. That’s when we developed TWIST, specifically designed for Kindergarten but also perfect for K-2 dancers.

TWIST works similarly to our Twirl program. We provide a teacher guide with detailed lesson plans, but you can customize it to fit your classes and studio. The program focuses on Jazz and Tap, incorporating a themed obstacle course into each lesson. We use fun tools like confetti cones, hula hoops, a balance beam, and “tracks” for spot markers to keep the kids engaged. There are also Twist Tumblers (dice games) and hopscotch patterns to add even more excitement.

When you purchase TWIST, you get:

• A Teacher Guide with 10 themed lesson plans (5 for jazz, 5 for tap)
• Colorful graphics and templates for activities like Twist Tumbler dice, Twist Tracks spot markers, a Twist Certificate, and more
• A Twist Bag Tag for dancers’ bags
• 10 Activity/Coloring Sheets reinforcing jazz and tap terminology
• Two Twist Trackers (one for jazz, one for tap) to help dancers track their progress
• A source list for optional products to enhance the program
• A Spotify Playlist with music suggestions for each theme
• Decor Suggestions for each theme

If you're already using our Twirl Preschool Program, you'll be happy to know that the themes for TWIST align perfectly with Twirl, making it easier to decorate your studio for both programs. TWIST is easy to implement, but we recommend purchasing it at least five days before starting so you have time to review the materials and gather any supplies.

Add a colorful twist to your K-2 tap and jazz classes by ordering your download today!

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Episode 72: From Year-End to Start Over Again: A Big Recap!

• Welcome Back!

• After a long break, we’re excited to return with Episode 72! Our last podcast was about planning your summer, and now we're sharing what came next—a lot has happened in the past six months!

• CAMP CONFETTI Success

• Launched our most successful camp ever, “In My Sparkle Era.”
• Other popular camps included "Pink Pajama Party" and "Dancing in My Dreams."
• “Perfectly Pink Destination Dream Vacation” was also a big hit.

• We loved seeing how great everything looked, and we're so proud of how everyone nailed it!

• Rhythm Nation Barbie Dream Vacation

• Produced the opening number for our show with 75 dancers.
• This production set the tone for our year-end shows and was a collaboration of our company faculty and guest choreographers.

• Came together in about 10 days before hitting the stage.

• Company Auditions

• Over 300 dancers auditioned, and we successfully cast 11 companies.
• We used our tried-and-true formula, which we shared in Episode 42.

• Auditions were held in April, allowing us to organize schedules for the season.

• Company Party

• Hosted two giant Barbie-themed parties, highlighting our graduating seniors and recognizing every dancer with awards.

• The event was filled with all things PINK.

• Year-End Shows

• Faced a few more technical difficulties than usual, particularly with media on the LED wall, but everything worked out in the end.
• We elevated the lobby experience with custom setups, including a “Hotel Rhythm” registration desk, balloons, and banners.

• We went full out with props and sets but plan to scale back this year to cut costs.

• Summer Camps at Rhythm

• This summer was our biggest ever, with 2-3 camps running each week.

• Camp Rhythm, our full-day musical theater camp, was so successful that we’re considering adding a third session next season.

• The Dance Awards

• Enjoyed seeing our students perform their best routines of the season.

• Recorded a special two-part podcast episode with an amazing guest—stay tuned!

• Welcome Back Party & Staff Kickoff

• Themed around the Olympics with "TEAM RHYTHM - Let The Games Begin!"
• Activities included a pennant craft, obstacle course, and a step and repeat.

• We kicked off the season with new staff members, custom shirts, and notebooks during a catered dinner at the studio.

• Energize and Other Conventions

• Attended Rhee Gold’s Dance Life and Dance Teacher Web with Shelley and Beth.
• Introduced new WOW Cards and a subscription service—more info coming soon!

• Gained inspiration at Revolution’s “ENERGIZE” conference in Chicago, where we previewed new costumes and attended seminars.

• Season 32 Begins!

• Last Monday marked the start of Rhythm’s 32nd season.

• We have several exciting podcasts planned for the fall—stay tuned for more consistent episodes!

• Closing

• Thank you for listening! We hope you’re having a great start to your season. Have a fantastic week—bye!

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Welcome to Episode 71 of Make Dance Fun! Today, we're diving into summer planning.

• Summer Launch
  • Introduce theme with decorative elements
  • Fun game and prizes for engagement.
• Next Steps:
  • Use a Google Form to gauge teacher interest and skills, allowing for new opportunities and assistant training.
  • Maintain weekly promotion of camps via email schedules, posters with QR codes, and coordinated social media posts.
  • Employ Facebook ads for lesser-registered camps and include in newsletters.
  • Schedule Summer planning meetings to organize camp details and tasks.
• Summer Planning Meeting:
  • Set up working sessions to organize crafts, schedules, playlists, etc.
  • Communicate details with staff involved in specific camps.
• Promotional Content:
  • Capture fun photos with studio dancers for camp promotion.
  • Keep announcing Summer Company Dates and other requirements clearly.
• Camp Confetti Planning:
  • Plan a detailed session in May with Camp Confetti teaching team to outline activities and schedules.
• Preparation Importance:
  • Early planning ensures filled camps, staff readiness, and smooth operations.
• Reminder:
  • Camp Confetti new themes are still on special; grab yours now!
• Conclusion:
  • Thanks for tuning in! If you're at SOU, come say hi!

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In this episode, we are sharing details on our amazing "team behind the scenes" and their roles! We share a short description of our ELT (Executive Leadership Team) and how each person's role contributes to Rhythm. These employees are key in our success and keeping the studio running smoothly!

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In Episode 69, we're covering our busy holiday season and our focus for launching summer at our studio in early 2024!

Things to Focus on for Summer Preparations:

1. Summer Camp Planning Meetings:
   • Scheduling camps and determining closed weeks.
   • Identifying camp types and durations.
   • Emailing staff for summer availability.
   • Initial discussions on communication and marketing strategies.
2. Determine What Camps and Themes You will Offer:
   • Here's what we are doing!
     • Pink Pajama Party: Dancing in My Dreams (Preschoolers - Barbie themed).
     • Perfectly Pink Destination Dream Vacation (Elementary - Barbie themed).
     • In My Sparkle Era (Taylor Swift themed).
   • Return of other our other popular camps like Fierce Fashionistas & Very Vogue Villains, Brightfeather Academy Magic, Twirltopia Princess Academy, DJ Dino's Hip Hop Stomp, WOWza LUAUza, The Enchanted Confetti Casita, Pom Pom Unicorn's Magical Carnival on a Cloud, The Fancy Freeze: A Frozen Adventure
   • Emphasizing the versatility of Camp Confetti for various camp durations and event types. You can use it for a 3-day, 5-day or single day play party! Our themes are so versatile and flexible!
3. Save the Date - Announce Dates Early:
   • We stress the importance of releasing dates early for summer camps.
   • Try sending out a preliminary "save the date" flyer before the holiday break.
   • Preparing for a Summer Launch week in February, involving the entire studio and offering discounts on camp registrations. We make it fun, very themed and involve our Year-End Show characters!

Check out all 35 of our Camp Confetti Themes to get your summer planning organized and ready to go f

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Episode 68 of the Make Dance Fun podcast is a special Q&A episode inspired by your DMs and emails!

• Studio Wall Creativity: We delve into our studio's vibrant walls, offering insights on creating a fun wall space. From seamless photo backdrop paper to teachers' bulletin board paper and fabric, we share different bases and tips to make your studio walls pop.
• Summer Dance Camps Sneak Peek: Get the inside scoop on our Summer Dance Camps planning! Discover the significance of early announcements and registrations, our tradition of Summer Launch week in February, and this year’s theme: Barbie! Plus, a teaser about the exciting new Camp Confettis.
• Guiding Young Dancers to Practice: Encouraging home practice for our 6-8-year-old company dancers is a journey! We discuss starting the conversation early, gentle reminders during classes, and using Dropbox for routine videos, involving parents in the practice process.
• Crafting Engaging Social Media: Navigating social media content for our studio can be a whirlwind! We share insights into our strategy, from thematic planning to adapting content based on studio events. Dive into our use of Reels, TikToks, and the playful #rhythmphotodump technique for an authentic online presence.
• Resources and Future Insights: We highlight the need for dedication in social media management and share favorite podcasts and resources for inspiration.

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In episode 67, we're pulling back the curtain to reveal the magic that went into our recent photoshoot extravaganza! We cover what we did, how we did it, how it all went, and what's coming up next.

What We Did:

• A comprehensive overview of the various scenes and setups we created.
• Highlighting key moments and campaigns, including a Taylor Swift-themed backdrop.
• Shelley's dedication to crafting the Swift-inspired social media campaign.

How We Did It:

• The incredible effort that went into making it all happen in a short timeframe.
• Coordinating with 20 different models, scheduling, styling, and more.
• The hard work and reward of bringing it all together and capturing great photos.

How It Went:

• An overview of the successful execution and outcome of the photoshoot.

What's Coming Up:

• Teasers for upcoming content, including the Camp Confetti promo and In My Confetti Era.
• Planning for the rest of the season with the shots we've gathered.

Discussion Questions:

• Exciting aspects of the shoot and favorite moments.
• Challenges faced during the shoot.
• Anticipation for the upcoming season and what to look forward to.

Join us as we delve into the highs and hurdles of our photoshoot journey, offering a glimpse of what's on this season's creative horizon for us at Confetti on the Dance Floor!

For more fun tips, check out these other episodes where we covered photo shoot details:

• Episode 11: Photo Shoot Fun!
• Episode 46: Fast + Fun Photo Shoots

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In Episode 66, we're sharing details about our Recital Planning Retreat you can use when you host your own! We dive into the highlights of our recent retreat and share 5 fun and 5 practical tips that made our retreat a huge success.

5 Fun Things:

1. Decor: Create a colorful theme with napkins, plates, cups, and more incorporating elements related to your show theme.
2. Cocktails & Candy: Design themed cocktails like Barbie mimosas and create a candy board for a sweet treat.
3. Pinterest Vision Board: Bring your vision board to life by printing it out and using it as decor. It's a great visual tool for inspiration.
4. Goody Bag: Prepare goody bags with theme-specific items for your team, creating a fun photo opportunity.
5. Call Bell: Use a call bell to celebrate each costume selection, adding excitement and motivation.

5 Practical Things:

1. Spotify Playlist: Share a collaborative playlist for music selection, streamlining the process.
2. Assign Tasks: Clearly define each team member's responsibilities and priorities.
3. Costume Boards: Create visual boards with stickers for costume details.
4. End of Weekend Recap: Review what was accomplished and assign concept directors.
5. Post-Retreat Meeting: Get together with the staff soon after the retreat to share details and set expectations.

If you want a deeper dive into our show planning process, check out our recital planning course Your Fun Big Show available for immediate download. Don't forget to visit the Rhythm Instagram for behind-the-scenes glimpses of our Rhythm Nation Barbie Dream Vacation planning.

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In episode 65, we continue our discussion of creating costumes, but this episode focuses more on costumes for rec classes and lower cost options for customizing your costumes!

• Custom isn't always feasible: Not every dance piece calls for a custom costume due to budget constraints. We begin by discussing the choreographer's vision and create Pinterest boards to capture the desired look and vibe.
• Mix & Match Magic: For Hip Hop and Tap, we often mix and match streetwear elements, selecting a color scheme and purchasing items to style creatively. Amazon, Urban Outfitters, ASOS, and more are our go-to resources.
• Crafty Touch: We love crafting sashes, corsages, capes, and other accessories to add a unique touch to basic costumes.

Year-End Show (Rec Class) Costumes:

• Catalog Curation: Limiting the number of costume catalogs used streamlines the process and facilitates exchanges and coordination.
• Customization: We select pre-made costumes for most themes, but sometimes we can't find the perfect fit. In these cases, we get creative. For instance, for an "Alice in Wonderland" theme, we paired a blue dress from the catalog with custom white aprons, resulting in adorable Alices.
• Theme-Specific Customization: "Are You Madder than a Hatter?" inspired Mad Hatter costumes with sequin dresses, top hats, and show logo patches. We utilize custom printed patches from THE STUDIO for a personalized touch.
• Creative Innovation: We apply custom touches to around 5-6 costumes each year, adding unique flair to fit our themes.

Recital Hip Hop Costumes:

• Customization for Teens: Many off-the-shelf teen hip hop costumes don't match our themes, so we order separates like pants from Weissman's and add a custom hoodie or t-shirt featuring theme-specific graphics.
• Personal Style: We provide accessories like bandanas, hats, and bracelets for teens to add their personal style to their costumes, ensuring a unique look.
• Thinking Outside the Costume Box: Consider combining costume pieces with blazers, vests, and more to create a tailored look that fits your theme.

Final Thoughts:

Dive deeper into costume design and think creatively to make your costumes perfectly complement your choreography and themes. While finding the ideal costume may not always be as easy as flipping through a catalog, the extra effort can make all the difference in the final performance.

Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the creative costume journey!

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In this episode (Part 1 of 2), we are sharing our process for creating custom costuming for our Performing Company at Rhythm Dance Center! It is one of our favorite things...from finding inspiration and creating Pinterest boards to sketching the design and searching for the perfect fabric, we cover how we make it happen! We also share some of our favorite places to shop for fabric in Atlanta and in NYC (our fave!) Check it out!

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In this episode, we share a behind the scenes look at Rhythm Dance Center's Year-End Show reveal week! And, we share an overview of our Recital Planning Course - "Your Fun Big Show"...so, you can get an outline of when we do what during the season as far as our show planning goes! And, of course all the fun of announcing OUR Fun Big Show...which is always one of our favorite weeks of the season!

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After a very long hiatus, we are back!! We are so excited to be here! In this episode, there are three parts! In part one, we share where we were and a little bit of the crazy. In part two, we share where we are now and what has been happening during the summer! And, in part three, we share some goals and where are going! We would love to hear from you, let us know what you are interested in hearing about in future episodes! WOOOO! Happy new dance season everyone! 

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Episode 61 of ourMake Dance Fun Podcast is Part 2 of our A Typical Day in our (Studio) Life. In Episode 56, we covered Mondays and Tuesdays, so this episode will detail what Wednesday, Thursday and Friday look like!

These last three days of our “normal” work week usually vary more than our Monday and Tuesday schedule, but we do have a general structure, so we are going to do our best to share this with you guys!

Wednesday:

• Confetti Meeting led by Shelley around 9:30a.m. Ellie joins sometimes, too
• Reserve at least a portion of this day for various Confetti projects, marketing campaigns, creative work, brainstorming, creating presentations, working on Camp Confetti depending on time of year
• Work from our office at Annex on any various projects we have going on for Rhythm or Confetti until around 3 or 3:30.
• Go home at a normal hour on this day and sometimes very early and work from home. This is also a podcast day when time allows! And, we do our podcast recordings from home since we don’t have a quiet area at the studio!

Thursday:

• Admin Meeting with Shelley and Krista. We are currently working on putting new systems in place and this is requiring extra time, so we typically meet to work on this and/or anything else that Krista or Shelley needs from us.
• Occasional marketing meetings as well!
• Work on our individual to-do lists in Basecamp
• Thursday afternoon/evening - sometimes at Annex and most the time we will end the day at Rhythm for costume meetings or rehearsals.
• During Competition and Convention Season, we hold our Spirit Sesh and final rehearsals at Rhythm on Thursdays (usually a late night during competition season). We spend Thursday nights packing up and loading for the weekend as they almost always start early Friday morning. In theory, this is only once per month, but it feels like it’s an every week thing when you are in it!
• From September - March, we are very busy with our custom costumes from design meetings to searching for fabric, meeting with Beth for our sample meetings and fittings. This takes place on all days, but because Wednesday and Thursday are more flexible, it's most often on those two days!

Fridays

• Catch all/Catch up day.
• Hold any necessary meetings with Emily as she’s at the desk most of the day. It’s a day that not too many people are reaching out to us or asking many questions, so we are usually able to get things done.
• Meet with Ellie, our assistant and project manager
• Confetti Photo and Video Shoots - If we are having a photo or video shoot, it usually starts mid-late afternoon (when school is out) and goes until we get it done. We almost always start setting up anything we can on Thursday evening, but this has been a challenge that we are still trying to figure out.
• Crafting and creating walls

Obviously, we adjust each day as needed, but that’s what our weekdays typically look like. We hope you’ve found this to be helpful in some way when mapping out your week!

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In Episode 60 of our Make Dance Fun podcast, we're doing a fun creativity exercise! We're using this fun box that looks like little match sticks called "SPARK YOUR CREATIVITY - 50 Ways to Ignite Bright Ideas!" We all get stuck sometimes, so we love finding “outside the box” ways to get our brains going!

We each draw 10 different “sparks” included in this kit and discuss what we might do in that situation, or how it could help us in a creative way! We hope that it will ignite your creativity as well!

1. Dani: Take a walk, tuning in carefully to everything you smell.
2. Becca: List things that inspire you, refer to them when feeling stuck
3. Dani: Destroy something and make a new thing from the remains.
4. Becca: Tune everything else out. Listen to just yourself.
5. Dani: Improvise.
6. Becca: Give yourself a time limit
7. Dani: Take a break from a project; it may help you gain perspective.
8. Becca: Read about or learn something outside your area of expertise.
9. Dani: Make a log of “mistakes”. Try seeing them as strategies.
10. Becca: Look at the situation from a different angle.
11. Dani: Hone your powers of observation.
12. Becca: Take 5 minutes and write down as many new ideas as you can.
13. Dani: Try working in 90 minute creative sprints - take a 30 minute break
14. Becca: Spend 10 minutes a day on a new creative pursuit. Repeat for a week.
15. Dani: Take a risk, failures may teach you more than successes.
16. Becca: Shadow someone creative for a day and see what you pick up.
17. Dani: Find new uses for materials or elements you’d typically toss out.
18. Becca: Turn off your inner critic.
19. Dani: Take a walk, tuning in carefully to everything you hear.
20. Becca: Give yourself a complete change of scenery.

Now go be creative!

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Happy new year and welcome to Season Three of our Make Dance Fun Podcast! In episode 59, we are providing you with 23 ideas to commit to the fun at your studio in 2023! Check out our blog post to download the list and see all the fun ideas. We hope you find some fun ways to commit to the fun in 2023! Cheers to fun in the new year! 

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In Episode 58 is a BEST OF 2022 Episode to recap the year!

Top 5 Episodes:

46 - Fast & Fun Photo Shoots

38 - Best of 2021

39 - We’re Back with Season 2 and Summer on our Minds

45 - Confetti Cannons - Rapid Fire with Becca, Dani & Shelley

41 - 5 Things to Gear Up for Recitals

Top 5 Locations:
1 - US, 2 - Canada, 3- Australia, 4 - United Kingdom, 5 - Germany

Favorite Episodes in 2022
D: #48: Fun & Fancy Five Star Staff Kick-Off
B: #51: Planning YOUR Fun Big Show (+ Our Fave Recital Moments)!

Favorite Craft or Project:
B: Rhythm: Holiday Walls; Confetti: Rhinestone Roundup Camp Confetti Crafts
D: Rhythm Story (based on Toy Story) flat characters

Least Favorite Craft or Project (because of the amount of work, time and effort it took, not because of the outcome!) D: Holiday wall
B: Halloween wall

What Confetti event/project are you most proud of?
B: Your FUN Big Show, Adding Diego to Twirl & Flashie Cards, and Pinterest
D: New Twirl to Go themes + 3 of our newest Camp Confetti themes: Fancy Mouse Dress Up House, Prancing Pony Party & Rhinestone Roundup

What Rhythm event/project are you most proud of?
D: Recital retreat B: Staff Kick Off and Photo Shoot and Recital Retreat Top 3 Most Fun Things for Rhythm and/or Confetti?
B: #4-Rhythm Fun Walls, New Camp Confetti themes,Rhythm Story, Staff Kick Off
D: Your Fun Big Show, Excitement around announcing our 2023 Year-End Show theme; Staff Kick Off

That’s a wrap on SEASON TWO and 2022! Thank you for listening! Happy Holidays and we'll be back in 2023 for Season THREE of Make Dance Fun!

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Episode 57 is all about GRATITUDE! We are so thankful for all of you who listen on a regular basis! We love sharing and love the feedback that you share with us! Please continue to share as that is what motivates us to keep recording…even on those crazy busy weeks!

A few things we are grateful for!

Shelley Marshall who without, Confetti wouldn’t exist! She makes all the things happen!

Ellie Bryant is our assistant and a project manager. She wears lots of hats and she has been so helpful over the past year in many ways! She contributes to writing and social media, lots of crafting and errand running and photo shoots and she helps with prepping for literally everything we do! And, you will see her coming up next month with some fun HOLIDAY content we are producing! ELLIE - THANK YOU for all you do!

New to our Confetti Staff is Jenni! Jenni is our Preschool Director at Rhythm and she has been a contributor to our podcast multiple times! As a matter of fact, her episodes are among our most popular ever! Jenni has just taken a new position in fulfillment for all your orders! We have just moved all our products in house and Jenni is in charge of all shipping! We are so excited for this new role and are so grateful that Jenni with her organization and thorough-ness is taking over this position! We are grateful for you Jenni!

Rhythm Staff! Without all our talented staff at Rhythm who inspire us every day, we wouldn’t be doing what we do! We are so lucky to have such talented and driven employees - from our ELT to all our creative teachers, choreographers to our class hosts and assistants! It takes so many people to make all the things happen and we are blessed with the best! So, THANK YOU Rhythm Staff! Y’all are awesome!

And, finally - our podcast editor…Rob Gal - you make it happen and deal with our lofty spaces, speaking mistakes, coughs, drinking noises and Ruthie barks…and make it all sound fabulous! We are grateful for you, your expertise and the uber fast turnaround time when we are recording at the last minute!

Again, we are GRATEFUL for each and every listener! We are so lucky to be in this creative and inspiring space and share with each of you! We are wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!

And, a reminder that we just started sharing our Fun Flair Fridays in our private Facebook group where we share a fun wallpaper for your phone and laptop as a monthly gift to show our gratitude for you! The only place to get them is in our Facebook group, so request to join today and make sure you answer the 3 prompted questions so we can let you in quickly!

And, don’t forget to check out our Confetti Shop during our Confetti FunFriday Sale! Save 15% off ALL THE THINGS (except Twirl and Confetti Consultations!) by using the code FUNFANCY15. This is our best sale of the year, so grab some gifts for your teachers, for your studio or for you!

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In Episode 55, we're sharing ideas & links to our fave promo items!

1. Slinkies - Super popular with kids!
2. Reusable Grocery Bags - You get lots of eyes on these at your local grocery stores! We also use them for costume bags when handing out our company costumes!
3. Pop Its - Kids are obsessed!!
4. Acrylic Key Chains - Add your logo and attach a Pop It (see #3) for a great promo item! Call it a bag tag since most kids don't use key chains and they can put them on their dance bags!
5. Tattoos - These are a go-to staple for us for goodie bags, open house, summer launch week - fun & super cheap!
6. Beach Balls - Use these for registration or summer camp promos and/or as give aways at community events!
7. Large Magnets - So many options!
8. Buttons, Stickers and Magnets - StickerMule is a go to for us for all things!
9. “MOOD” Stadium Cups - These color-changing cups are so fun, kids & parents alike love them.
10. Make Dance Fun Confetti Fun Tags - Vintage style key chains in our Confetti shop! Special Sale Price! Great for staff gifts, giveaways, ornaments and more!

We hope one of these promo items is something you can add into the mix of your giveaways! What are your faves?

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In episode 54, we're talking about all the things we are doing this fall to get ready for our year-end show! Our show is our ultimate marketing tool and this time of year is packed full of prep to get started on the right foot and get our dancers and families on board with the theme! We love to make the show super exciting for our dancers and we love making our theme a really big deal and tying it into all aspects of the studio all season!

1. Decorating Halloweek with our Theme
2. Costume and Show Communication Prep
   • At Rhythm we have about 1200 students who take 3600 classes, so, we are planning for eight shows this season. This is a beast of a job to figure out!
   • We meet with Shelley and Krista to make this task happen
3. Measuring for costumes
4. Brainstorm with the Staff
5. Meetings with Production Company and Theater - solidifying things like lobby space, dressing space, lighting possibilities, making sure the contract is secure and there are no surprises!
6. Graphics/Logos - We make sure these are ready to go for all our upcoming communications!
   • We use Canva teams to get backgrounds and logos all set up so our staff can access them easily
7. Planning for the recital retreat: booking the house, logistics, food, travel, spreadsheets, costume books, how we are decorating, etc. We don't wing it, we plan for everything!
8. Creative Planning for Show - watching movies, discussing themes, reading books, looking at books, etc.

NEW! Your Fun Big Show Update: We are in the process of adding a written course notes section into Your Fun Big Show course. Anyone who has already purchased it will automatically receive these notes, and of course, all new purchases as well! We will announce soon when they are complete and available! Check out this complete recital planning course!

We hope you are able to take away something from these details that will help you in your show planning this Fall!

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In episode 53, we're talking all about HALLOWEEK ON THE DANCE FLOOR - a Confetti tradition since our very first year!!

Halloweek on the Dance Floor is a fun Halloween combo that we share with you for free to use in your classes during Halloweek! We encourage you to teach it, film it and share it! This year, we are changing it up a little and creating a reel (or tik tok) with specific audio for you to use! We encourage you to create a festive space or background to film your dancers a few at a time doing the combo.

More Halloweek ideas from #rhythmhalloweek

• Podcast Episode #32 Festive Fall Faculty Fun - deep dive on our Pumpkin Pizzazz Party for our Staff
• Podcast Episode #34 where we share tons of fun Halloween ideas and games and such!
• Studio Decor - we're doing a spooky take of Alice in Wonderland (our year-end show theme). We now have 9 studios to decorate, so are trying our best to streamline some things to make it a little easier to put up and also take down. We will, of course, go more full out on a main wall in our lobby (at both locations) so everyone has a fun place to take all the photos they want.
• Fall Faculty Fun - we're hosting a fun meeting for our Recital Brainstorming session where we'll serve lunch, decorate pumpkins and take a Halloween staff photo where everyone will dress as characters from our show
• Halloween Heels & Spooky Feels - This is something new this year that should be fun! Our adult program is really growing, so we are holding a special event for them one evening where they’ll dress up, have a fun heels class and we’ll provide a few snacks & drinks. This is a great way to promote your adult program! We are getting ready to start a new class for adults in November called DanceMix, a combo of jazz and hip hop, so this will be a fun and festive promo!
• Rhythm Halloweek - we encourage our dancers to dress up as a character from Alice in Wonderland during Halloweek and if they do, they get a Wonder in Rhythmland sticker. This is a simple and fun way to promote the show!
• Performing Company Halloween Party - we host this fun event annually at a local park. Their "families" dress up in their family costume and we play games. It's always a hit!

We hope you find these fun ideas to be helpful with your Halloween and fall planning. Share with us what you’re doing at your studios!

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In Episode 52, we're sharing 5 fun things we've done this season that have been well received by our customers this season!

We created a Calendar Magnet for Performing Company that we handed out during our themed company parent meetings. These are convenient for them to put on their fridge to always have access to the many dates their dancer is committed to throughout the season. We gave it to them during our disco-themed company parent meeting where we also treated them to a coffee bar, goody bags and fun photo ops and prizes for people who dressed up in the theme.

Class Hosts - You may have heard us talk about this position we started during covid, but we have learned just how valuable these ladies are, and have hired them again this season. We have 1-2 at each location and they hang out at the front door, and one other area in the studio to help kids and parents navigate the studio, get to their cars, help us craft when we are in crunch time and so much more.

New staff photos and headshots, plus new fun headshots for the company dancers. We held a photo shoot that was more fun and on brand for us and the pics look great! And, if you go to our faculty page, it is a fun + fresh update to our old headshots!

We also did headshots for all our company dancers during their intensive week and it worked great - they were already scheduled to be here, so it was so much easier to schedule and make happen! These will be going on colorful, fun posters in to hang in the lobby very soon, and we are so excited about having this fresh update for the walls!

Monthly Performing Company Update: This is a simple, but colorful and cute, easy to read “newsletter” of sorts. But, it’s just the information they need to know with a date or dates attached to it. Dani designs these and she is self-proclaimed to not be a pro in Canva, but she made the template and alters it each month with updated info and sends it out.

We have been creating QR codes for multiple things. For example, we have a QR code for the make-up google form that company members have to fill out when they come in to do a make-up class. Also, if you come in for trial class, there is a QR code that you scan to sign up. On the magnet we did for company, there is a QR code on the magnet that they can use to get to their Company Landing Page - this landing page holds ALL the things they need for company, from their absence tracker and form to their schedules and more!

We hope you find some of these few things we’ve been doing to also be helpful at your studio!

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In Episode 51, we are sharing the basic outline of Your Fun Big Show - our complete recital planning course! This comprehensive course is broken into sections so it’s easier to digest, and today is sort of like the table of contents to give you a sneak peek of what all is included! If you don't have the course, it's a great outline to use for planning your own show!

We also recap our favorite parts Rhythm Story, our show from last season in a Q&A style and tell you all about our favorite concepts/themes in the show and what parts we loved most in our production number and what processes we think are most important to the success of our show (master spreadsheet and recital retreat!).

Here's an outline of what is included in the course:

SECTION 1: First Steps - this includes theater bookings, determining and announcing dates and theme. choosing characters and beginning the brainstorming process.

SECTION 2: Creating your show brand, logo, hashtag and all the graphic design. Then how to use that to brand your whole year.

SECTION 3: Fall planning and the recital retreat, determining how many shows and which classes are in each show, themes/concepts for each class, prepping for the retreat, finalizing concepts, creating the master spreadsheet, selecting/editing music, determining props and sets, choosing costumes/backdrops, building schedules, and assigning theme directors.

SECTION 4: Ordering costumes, creating a lookbook, status updates, starting choreography and building stage sets & props

SECTION 5: Part 1 of Spring Planning Logistics like ensuring all classes are entered into your software, running order of show, naming the routines to match your theme, populating the recital packet, lobby decor, plan crafting, finalizing logos, goody bags, ticket sales logistics, check-in process, dressing rooms, and recital program prep.

SECTION 6: Spring Planning Part 2: Logistics, flowers, ribbon, tissue, ordering T-shirts, planning truck load and unload, organizing volunteers, staff meals, tech, prop and set sheets, character rehearsals and call sheets, organizing music by show.

SECTION 7: Tech Week and Dress Rehearsal and all the logistics!

SECTION 8: Communications: website, social media, newsletters, emails, show detail packet, parent meetings, flower sales and staff meetings

SECTION 9: Adding Wow Factors: Recital decor in your studio, characters: costume details, photo shoots, voice overs and meet and greets, craft & props for show., theater lobby set up, posters, banners & step & repeat, photo ops, goody bags, programs, stage lighting and backdrops

SECTION 10: Closing

Click here to read about even more detail of what is included with your purchase.

We hope this episode helps you understand all that we put into our planning of our show and all the things that we share in YOUR FUN BIG SHOW. If you have not gotten this course yet, purchase it now!

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In Episode 50, we're sharing FIVE ways to WOW your customers. The wow factor time frame really never goes away, but during the beginning of the season, you want to make sure you are setting a tone for the season and paying attention to serving your customers well!

1. Overall Customer Experience: What does customer experience mean for you and your studio? What do they see and experience when they walk in the door, when they call/email the studio, visit your website, register and what happens after registration (welcome letter/packet). These are all ways to show that you value them, want to welcome them into your dance home. Remember that a great experience usually results in a positive word of mouth advertising for your studio!
2. Social Media: Take advantage of increased engagement at the beginning of the season by posting lots of different aspects of your studio from faculty to preschool, teen classes, advanced dancers. A story will SELL, a fact will TELL: Tell a story on social media vs. just providing the facts. Make sure everyone knows where to find you on your platform of choice. Communicate hashtags and encourage sharing. Engage with your followers! REELS ARE THE THING. Remember to do Studio Tours, Weekly Recaps, Announcement videos!
3. Open House and/or being present in your lobby during the first couple weeks of classes. If you teach a lot of classes, maybe have an ambassador do this for you. Someone cheerful to greet all your dancers and parents. Someone who genuinely enjoys talking with people and shares your love for the studio.
4. Create a fun wall so every dancer & mom or dad has a reason to take a photo and share it on social media. This is building your community and another way to help them feel a part of it. See episode 49!
5. WOW Cards - From big milestones to small victories, who doesn't love to celebrate a WOW moment in dance class?! Hand out these tiny compliments to your dancers when they achieve their goals and make their day! We have three different versions - Sweet Celebrations, High Fives and Oh Yeahs, Goal Getters that each include 500 business card sized WOW Cards, 25 each of 20 different fun + fancy designs! Each card has a small area for you to write a short message, sign your name or write the dancer's name on it!

Keep them by the sound system in each studio and encourage our teachers to use them as often as it makes sense, whether that's once per week or a few times per year! Occasionally you may want to give the entire class a WOW card for working as a team, or everyone executing a certain step, or remembering choreography or just having a great attitude in class! Check out #wowcarded on Instagram to see how so many studios are WOWing their students!

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In Episode 49, we are sharing how we created our #rhythmfunwall for our Open House and Welcome Back Party! We share all our crafty ways and walk through all the steps! We also suggest checking out Episode 9 Five Ways to Up Your Crafting Game as we share many of the ways that we create and craft our fun! 

We also share tips on how you can create a fun wall in your studio to build engagement and a fun energy throughout your studio!  Add some fun and color to your walls with a FUN wall!

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In episode 48, we're telling you all about our Staff Kick-Off event! This is something we do every year and sometimes it's a few hours with a fun dinner and sometimes it lasts 2 days!

We are celebrating our 30th season this year, so we wanted to do something extra special. Plus, our staff expanded quite a bit, so we needed to do more!

We started with our theme: Rhythm BLOOM Symposyium and went full out from there! We rented a venue, had it catered, held a fun + fancy photo shoot and decorated it super cute! The set up was a little hectic even though we did so much pre-planning and pre-crafting, but it ended up looking super cute!

We did a 30-year celebration staff photo shoot where everyone got new headshots and also some fun shots, lots of group shots and of course, confetti shots! We helped the staff style their outfits beforehand with things from our personal closets and our confetti closet!

We had various stations around the rooms including an apothecary where they could build their own bags with fun items, drinks/coffee station, vision boards, eating tables, round tables for meeting, creative books, and a seminar room set up classroom style with a large TV for showing our presentations.

We had assigned seating with cute tent cards and fun, colorful tablecloths. Everyone received folders, notebooks, snacks and a few other fun items at their place setting.

On day 1, after the photo shoot, we covered our mission, vision and values, discussed goals for the season, had guest speakers Zoom into the meeting and reviewed our staff expectations. That evening, we had a fun catered dinner and stayed at a nearby hotel to come back early the next morning.

On day 2, we held roundtables where teachers who teach the same style discuss curriculum, goals, and share ideas. There is a designated leader of each group who maintains a Google doc to capture the discussions. We also held an Admin roundtable to discuss new systems we want to implement this season. Then, we continued our seminar and finished our staff expectations. After a catered lunch, we finished with a wrap-up with everyone contributing their thoughts on how to make the year best it can be!

It was such a cohesive event, and our best staff kick off to date! Check out our Reel on Instagram from the event! And, go to our Highlights to see all the Insta Stories from this super fun + fancy event!

We hope you found some inspiration in this episode! Also, if you would like us to speak to your studio at a staff event, we are open to that! We really enjoyed having that opportunity for our team at our kick off! It made it interesting and was helpful to get other professional perspectives!

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Hello friends! We are back! In this episode, we are doing a quick recap of all that has happened over the past 4 months! We are excited to be back! Here are the basics of what went on over the summer and where we are now...

Fall Registration 

Expanded - Two Locations 

Dress Rehearsals 

Company Concert

Company Party

Year-End Shows

We took a long break...

The Dance Awards

Lots of Camp Confettis & Company Intensives

Member Rally with MTJGD

Staff Kick-Off

Prepping Studios (2 locations) 

Open House - both locations

Back to Dance - Week One - Check!

Gearing up for our year-end shows! 

Things are moving quickly!! 

If you heard something we just mentioned that you want to hear more about, let us know and we will dive in deeper on that topic in an upcoming episode!

Thanks for listening! 

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In episode 46, we're sharing 5 fun and easy ideas for photo shoots that you can use for social media, promotions, programs, emails and more!

1. White Wall - Outdoors - A white background always brightens up photos! We just did this with our graduating seniors to create some cohesive photos to use on social media, our year-end show programs and also to gift to them as a graduation gift! We found a closed grocery store with a simple, bright white brick wall! We spent about 10 minutes on each dancer, got a few action shots and a headshot. The pictures look awesome, and we were able to create a cohesive, fun page in our program and also a fun poster of our grads! You could do this in any situation you needed some promo photos for! Check out our pics!
2. Seamless roll of photo paper: This simple option can be set up inside or outside in any space available to you. Order online or buy locally from a photography supply store. If you don’t have tripods or the equipment to hang it in the middle of a room, you can simply tape it to a flat wall. You can shoot them plain or add in a few simple props.
3. Take a photo anywhere that has good lighting and remove the background! Apps like Pic Collage and Canva make this so easy. We highly recommend the pro version and the team option! Both of these have a background remover where you can remove the background of any photo and put it on a plain background or a fun print background.
4. Murals: This is a fun way to capture photos on a fun and colorful background requiring no effort other than finding the location. Almost every city now has painted murals and if you haven't seen them in person, you can likely find them by just googling “fun mural walls” in whatever city or town you live in. We recommend checking them out ahead of time to make sure the space is conducive to taking photos. Atlanta has quite a few mural walls and some of them are more recognizable than others. We have one that’s been around for many years, and it’s painted on the back side of a grocery store. It’s a giant, fun disco ball with a John Travolta-ish disco dancing guy on it, and it’s just so colorful. It’s right up our alley! We took our cast of characters last year on a Sunday morning really early to be sure we didn’t run into too many cars in the parking lot and it was a huge success. The key here is simple and quick because other than googling and taking a quick drive to check it out, you don’t have to set anything up. You just show up and snap your fun photos!
5. Confetti Pic! The final easy photo shoot idea is launch some confetti around a dancer or group of dancers! Use your smartphone or a camera and snap as many times as you can as you launch the confetti. Tell the dancers to smile and jump around, and it is SO easy to get a cute photo! This always brings out those authentic smiles too! This is also a great video moment too to use for a reel!!

We hope this inspires you to snap some fun photos! Try to do a quick photo shoot soon and tag us or let us know how it goes! We will be watching for those on instagram!

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In this episode, Shelley Marshall, Queen of all things Confetti joins Becca and Dani and they all talk about what has been happening this week (hello, Texas!) and we do a fun "Confetti Cannon"! 

Our "Confetti Cannons" consist of 15 questions that we take turns drawing from a hat and answering on the spot! It is a different format for us and one that we hope you will find fun, informative and entertaining! We cover several fun topics from Rhythm Dance Center to Creativity to Camp Confetti! So, check it out and let us know what you think! 

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In episode 44, we're welcoming back our Rhythm Summer Camp Director, Emily Salerno! She first joined us on Episode 18 to talk about her role as Rhythm Summer Camp Director and all the things she does to help plan our summers to be amazing! Today, we 're chatting more specifically about Camp Confetti and how she preps and makes those camps happen successfully at Rhythm!

What's your favorite things about Camp Confetti and how it makes rhythm summers more efficient and fun? It can be dull doing the same princess or beach camp each year. Camp Confetti has creative, over-the-top themes that are fully planned out and does the work for you!

What is your general timeline for preparing for Camp Confetti?

• Staffing: Send availability form mid-February and secure by Spring Break.
• Pre-Summer Meetings: Meetings in April for each specific camp
• Craft Shopping: Do big run in June to get majority of supplies

How do you prep each week for a Camp Confetti? Review camp print out again; Create craft and music list; edit music if needed; Final craft run for specific camp; Friday before camp begins on Monday: break down previous week's camp, decorate for next week's and prep the first day's craft.

Camp Confetti Week: How does it run for teachers vs. camp director? Elementary camps are larger for us, we divide into 3 groups and each one takes a jazz, hip hop and across the floor class with different teachers. Focus on choreo early in the week and weave dance games and activities in between.

Top 3 Camp Confettis we've done at Rhythm? Dance PAWty with My Pet, Donut Spytacular and Brightfeather Academy of Magic

New themes you're most excited about? Confetti Clue Crew: Mystery at the TOYriffic Museum of Fun

Camp Confetti hacks or must-do-tips? 1: Cricut for crafts! 2: Use your assistants 3: Invitation crafts - print the invitations on Avery labels so kids can stick it on instead of gluing. 4 : Use 567cre8 Cards: elementary version and teen version.

Final thought to help studio owners navigate Camp Confetti and make summers better? Have fun! Remember many dancers are trying out your studio for the first time - keep them engaged and make them want to come back!

Check out all our Camp Confetti Themes!

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In episode 43, we're sharing all details of our annual Performing Company Party: planning, location, food, decor, awards, senior speeches and more! This event celebrates all our Performing Companies and graduating seniors and is one of our favorite things we do and our dancers love it too!

PLANNING: The very first thing we do is secure a venue. Because our party involves all of our companies combined, we need a place that can handle about 400 guests. Once the venue is confirmed, we meet with a caterer and get all the food squared away. For us, this is a full dinner and desserts, so it’s pretty full out. We’ve been working with the same caterer for several years now, so we have a system and they know what we like and don’t like. You may be thinking, how in the world do they afford this? I will admit, it is a pretty big investment for us and Rhythm does pay for a large majority of the party, but we do charge a fee per person who attends and that usually covers most, if not all of the food and catering, which is a big help. Keep in mind, a party can be done at any budget and scale. This is just something we started several years ago and it’s become a tradition for us, our dancers and their families. We also select table cloths and napkins through our caterer and that’s when we really start envisioning what we want the space to look like for the night of the event.

Decor: We go VERY full out but we re-use everything for our show. We have colorful table linens and create our own centerpieces (~6 versions) inspired by the characters and main aspects of our show. We also use tons of balloons, create a step and repeat, multiple photo op areas and lots of over the top fun decor!

Event: It takes many people to load/unload the truck and set up! We meet at the venue and centerpieces make their way to all the tables, balloons are blown up and distributed throughout, dessert tables are created, and we don’t stop until it’s done! We have about 5 hours to make it and it is a marathon. But, when it’s done, it feels so special and we just know the kids are going to love it when they walk in.

Presentations & Awards: Once everyone arrives, mingles and takes a ton of photos, they take their seats and we begin presentations and dinner. We create personalized company awards for each and every dancer by creating personalized bag tags. We keep with the theme of our show and come up with fun awards names to coordinate with the characters of the show. It’s super fun and really personalized to each dancer. In addition, we give each of them a company t-shirt. It’s always so fun seeing so many kids sporting their new shirts! We also award scholarships to select dancers for their hard work and accomplishments.

Senior Speeches: We have our graduating seniors record speeches where they share what their experience at Rhythm has meant to them, thank their teachers and parents. It's their big finish to their Rhythm career! They send 50-60 photos that we show on a big screen while playing their speech. We have a lot of Seniors so we always have to get started on these early!

We hope this behind the scenes look at our company inspires you to start a tradition of your own, or if you already have one, maybe we sparked an idea that you can incorporate into what you’re already doing. It really is such a fun event that our kids look forward to all year long!

Camp Confetti of the Week - Confetti Clue Crew: Mystery At The TOYriffic Museum of Fun!

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In Episode 42, we're covering our process for our performing company auditions. Every studio has their own process for selecting their performing or competing companies. What works for one may not work for another. At Rhythm, we’ve always held auditions for our companies and we have a formula that really works for us. That being said, we tweak a few things each year to try and make the process as efficient as possible.

Company Director Meeting: This initial meeting is to discuss what went well, what changes we want to make and then we work on a comprehensive audition packet that is very specific to what we do! We make updates to each company, set dates for all the auditions, create audition forms, update pricing, etc. We use a google form for dancer audition forms and that is filtered right into a spreadsheet which makes organizing all the things pretty easy! We usually have over 300 dancers audition so organization is key!

Tip: We give all existing company dancers who submit their forms prior to spring break (which is early!) a free summer open class. In addition, the first 3 dancers from each company to fill out the form earn a quick photo shoot and dancer feature that we used to promote auditions with on social media!

Informational Packet & Parent Meetings: Before auditions begin, we are very upfront, clear and honest with as much information pertaining to our performing companies as we can. Of course, the packet has the dates and times of the auditions, but we also talk about what it means to be a part of our company, the weekly schedules & rehearsals, performance and competition schedule, approximate cost, our expectations from a commitment, conduct and ethics standpoint. We hold mandatory parent meetings to go through all the details of each of our different companies so parents to hear the details directly from us and can ask any questions.

Company Format: We cast for four different levels for a total of 11 Performing Companies. Mini Stars - ages 5-8; Connection - ages 8-18: Mini, Junior, Teen, Senior; Fusion - ages 12-18: Teen and Senior; Edge - our most advanced level ages 8 - 18: Mini, Junior, Teen, Senior

Preliminary Audition: Ballet and Jazz, then callbacks (via posting their # on website) for Hip Hop, Tap and Contemporary. After the call backs we post the final results on the website (again using #s only) and also send out detailed emails with an invitation to join our company or to let them know that we did not feel they were ready for company. All dancers get an email no matter what! We always try to provide feedback in those emails and even set up meetings if needed to help the dancers understand what they may need to work on in order to reach their goals.

We hope you’ve found our process to be informative and helpful in some way when you start planning your company auditions or selections for the new season.

Camp Confetti of the Week: Marquee Mixup! Elementary camp that focuses on musical theater and jazz movement.

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In Episode 41, we're sharing 5 things we are doing right now to gear up for our year-end show!

1. Ordering, crafting & building props: We discuss any handheld props and stage sets during our recital retreat. We're making final decisions now, placing orders, and building/crafting anything needed. Tip: We use a temporary set each week to practice so the real ones aren't broken or lost.

2. Creating our Opening Number: This huge production number includes all 4 levels of our highest level performing company, is in the theme of our show, and our favorite thing to create! It sets the tone of our show by telling the whole story in the opening, and everyone can see our talented dancers and costumes! We use music inspired by the movies and there are so many little fun details in the number, that people will likely be noticing as they watch it more! While we do compete it, it is the number that sets the tone for our show and is one of our favorite things we do all year!

3. Adding some custom fun to our recital costumes: This is something we have always done, with at least one or two costumes each year, but I predict we will be doing more of it this season. Because our show and each piece is so specific to the theme and the storyline, we sometimes have trouble finding the perfect costume. When that happens, we get crafty and find fun and inexpensive ways we can add to a more simple costume to make it what we need it to be for the show. With costume delivery dates continuing to be pushed back, we're going to be doing even more customizing to last minute costumes we find that are available.

4. Choreography Videos/Dropbox: We have shared Dropboxes with all our classes and our teachers share class videos to help the dancers practice their routines. We created an email template for these emails along with a description of each class’s theme to share. This is helpful for the dancers and parents and keeps the kids excited about their recital routine.

5. Characters & class leaders: We add a voiceover to the beginning (sometimes during) specific routines during the show and have some of our main characters make an appearance. This helps add an element of whimsy and excitement to their already exciting recital routine.
   We also add a class leader to our preschool and kinder routines. This is usually one of our younger mini company dancers between 8-10 years old who learns the entire routine and performs it with the dancers. This gives the dancers a peace of mind and helps them project outward toward the audience vs looking into the wings for guidance from us or their teachers. Our leader invitation emails are going out this week so those dancers can start coming to the preschool classes to meet the dancers and start learning their routines.

Don't forget we created a course where we share EVERYTHING about how we plan and execute our show! Your Fun Big Show: A Complete Recital Planning Course will give you tons of inspiration on planning a creative and fun show!

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In Episode 40, we're sharing 5 things you can do to boost your summer success. 1. Schedule summer and promote now!Parents are looking NOW to plan their activities for their kids. So, if your summer is not planned now, they may be signing up for other types of camps. Make sure you are consistently promoting the camps, too. Look into hiring a summer camp director, as we discussed in Episode 18.
2. Require summer dance campsListen to Episode 5 for even more details about this!

3. Offer drop-in classes, free trial classes, dance & play parties
It is equally important to offer drop-in classes for those who don't want the commitment of a week long camp, or maybe they want to try out your studio. We offer drop-in classes every week, and these are usually taught at an intermediate/advanced classes, but can definitely work for placing new students too.
4. Camp ConfettiWe like to describe Camp Confetti as a full-out dance camp in a box, but your inbox! These are summer camp downloads packed with all the details you need to run a 3-5 day camp at your studio. We have 30 different unique and original themes to choose from for preschool through elementary age dancers. We do all the planning for you, so you or your staff can just put it into action. This saves you hours and hours of time that will allow you to take some time for yourself this summer. To learn more about Camp Confetti, listen to Episode 4 and Episode 39. You can also check out our latest blog post where we talk about our 4 newest themes, and see all 30 of our themes on our website!
5. Promote summer in a fun way!Use social media (reels, etc.) to promote now and also in real time while camps are happening. Keep it in your newsletter to register, send ongoing promotional emails, pass out flyers at the end of class, and/or create a fun wall or bulletin board in studio. Listen to Episode 39 for even more details on this topic! Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

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In Episode 39 – our first episode of Season 2! –we're talking all things summer! We just successfully launched our studio's full summer schedule & registration this week! Our theme is Carnival-A-Rhythm to tie into our year-end show theme Rhythm Story (based on Toy Story). Check out @rhythmdancecenter for pics!

Camp Confetti: We launched 4 new Camp Confetti themes! These downloads are filled with everything you need to plan and teach your summer dance camp: a super fun + detailed theme with combo choreography videos, dance activities and games centered around the theme, crafts, decor, music suggestions, marketing tools and so many more fun extras, like decor ideas, playlists and more! During the pre-sale phase, you will get immediate access to the logos, social images and marketing wording to begin promoting the camps!

New ThemesPrancing Pony Party - A Charming Adventure
Fancy Mouse Dress-Up HouseRhinestone Round-Up All Things Boots and Bling
Confetti Clue Crew: Mystery at the TOYriffic Museum of Fun

Check out ALL 30 of our Camp Confetti Summer Dance FunPacks!

Top 3 Questions About Camp Confetti

1. What does Camp Confetti Include?

2. A detailed description and super cute social post for marketing

3. Detailed storyline to inspire + engage dancers in the theme
4. Video of TWO center floor combos
5. Detailed teacher guide/descriptions to THREE dance activities
6. ONE fun dance game related to the theme
7. At least FOUR fun craft ideas, including supply lists and before-and-after photos
8. THREE coloring or activity pages
9. Camp Confetti Certificates

10. Lots of extra fun included, like studio decor suggestions, bonus activities and more!

11. How many days and what hours will Camp Confetti work for? We designed the camps to maximize the fun over a five-day camp, but each theme can easily be adapted to fit a 3-day camp format (or any other format you choose to follow). These camps offer a lot of flexibility– go full out or use it as a supplement to an existing camp!

12. Is the download easy enough to follow so it can be passed on to any of my faculty to run the camp? Yes! Everything is broken down in a way that is very easy to understand and follow. As long as your teachers read the full download prior to starting camp, they should be good to go!

Camp Confetti has been a life saver at Rhythm for the last 6 years! The organization and cohesiveness has brought the success level of our summer to a whole new level!

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Episode 38 is our final episode of Season 1, and we're sharing some of our faves (and least faves) of the year! Thank you for listening and supporting us ~ Cheers to 2022!

Favorite Podcast Episodes:
Dani: Preschool Dance Party Series - Episodes 28, 29 & 30
Becca: Dance Friends are the Best Friends - Episode 15 and Connecting the Dots of your Studio Brand - Episode 10

Favorite Photo Shoot:Dani: The video (& photo) shoot for our recital course…Your Fun Big Show
Becca: Our most recent one, especially the Camp Confetti shots

Favorite Craft:Dani: The larger than life Twirl Ribbons, the big stars that look like marquee lights, and the set of Your Fun Big Show.
Becca: Ski photo backdrop for Frozen

Least Favorite Craft/Project:
Dani: The Summer beach ball backdrop and the Woody and Jessie panels used at our recital retreat, and the ski backdrop
Becca: The beginning of any wall project

What inspired you most during this year?Dani: Our staff at Rhythm and also seeing so many studios push through some of the craziest times and continue to make dance magic happen for so many kids!
Becca: Travel!

Personal achievement?
Dani: Work in progress but getting closer after hiring our assistant Ellie
Becca: I moved closer to the studio and my quality of life has improved immensely!

What Confetti event/project are you most proud of?
Dani: The podcast! I am also proud of launching Your Fun Big Show and finishing the Twirl Update which was a massive project!
Becca: Your Fun Big Show, Twirl and the podcast!

What Rhythm event/project are you most proud of?Dani: Pulling off our year-end show back in June!
Becca: Rhythm Frozen!

Top Three Downloaded Podcasts:
Episode 28: Preschool Dance Party Part 1: 8 Fun Props to Use in Dance ClassEpisode 30:Preschool Dance Party Part 3: Pro Tips from our Preschool Pro!Episode 29:Preschool Dance Party Part 2: Preschool Progressions

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In episode 37, we're sharing 10 fun ideas for being festive at your studio this time of year.

1. Decorating the Studio

2. Fun Dance Class Activities: Check out these blog posts for TONS of fun dance activities (even more than we covered in the episode):
   Confetti Mood: Wondrous & Whimsical
   Reindeer Games: Dance Activities for Preschool Classes
   Candy Cane Lane
   Wondrous Wintry Dance Class Activities
   Merry Moves & Jingle Grooves

3. Performing Company Party: These simple parties are held during class. They dress festively, divide into teams and do fun holiday relay races and other games. It's a super fun event and great team bonding!

4. Holiday Show: This 2-hour show is the first time our company dancers showcase their new pieces for the year. It motivates us to finish dances costumes before they have to compete, and it's also festive with a few holiday dances, too.

5. Elf on the Shelf: Our Elf’s name is PomPom and, she appears for about 8-10 days each season. She always ties into our recital theme - outfits included!

6. Staff Party: Our staff holiday party varies from year to year in timing and type of event. We're doing the 12 Days of Rhythmas for the second time! We rent a Furbus for a few hours take our staff on a journey with planned stops for little activities and photo ops tied into the popular holiday song. The tour ends at a restaurant for lunch and a white elephant gift exchange.

7. Confetti Holiday Cocktail/Mocktail: Fill a pretty crystal or colored glass with ice and add 2 parts prosecco or sparkling wine, ½ part St-Germain and top with 2 parts club soda and a splash of cranberry juice (to make it pink!). Stir gently, mixing completely. To garnish, alternate Smash Mallow Candy Cane marshmallows, raspberries and cranberries on a skewer, and add a sprig of mint and a candy cane to the glass! For the Mocktail, replace alcohol with raspberry ginger ale.

8. Confetti Gift Guides: Check out our fun gift guides filled with ideas for all your gifting needs here!

9. Giving Back: We always give back this time of year by sponsoring a family or donating the profits of our holiday show. This year, to tie into our theme of Toy Story and also in honor of one of our students who is fighting leukemia, we're donating toys to Children’s Hospital of Atlanta.

10. Thank You & Happy Holidays!: Use code FUNHOLIDAYTEN by 12/31 in our Confetti Shop for 10% off everything (excluding Twirl)!

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In Episode 36, we're sharing tons of gifting inspo for dance teachers and studio owners, plus all of our fun specials during ThanksGifting week!

For all the details and to see our gift guides, check out our latest blog post that is complete with images and links for everything we mention! 

We hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving AND ThanksGifting! 

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In episode 35, we're back after a short break sharing five fun things that are happening now that we are really excited about!

Rhythm Toy Barn: In our last episode, we talked briefly about the week of Halloween and how we were considering an outdoor space. We made it happen and are calling it the Rhythm Toy Barn. We painted it in bright colors to match our show logo. For Halloween, we hung a few Toy Story themed ghosts and other spooky-ish decor and created a fun photo op for everyone. Next, we will transform it into a winter wonderland. If you do not already have a fun and creative space for your dancers to take photos, consider setting one up!

Disney: We snuck in a 36-hour inspiration trip to Disney World (Toy Story Land) a few weeks ago!! Neither of us had been to Disney World in 15 years, so it was inspo overload! We have some great ideas for decor, colors and details. You can’t find a better way to get inspired if you are planning to do a Disney theme! If you want to up your inspiration and creativity, look into doing something super extra to elevate your planning: see a movie with your staff, go see a show and or go to Disney!

Twirl: As most of you know, we have recently finished up our Twirl Preschool Program revamp! Here are a few of our favorite things about the update:

1. The Teacher Guide - where you find all the details, activities, music, crafts, etc to bring the Twirl Books to life. We’ve added SO MUCH more detail for you to carry over into your classes.
2. Diego our adorable dancing boy character! We wanted to make sure all boys taking a Twirl class felt they were a part of all the fun.
3. Stickers - When you order your Twirl packs, you also receive sheets of super cute stickers that coordinate with each lesson. It’s another way to recognize the dancers’ hard work in class, and all tiny dancers love stickers!

If you aren’t a Twirl Studio and want more info, check out all the details on our website and listen to episode 24!

Photo Shoot: We recently held a 2-day photo shoot to batch in future content for our blog! We started planning in early September and knocked out about 6 months of photo content! Our new assistant Ellie helped played a huge role in the organizing and prepping for it as her first project with us. This was also our first photo shoot in our new space, and we have a lot more space, so we were able to set up multiple vignettes ahead of time. If you want to elevate your own photo shoot, we recommend doing some extra prep and planning ahead of time to make it the most productive it can be!

Recital Retreat: We just finished this and we were so, so productive! We will do a full episode on it in the near future, but a big takeaway is that all costumes have been selected and ordering is taking place in the next 2 weeks (much earlier for us than usual).

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Episode 34 is all about HALLOWEEK, and we're sharing 5 fun things you can do at your studio! #rhythmhalloweek is a long-standing tradition at our studio. We encourage you to create a hashtag that is specific to YOUR studio for Halloweek. Create one that is specific to you so that you can easily find your posts!

For those of you that are new to all the Confetti fun, you may not know about our Halloweek on the Dance Floor hip hop combos and videos. This is our 6th annual season of creating fun, age appropriate hip hop combos that we share with you and encourage you to teach them in your classes, video it, post it on your social platforms and tag us so we would be sure to see it. We love seeing studios taking our short combo and getting super creative with it and making them their own, and we of course reshare them all! You can also teach it to your staff -- your dancers will love it and it's a great way to build engagement and teamwork within your staff.

This blog post has our current version, as well as links to the other 5 versions AND several Halloweek related blog posts.

5 Fun Things for Halloweek

1. Organize a SPOOKTACULAR Spotify Playlist. Start from existing playlists, and add more songs you can use in class. This is an easy and fun thing share with your dancers and teachers! Check out our Wickedly Enchanted Playlist

1. Decorate a wall in your studio for dancers to take their photos. Bonus: tie it into your show theme! This is a great way to get your dancers to snap a fun photo during your Halloweek! Carry the theme into a small area in each dance room, too!

3. Halloween Dance Games. Check out the bottom of this blog post for links to posts with fun games like a haunted obstacle course, a Halloween version of Project Runway and more!

4. Dress up for Halloweek!

• Have your staff dress up in your recital theme.
• Performing company big/lil/families can coordinate their costumes
• Create or use a fun guide for dressing up like this one from Different Drummer Dance.
• Hold costume contests for students. We give out custom stickers to our dancers who dress up in the theme of our show.

5. Halloweek on the Dance Floor. Teach our super fun Halloweek on the Dance Floor combos! This unites your studio, and you can create a fun compilation video of all your classes! Tag us and use the hashtag #halloweekonthedancefloor and we are going to pick one studio to give a confetti credit to!

We hope this helps get you into the Halloween spirit and find some spooky-fun things to do at your studio!

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In episode 33, we are kicking off the first episode in a new series on recital planning! We are in full recital planning mode now, and we just launched the content of our recital planning course: Your Fun Big Show! Purchase by 10/8 and SAVE! If you purchase before that date, not only will you save money, but you will also be invited to a live Q&A Zoom with us on this topic!

Here are the top 3 things we are doing right now to get the ball rolling for all things show planning:

Announce your theme, create a logo: We love making a big deal out of announcing our theme - which if you have listened to us, you already know this! Once we know the theme, we start dropping hints on our instagram and building lots of excitement. We usually start this on a Monday and announce the theme on Instagram on a Thursday, complete with our logo and hashtag. Our theme this year is inspired by Toy Story. We create a (secret) Pinterest board and a Google Doc to store all our ideas, then we will narrow them down throughout the planning process. Check out #rhythmstory2022 to see what we have done so far!!

Figure out who is in what show and concepts: This is the very first thing we do to get everything in place before the fun creative parts start happening. Our studio manager starts this process by working on the breakdown of each show and then presents it to us. We give our input and thoughts, make a few minor changes then we are ready. We take into consideration dancers with siblings or those who take multiple classes and try to accommodate where we can. It also depends on maximum audience size.

Next we decide the concept that each class is going to be in our story-based show. We make sure we have all the main characters covered and also any of the “standout” scenes . This way, the flow of our show will not only make sense for our audience because they can follow the storyline, but it will keep things entertaining for all those non-dancers in the audience as the show progresses.

Plan your planning: The most productive thing we do all season is our recital retreat! We rent a house, go away for a long weekend and figure out all concepts, choose all music, edit the music, choose the costumes, start our master spreadsheet with so many details, figure out dress rehearsal, tech rehearsal, figure out all our props and sets and backdrops! Our retreat is a little over a month away, but we are planning our planning now! We will start planning our decor for the weekend (because we go full out) and start ordering that! It is great because we can use lots of this decor for the studio and even for the show! We also order items for goodie bags for our staff.

We hope these first few steps we've accomplished will inspire you to get going on that planning!

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In Episode 32, it's a Festive Fall Faculty Fun party we call Pumpkin Pizzazz - a fun kick-off to fall for our staff to get together and decorate pumpkins.

Invitations: Create a fun graphic to get everyone in a fun, fall mood and send via Paperless Post or Evite so you can easily track who's attending.

What to wear: Make it as simple and convenient as possible for staff. We just suggest everyone wear black and then we may provide some fun really inexpensive masks for everyone to wear for photos we might take.

If your staff wants to dress up, a fun idea is to use this halloween costume generator from Different Drummer Dance.

Food: Breakfast - Fall/pumpkin flavored donuts, pastries and coffee.
Lunch: Cater something simple like Chicken Salad Chick
Sweets: Fall/Halloween themed Donuts, cookies and candy.

Set-Up: You can go full out or keep it simple; inside or outside. You can do a Fall theme, Halloween theme or even in the theme of your show. We recommend doing outside if weather permits!

Craft supplies: Glue guns, E-6000, Elmer’s Craft Glue, craft/scrapbook/glitter paper, pom pom balls, googly eyes, spiders, halloween stickers, rhinestones, pipe cleaners. Fall or Halloween paper plates and small bowls to use for everyone to gather their craft supplies in is key.

We also set up a cute table for the food, and had a shelf outside to display the completed the pumpkins. The decorated pumpkins are so fun for the kids to look at and guess which one is from their teacher. You can create contest for dancers to select their favorite or just use them as decor!

If you have time during your staff get together, this would be a great opportunity to teach them our Halloweek on the Dance Floor combo. New combo coming soon, but check out all our past combos here.

You can easily this translate this event into a teen or company member bonding event. You can buy lots of $1 tiny pumpkins and use Sharpies to decorate them.

Take photos and video of your event - each person with their pumpkin and a group shot. Use video footage to create a Reel/story, etc! This is such a fun event to share on social media and also great pics to use for a staff bday and on your staff page in your year-end show program!

We hope this inspires you to get in the mood for fall and/or halloween and put something simple and fun on the calendar for your staff.

More Halloween Fun:
Let the Spooktacular Halloweek Games Begin
October Mood: Wickedly Enchanted
Our Top Ten Spooktacular Ideas for Dance

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Episode 31 was recorded from our hotel room in New York City! We are here again after missing it for 2 years searching for fabulous fabric for our custom costumes!

At Rhythm, we have always designed our own costumes and had them made for our performing company dancers. For years, we would have people ask us where we bought our costumes or how we went about designing them and the actual sewing process. So, a few years ago, we created Fabric Shopping in NYC: A Complete Guide for Designing Custom Costumes available for purchase in our Confetti Shop. It’s a step-by-step guide to finding the perfect fabrics and trims to create custom costumes for your studio. We use it ourselves and this trip, we used it to confirm which fabric stores were still in business, and most are still going strong!

What is the same?

• The feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the choices that NYC fabric shopping gives you is definitely the same! We were worried the garment district took a hit due to Covid with Broadway being shut down, but it is alive and well with most of our favorite stores still in business with tons of amazing fabrics!
• The many, many smells are the same!
• Amazing trim and appliqué options - the same!

What's different?

• A few locations have moved or closed, not many have fully disappeared. The store owners told us the break was a great time to negotiate rent and better opportunities.
• One of our favorite go-to stretch houses - Spandex World (it was on 35th) is no longer there. We think they have just condensed to their Queens location, which we didn’t make it to on this trip.
• Several restaurants are gone but we found a few new ones that we loved! Beatnik on 38th near Broadway is vegan and great!

Top 3 places we shopped this week (all between 7th & 8th)
Spandex House - 263 W. 38th - Always a go-to! They have TONS of stretch fabrics, are super nice and the same people have been working here for years! They always let us store things, move fabric around and let us sit on the floor and figure things out! And, they have quantity on site, so they can handle big orders!

Vardhman, Inc. - 269 W. 39th - This TINY store has trim, elastic and ribbons. Small but incredible selection of fun appliqués and patches. Think smiley faces, flowers, eyeballs, planets and quirky, fun sparkly little things!

MOOD - 225 W. 37th on 3rd Floor - The building is called “Bricken Arcade” and you can enter on 37th or 38th. This store is the best store EVER - the options are limitless! They have every type of fabric in every color, texture, print, weight...it is a literal fabric candy store!

We highly recommend checking out the Garment District -mainly 37th - 39th between 7th and 8th. Learn more here!

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Episode 30 is Part 3 of our Preschool Dance Party Series! We have a very special guest with us – our preschool director Ms. Jenni! She is responsible for so much preschool fun, we consistently get her feedback for Twirl and she is a regular contributor to our Camp Confettis and much more! She's celebrating her 16th season with us at Rhythm!

Her top 4 tips for running a successful preschool class:
1. Be flexible - be ready to change your plan at all times
2. Creativity - give them a visual for everything you are describing
3. Patience - all kinds of patience! Connect with each student, have a question of the week, get them talking
4. Be comfortable with some controlled chaos and have your methods for reeling them back in
5. Consistency and structure

She talks about how Twirl inspires her creativity and her favorite themes in Twirl are fairies, space, 50s and 70s, dinos (she uses plastic eggs with a big gem in it and they go for a dig and earn a gem for performing a step). Dino Foot Prints: laminate them so they last longer

Planning our Twirl Season: Track in Google Doc, usually one per month, hold round tables, the week before sends reminders and details to teachers and assistants with details about props, sets up early on the first lesson of the week. Week before send email reminder to families of theme, what to wear. Week after send recap email with fun photos.

How she formats a Twirl class: Start in tap shoes, warm-up center, then across the floor. If activity is tap, bring books out earlier; if ballet, later. How we handle the books depends on the class - either inspiration or read whole thing. Let them find the page, review, put books away. Keep the same elements of the theme throughout the class even after done with the Twirl activity.

Favorite props: Technical - hula hoops, color dance dots (teach jazz square), ballet barres, parachutes, footprints; Fun Props - Flashie Cards, light-up wands, finger lights, ribbon sticks, light machine, scarves.

Organizing Props: Books are kept in magazine racks, uses closet rods to hang some items, baskets/bins to store like props. If you are moving from one studio to another, keep a set in a bin to take with you. Sort items that "work" from those that "don't work"

She uses some of the Twirl activities/themes every week mermaids, flower stretches, rainbows, unicorns, not just on Twirl weeks.

Check out our #rhythmtwirl hashtag for pics of all the Twirl fun at Rhythm!

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Episode 29 is Part 2 of our Preschool Dance Party series. We're sharing ideas for Preschool Progressions - fun ways to up our across-the-floor game! Dancing across the floor is fun and if your preschoolers continue dancing, progressions are not going anywhere! Start helping them understand standing in line, waiting their turn, going across the floor to get individual feedback from the teacher, doing a series of steps, working on coordination and just adding in some creativity and FUN!

Hopscotch: Great for working on coordination skills, jumping and shifting weight from one foot to two. Create a hopscotch path with tape, chalk, rubber mats, etc. Use animal options like bunnies, kangaroos, frogs, grasshoppers and even cats. Purchase inexpensive animal headbands, bunny ears or poodle skirts for them to wear to add fun. As they advance, add a rhythm and musicality challenge to it.

Rainbow Runner: Use a table runner for a vibrant visual path that the dancers can skip down, chassé, do heel drops, etc. Purchase a 100 ft. rainbow plastic tablecloth roll for an instant colorful path!

Obstacle Courses: Preschoolers love something specific to focus on like traveling to different locations and making each stop along the path something exciting. Theming them out to the fullest keeps them engaged and interested in what’s going on. Our Twirl Flashie Cards are great for obstacle courses. You can place the cards at the different stops and they have to flip them over and demonstrate whatever the step or image is.

Dino Feet: Cut out giant dinosaur prints from poster board ~14x8, add tape to secure, place multiple sets side by side facing different directions. The dancers jump on two feet right on top of the dino prints but have to change their direction to match the direction the prints are facing. You can do this activity with any feet - puppy, cat paws, snowman, etc.

Hula Hoops: Set them up for each of the stops along the path and they can jump into them and demonstrate certain steps, they can jump out of them, pick it up and use it as a handheld prop, and they can crawl or step through them. Imagine they are giant donuts or wheels, etc. Or line them up across the floor touching and the kids can pretend they are astronauts and do moon jumps from one hoop to the next. Then they can try to moonwalk back to the end of the line.

Bonus fun: create a human maypole. Tie really long pieces of ribbon around the hula hoop, enough for each dancer to hold onto one. Make a circle and hold the hula hoop up high over your head while the dancers will dance with the ribbons.

Ideas for Keeping Dancers Standing in Line: Stanchions, Rugs ("magic carpet"!), Yoga mats , Dance Dots (turn them into flower petals, musical notes, bunny ears, etc.) , Colorful Tape

Think outside the box, add a piece of imagination to it and have fun!

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Episode 28 is Part 1 of a new series called Preschool Dance Party and we're sharing 8 fun props you can use in your preschool dance classes!

We put a big focus on our preschoolers as they are the future of our studio. Be confident that your preschool team truly loves working with the little ones. They feed off the energy of the teacher, and that energy needs to be amazing and positive and nurturing.

We use our Twirl program - check out Episode 24! We also offer Fairytale Ballet, Hip Hop & Pop as an intro to Hip Hop and Petite Pizzazz (invitation-only). Variety is important because when you limit the options, you run the risk of losing them to gymnastics, cheerleading or possibly another studio.

Our ultimate goal with props is to bring fun and excitement to keep them engaged and wanting to come back!

Finger Lights & Firefly Jars: Each dancer gets a few lights for each hand; we turn out the lights and let them float around the room being fairies or fireflies.

totesadorbs Beastly BFFs: These adorable friends are animals that we painted and gave them cute accessories and made them fabulous!! Check out this blog post for ideas!

Disco Vibes: Make your class more magical with a Disco Ball, Karaoke machine with a built-in light show option that moves to the beat of the music, Light-up magic wands and glow sticks!

Do you Want to Build a Snowman?: This winter activity is well worth the work for creating it!

Piñatas: Inexpensive and great to decor! Dancers can carry them as they demonstrate specific steps across the floor, pass them in a circle, or use in an obstacle course.

Twirl Flashie Cards: This is a super fun product that comes with 2 complete sets of 20 cards (total of 40 cards) + suggested uses!

Styrofoam Rings Covered in Duct Tape: These handheld props are great for working on coordination skills. Use a foam ring or heart shape to work arm coordination while the feet are tapping.

Flamingo Themed Crafts/Props: Flappy the Flamingo Cane: This blog post tells you how to create one; Use pink feather dusters as a handheld prop to work on coordination skills; and feather feet, which are super cute little additions to the dancers’ tap shoes. They are so easy to make by using an elastic band and three pink feathers glued to it. They easily slip on and off their tap shoes and add a fun little fluff to their tapping.

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In Episode 27, we're sharing 5 things we're doing right now to get ready for the new season!

1. Final Marketing Push: Our office manager gives us daily updates on what enrollment looks like for every class and this is how we determine our marketing strategy and what makes the most sense when creating ads or social posts. Run FB ads for specific classes with openings. Hold free trial classes and advertise through email and social media focusing on new students and current dancers who might add additional classes. This gives dancers a chance to try a different genre without a commitment. Teachers explain what they can expect in class, and do a short demonstration. Offer incentives for anyone who registers after attending!

2. Update website and social: Read through every page on your website and update it with new dates, stats, details. Even if a potential customer finds you on social media or hears about you from a friend or a google search...they are most likely going to head straight to your website! Is it user friendly? Is your schedule easy to find and understand? Can they register online? Dates and info updated and correct? Is your dress code there? Your website needs consistent check ins and updates, especially now. Same with your social feeds - make current and show all aspects of your studio and what is happening, show different classes/styles and all thats going on in your studio, behind the scenes etc.

3. Welcome Back Party and Open House: Listen to Episode 26 for details! Our theme this year: PLANET RHYTHM..Blasting off into a new season! We're carrying it over into the first week of classes also so everyone can enjoy the fun if they couldn't come. See #planetrhythmblastoff for fun pics!

4. Staff Kick Off: Set the tone for the season, reviewed staff guidelines and procedures. We created our Vision statement and re-did our core values! We also hold individual meetings with each member to start the year. We will have them fill out a google form prior to the meeting with some questions and goals and such and we always talk about strengths and weaknesses and anything new with their role or that needs to be addressed with their role. This is an important part of making sure we kick off the season all on the same page!

5. Updating the Studio: Normally a big deal but was put on backburner last year. This is something we put a lot of focus on each year, but, just being honest, it was put on the back burner all of last season. Doesn't require major updates, but fresh paint, maybe a new step and repeat or photo area where everyone will take photos and post on their social channels. Give your front desk or office a little makeover since that’s the one place most parents are going to see if you’re opening your lobby this season. Maybe you can update simple signage to direct everyone where to go since it’s been a while. It will make you feel better when you walk in the space and your customers will absolutely notice and appreciate it.

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In Episode 26, we're sharing some fun ideas and themes for Back To Dance!

We always have an Open House and Welcome Back Party at Rhythm to kick off our new season. Dancers meet their teachers, see the studio and watch performances. We're using our Rhythm Jungle Jam as an example.

First, we choose a theme, then we create a name for the event based on the theme. Next, make lists of keywords and interchange them with your studio name until you find one you love! If you’re marketing for a specific age group or specific genre of dance, you would want to name it accordingly.

Create a Hashtag: It doesn’t have to be the exact event name, but keep it simple and unique to your studio so customers will use it. Use it on every single photo you post from the event. #RhythmJungleJam

Create custom photo backdrops: We repurposed a photo backdrop from our show by replacing a few items to convert it from candy to animal print. More ideas in this episode. We also have a fun wall that we change up throughout the year to match our themes/events.

Other fun ideas:

• Designed stickers and buttons, printed through Sticker Mule to give away at event
• Staff and dancers dressed in their favorite wild/jungle attire.
• Animal print balloons and glow sticks
• Spotify playlist with a ton of fun wild, jungle, party songs on it

Pre-Covid, our open house was carnival atmosphere with everyone going from studio to studio with a bounce house, face painting, fashion shows, performances, dance parties, photos and more! The studio was packed and crazy and amazing!

Socially distanced, our theme was Rhythm Berry Bananza! A small cluster of guests were escorted from room to room, each with a different experience: A welcome and fun performance, teacher photos, learning about our year-end show with photos and posters, company performances, photo ops and class demonstrations. Staff was available to answer questions about classes or registration, and they received prepackaged snacks as they left! Since one staff member escorted them through the whole thing, it flowed smoothly, controlled the crowds and ensured all attendees got full experience!

10 fun themes for almost any event:

• Rainbow (Rhythm Rainbow Dance Party)
• Wild About Rhythm (Jungle Jam)
• Disco Skate Party (Disco anything!)
• Fruit Punch Party (All things fruity, fresh, colorful, summery)
• Candy Carnival (All things sweet)
• Out of this World (Rhythm Space Jam)
• Dance Grooves & Game Time (Rotation of games incorporating dance)
• Splash Bash (Rhythm Splash Bash - all things water, beach, hawaiian)
• Princesses, Villains & Magic...Oh My! (Disney-esque)
• Bloomin’ Boogie (floral, garden, sunny, happy)
• Our Twirl to Go downloads are a fun resource for activities or themes too!

We hope this has inspired you to come up with a fun theme to kick off your new season!

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In Episode 25, we are so excited announce our newest Confetti Course: YOUR FUN BIG SHOW - a complete recital planning course! We love our year-end show, and we get so excited about all the aspects of it. We start planning it early and use our theme to market our studio for the entire season.

We have shared quite a lot about our show on the podcast (Ep 13, 14, 16, 22) but in YOUR FUN BIG SHOW, we are sharing our exact formula and all the things we use to plan our show in detail! There’s no better way to get started planning than using YOUR FUN BIG SHOW as a guideline to create a fun experience for your dancers and parents!

Your Fun Big Show officially launches on Oct. 1, when you’ll be able to listen and learn at your own pace to presentations and guidelines from Becca & Dani. Hashtags of our past shows: #rhythmfrozen, #intothefunknown, #wonkarhythmfactory, #rhythmuponadream, #wholerhythmworld.

During the course, you’ll hear us discuss topics like:

• How to get yourself in the zone to create the most fun show!
• A planning calendar and timeline for your entire season to execute every aspect of Your Fun Big Show
• Selecting and announcing a recital theme
• Branding your entire year around your show theme
• Holding a recital retreat
• Structuring your show to captivate your audience and tell a story
• Creating full-out preschool productions
• Adding a WOW factor to all things recital!

You’ll also have unlimited access to Your Fun Big Show Dropbox with a complete Recital Retreat Planning Guide that includes

• Recital Planning Checklist and Tips
• Master Spreadsheet Template to track, plan and organize your show details
• Fun planning retreat ideas
• Recital Resource Guide

Upgrade to our VIP Experience where you receive all of the above PLUS…

• Recital Packet Canva Design Template
• Recital Program Checklist
• A list of fun recital theme ideas and creative ways to name Your Fun Big Show!

Check out our fun promo video!

Our show is, literally, the most fun and full-out thing we do all year and we want to help you feel the same about yours.

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In Episode 24, we're talking all things Twirl and sharing what’s new, what’s changed and also what it means for the original Twirl program. We’ve listened to your feedback over the past 4-5 years and this update reflects many of those requests.

Twirl is our preschool program that we like to describe as a dance party in your classes once per month. It fits into your existing curriculum and serves as a supplement with creative, outside the box activities for your tiniest dancers. It includes adorable characters that your dancers can relate to, catchy rhymes and a really fun activity book for each dancer.

Updated Features:

• New boy character Diego! Every Twirl activity will now include optional variations for boys, along with an image of Diego that your dancers can relate to.
• Twirl is now 3 levels - Pink, Lilac & Yellow
• Streamlined activities across all 3 levels to follow the same theme on same lesson, making it easier for studios using all 3 levels when planning and decorating for Twirl week.
• We removed the Find-it-Fun page added a space on each activity page for the dancers to receive a special sticker once they’ve accomplished that activity. We will provide you, the teacher, with sheets of stickers that coordinate with each of the activities and each Twirl week, you’ll give each dancer a sticker of achievement for their book.
• Our most requested update is that we will include 3 images for you to use to promote Twirl at your studio, as well as 3 social posts including the image and text.
• We're including more ideas for studio decor based on each of the themes that can really help set the tone as soon as the kids walk in the room. And, we are planning on adding an optional step and repeat banner for TWIRL studios that you can use in your studio for Twirl weeks or all the time even!
• Lastly, we’ve added lots of new song suggestions for each of the activities and themes.

We are so excited about these new features! This Fun + Fresh update will launch this weekend on our website and the new packs will be ready to ship in September.

So, what does that mean for the original Twirl packs? We have placed all remaining stock on sale while supplies last. A few suggestions for using these books

• Short 8-10 week sessions in the spring after you have closed out classes for the season.
• Summer dance camps! You can easily get through all the lessons in a 3-5 day camp and the kids will have a fun book/souvenir to take home with them.
• Buy one set to have at the studio, we use the lessons all the time during summer dance camps, dance and play parties and even just in class.

Twirl Lilac is sold out and Pink and Yellow are not far behind. There’s a pretty good supply of Aqua, so if this is something you’re interested in, this is the best time to get them. Once they are gone, we will not do another reprint.

If you’ll be at Dance Teacher Web in Vegas, stop by our booth to say hi!
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In episode 23, we are back from our short summer break and recovered from our crazy recital week. Now we are ready to transition into our next season for our studio AND kick off a new season for Confetti on the Dance Floor!

After our shows ended, we asked our entire studio to consider writing a google review and giving us a 5-star rating. This was coming off the most exciting time for them, their dancers, and us, and those reviews that came flying in! They are benefiting us in our google rankings like never before. It’s definitely worth trying!

Transitioning to a New Season

• We made a mega list of things that have to happen during the 3rd qtr of 2021.
• We are referencing our ongoing "Do Better" list that we maintain year round and working to implement that into our task list for next season.
• In the show, we reference the P Report - it's technically a PPP report and stands for Progress, Plans and Problems.
• Website and Social Media Update - now is a good time to update all that for your new season - website is a beast but I did get a start on that. Set aside an hour or so each week for the next few weeks so that by end of July you have your website all updated!
• Do a brain dump and write down everything you know has to happen in the coming few months. You don’t have to tackle it all, but it gives you a clear picture of what’s ahead and makes it easier to delegate projects.

NEW PRODUCTS AND CONFETTI UPDATES: You're hearing it here first! We to announce:

• We are updating and refreshing our TWIRL Preschool program! We will have a promo out soon letting you know about all the new updates! We are super excited and we think you will be too!
• WOW Cards - Our original version is coming BACK and better! Now called WOW Sweet Celebrations, we updated a few cards, kept your faves, and added a strip to write a message. We also added the strip on WOW v2 (now called WOW High Fives & Oh Yeahs). All will be available for purchase soon!
• We are launching a new course this fall all about recital: Your Fun Big Show! The promo and info for that will launch at our events this summer! We will be have a presale for this course, so stay tuned for that announcement too!
• We are working on a few more things that are still in testing mode, but we are hopeful we can talk about those soon!

Summer Events:

• Dance Teacher Web in Vegas July 23 - 26 (Dani and Becca will be attending and Shelley and Beth will be in charge of our booth!)
• Rhee Gold’s Dance Life Teacher Conference in Connecticut July 27 - 30 (just Shelley & Beth)
• Energize in Chicago Oct 1-3 (Becca and Dani presenting and we will have a booth!)

We hope to see you at one of these events!!

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In Episode 22, we are back with our final installment of the Recital Fun Series! If you haven't listened to Parts 1, 2 and 3 yet, make sure to listen!

Today we are sharing 3 recital-related accommodations we made for Covid that we plan to continue in the future

1. Bundling Costs and Pre-Orders: Instead of selling things individually like t-shirts, videos, etc., we bundled them together and this allowed us to make a larger profit each item to help us afford the venue we are in, but ultimately we were able to cut some of those costs for our clients.

Our fun bundle - “FUNdle” - includes 2 tickets, 1 download, recital fee, t-shirt, face mask, lanyard, year-end show goodie bag and luggage tag.

We created a google form for t-shirt selection (size, color) and 98% of our 900 plus families filled it out on time! We gave a unique code to each family to claim their 2 pre-paid tickets in the FUNdle. This guaranteed all families would get their 2 tickets.

2. Dress Rehearsal & Tech Week: We held Dress Rehearsal in our studio this instead of the theater. We always have our tech week in the studio about 3 weeks prior to show week, so we are thinking we will combine the two and make tech week a little bit bigger and more elaborate. Some of the benefits for us were:

• Since the kids were coming in costume, parents were coming, and group photos were being taken, it forced us to get ALL of the props and sets completed in a much more timely manner. In the past, tech week was just for us to make our lighting and backdrop notes, so we weren’t overly concerned with every detail being complete. This year, everything was 100% done and ready to load in the truck 2 full weeks prior to showtime.
• It forced us and our teachers to get choreography done earlier, which is a win for everyone involved.
• We had fun photo ops for everyone set up in different areas of the studio which triggered lots of social media posts, which again is a win for everyone.
• Many of you may already do this, but we had everyone pre-order their t-shirts and they’ve already received them. Such a benefit as they are already wearing them, which is advertising for the studio and the show. And, we don’t have to take hundreds of t-shirts to the show in hopes of selling them.

3. Character organization and rehearsals: We include characters in our routines to tie the story together (we create a big production number for our preschool classes that include the characters to make it more magical), and we usually just make it happen at dress rehearsal. This year, we had Emily (our Summer Camp Director) organize and manage it instead of us figuring it out last minute. It's a lot of improv vs. choreo. We held rehearsals and have organized spreadsheet ready to go! We are way more prepped for the show now than we normally have!

PODCAST UPDATE: We will on hiatus for the month of June to have some much needed rest and relaxation! We will be back in July!

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In Episode 21, we have Shelley Marshall, our go-to for Confetti on the Dance Floor and much more! She covers all the things she does for Rhythm and Confetti and also shares some upcoming summer events.

Shelley is Becca's sister and was hired in 2016 to be the COO of Rhythm and to help launch Confetti. Confetti took off a lot faster than we thought so her role is way more Confetti than Rhythm. She runs all the day to day - customer service, website and shipping, emails, writes the blog, podcast notes, all the camp confettis and more. For Rhythm, she handles HR, communications, payroll, a lot of year-end show duties including the Master Spreadsheet (FYI, there are 56 columns...Shelley overshot that a little in the episode haha!), and much more.

Top 3 questions Shelley gets from customers!
1. What's included in Camp Confetti & how long are the camps? You can adapt Camp Confetti to fit any time length. Ours are 3-day or 5-day for 3 hrs/day, but our customers use them in lots of different formats. Camp Confetti includes a super fun theme with a detailed description and social post/image for promoting, Preschool camps includes a storyline to help engage the dancers in the them, Videos of center floor combos approx four 8-counts each, At least 3 super detailed dance activities, Music suggestions, a fun dance game, At least 4 fun craft ideas, including supply lists, coloring pages, certificates, and lots of extras like studio decor and bonus fun!

We have 26 different Camp Confetti Summer Dance FunPack themes!

2. How can I use this image/logo? We provide logos and social images with some of our products, and while we provide guidelines, there is definitely some gray area, so we get a lot of questions making sure that a logo or image is being used correctly or asking permission to use them in a certain way. We really appreciate these questions because part of maintaining a trademark and copyright is that we have to police them. So if you are ever unsure, just ask!

We provide the logo for you to use in conjunction with our products. Our Twirl studios can use the logo in the same year they purchase the Twirl Packs, but if they decide to not purchase Twirl Packs for the next season, then the name Twirl and the Twirl logo cannot be used in their class names, marketing materials, etc.

Camp Confetti you can use forever once you have bought a camp, but only in conjunction with our themes, not tagged in any other camps you might hold at your studio that are not Camp Confetti.

3. Honestly the other most popular question is “How did you do that/make that/create that”? We design everything ourselves and work with our long standing graphic designer and local printer to produce them. We craft on the fly and make it happen!

Camp Confetti Summer:
Dance Teacher Web = July 23-26 Las Vegas
Dance Life Teacher Conference = July 27-30 Connecticut
Energize = Oct 1-3 Chicago

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In Episode 20, we are sharing how we structure our performing companies at Rhythm! It's Important to us that we can offer many opportunities to the dancers at Rhythm. We've grown into 11 Performing Companies and 5 Spotlight Programs.

Mini Stars: Youngest group, approx age 6-7, required to be at the studio 2 days/wk for jazz, tap, ballet & hip hop. Most also take an optional contemporary class. They have a few weekend rehearsals, attend conventions and compete jazz, HH and tap at 3 competitions.

Connection: Intermediate, entry level company. It’s extremely desirable because the commitment isn’t overwhelming from a time or financial standpoint and they can still do other activities while remaining a big part of our studio culture. 4 different age groups: Minis, Juniors, Teens and Seniors all required to take weekly classes in jazz, hip hop and ballet; plus we have a tap company they can audition for. They compete at 3 non workshop, intermediate level competitions, with no solos or nationals, and attend one convention per year.

Fusion: Intermediate/advanced company with two levels: Teen and Senior. This is a higher commitment company for dancers who have the ability and talent to compete/perform at an advanced level, but are not ready for or not interested in the full Edge commitment. They take one class each in jazz, tap, hip hop, contemporary & body awareness + 2 weekly ballet classes. They compete in jazz, tap, hip hop and contemporary and have an opportunity to audition for an extra group that varies in style from year to year. They attend 3 conventions and compete at 2, and also attend 3 competitions without workshops.

Edge: Our highest level performing company and requires the highest commitment time-wise and financially for the 4 levels: minis, juniors, teens and seniors. This group attends 5 conventions throughout the season, competes at all 5 of those, and then also attends nationals over the summer. Beyond nationals and national rehearsals, they have a required summer intensive at the end of the summer. Each group competes in all styles as a company, but also audition for extra pieces: small groups, productions and/or guest artists and solos.

Spotlight: Not part of our actual company, it’s an invitation only group that is a stepping stone should the dancers eventually want to audition for company. We have 5 different age levels. It's for the dancers who aren’t quite ready for company or love doing a little more, but don’t want the commitment of company. They are required to take 1 jazz class and 1 ballet class, scheduled back-to-back for convenience. Many of them take optional additional classes. At the end of the season, they compete jazz at one competition and they love it! It just gives them a little taste of what the companies do and sometimes it sparks more interest.

Each company has a director who takes ownership of all the responsibilities! We have an amazing team that understands our vision and culture and can foster that within each company or invitation only group!

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May is the craziest time of year for dance studios! So we are sharing a few things that are motivating us to push through and make it to the finish line.

1. Vacation! It's so important to take time off and do nothing dance related, even if it is a staycation! Inspiring destinations can sometimes spark creativity for your studio. Our plan is to take most of June off since we took no time off this past year+ due to Covid!

We always find inspiration when traveling - whether for work or personally! For example, we spent our working Spring Break in Nashville and loved it! You may even see a fun Nashville-inspired Camp Confetti next year! It also inspired us to come up with a name for our little covered picnic area we created this season: Rhythm Ranch! Palm Springs is a favorite destination for us and it inspired our Boho Desert Bash Camp Confetti, a few mini jazz themes and tons of decor!

2. The possibility of getting together with other teachers and studio owners again, whether it’s at a conference or doing it on our own.

• More Than Just Great Dancing - July 19-20 (Member Rally) and Teacher Training July 23-34
• Dance Teacher Web - Vegas July 23-26 (Confetti will be there)
• Dance Life Teacher Conference - Connecticut - July 27- 30 (Confetti will be there)
• Energize - Revolution - Oct 1-3 in Chicago

3. Podcasts! Summer is a great time to catch up on podcast episodes we didn't have time to listen to throughout the season. We are currently the loving:

• Transform My Dance Studio podcast takeover with Kim McSwain! There are so many great ones - read through all the titles to find the one you need to hear!
• Stacy Tuschle
• Second Life (non-dance)
• Amy Porterfield (non-dance)

We know you guys are in the same boat we are right now and feel like you’re never going to get everything done. But, you will (and we will), and hopefully this has helped inspire you to think about the fun stuff you have coming up once the crazy is over. Obviously, we are looking forward to seeing all our hard work come together for our shows, but you have to have something beyond that to look forward to when the crazy calms down. Put something on your calendar now and look at it every day for motivation!

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In Episode 18, we're diving back into summer with our Summer Camp Director (and Rhythm alum and Connection Performing Company Director), Emily Salerno.

Pre-Emily, we would launch summer enrollment in Jan/Feb and then we would not plan anything else until right before camps started - staffing, planning, shopping, etc. Now with Emily and Camp Confetti we are in a much better position!

General timeline for the year: Nov: set preliminary dates (factor in key staff summer availability); Jan: assign main themes to each camp, create collateral (summer camp brochure, website) and launch registration, plan launch week theme with special discount, April: finalize teachers; May: confirm assistants, send out Camp Confetti packets for staff to review/plan; June: order/purchase supplies.

Organizational Tools: Google Docs. Forms, Calendar & Sheets; Dropbox to hold all Camp Confetti in one place for all the teachers, Twirl to Go!

Canva - advertising/marketing/graphics - summer packet (5-6 page packet with dates, cost, times, etc.) and smaller 1-page flyer. Tip: Added a QR code linked to our packet so parents could scan it from our door and access out packet.

Camp Prep Process: May: reminders, plan and shop for the camps that start early summer; send themes to the camp leads so they can shop for their own items; 2 weeks before camp: create day to day camp breakdown - schedule for each day, activities, crafts; One week prior: craft shopping for next week's camp, staff reminders, hours required- assistants required to stay to help set up crafts for next day craft prep. Friday before camp starts, breakdown decor and set up for next week camp.

Camp Confetti Invitation Printing Hack: Avery Shipping Labels - 4 to a page. The stickers make it easier for preschoolers to stick instead of glue.

Parent Communications: Wed-Fri week before camp begins - schedule, what to wear, location, showcase time; additional reminders daily for what to wear/bring.

Tip: Keep summer camp fun - dancers don't have to be perfect - they are coming off their recital, keep it fun and look at it as marketing for your studio.

If you are not in a position to hire a director, take a few of these tips and delegate some of the tasks to open up time for you to focus on other things or maybe even take a little time off. Start somewhere, start small and build on that position as you can!

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In Episode 17, we're sharing 5 ways to add FUN to the last several weeks of your dance season.

Share the Love! Get your dancers sharing their love for your studio as the season comes to an end. Create a fun coloring page with your studio logo and email it to every dancer to color/decorate as the wish. Have them take a photo in their recital costume holding the sign and post/tag you on social media. You can then share it and share studio love! NOTE: Canva Font referenced in this section: RIG SOLID BOLD HALFTO.

WOW your dancers with our WOW Cards! Dancers of all ages love to be rewarded for their hard work! A perfect way to do that is to give each of them a WOW Card - our colorful and fun tiny compliment cards that come in a box of 500 (we have 2 versions)! They are appropriate for all ages and include 25 each of 20 different designs! You can attach them to candy, stickers or certificates (Twirl customers!) or goodie bags to hand out in short ceremony at the end of your last class, leaving everyone feeling proud and happy! Check out #wowcarded to see how studios are using them!

Camp Confetti! While these fun downloads are designed for a 3-5 day camp session, you can use them so many ways: A short, free summer camp demonstration using one of the activities/games; a mini-mester, extra sessions during breaks and more!

Themed Registration Launch Week! Plan a launch for when your schedule and registration go live. Offer discounts/incentives to those who sign up during this week, give away a branded gift to the first X# students, hold drawings for free costumes, one month tuition credits, and even offer one grand prize of a free year of dance. Another fun prize is to select a few students at random to be used in a photo shoot over the summer to promote your fall classes! Kids love a photo shoot and obviously would love to be featured in photos! Use these photos to promote your fall classes in flyers, on your website and on social media! It’s a win win!

You could hold a themed event (outside if you aren’t back in the studio) using one of our Twirl to Go downloads to hold short preview classes on a Saturday! The point is to offer something that is fun and engaging as a short preview on your registration week to get dancers in the studio!

Company Awards/Party! We host a big party for our company dancers to celebrate their accomplishments for the year. Each dancer receives a specific award tied to a fun t-shirt. We create custom laminated bag tags with their name and award. The award names are always in the theme of the show! Ex: Everlasting Gobstopper for our Wonka themed show for the dancer who has non-stop energy, Fizzy Lifting Leaps for the dancer who has great jumps.

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

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In Episode 16, we're back with Part 3 of our Recital Fun series talking about how we finalize our year-end show plans and communicate to our customers.

Spring Break Planning Week: We've use Spring Break to finish up major show planning because we don’t have our usual day to day to deal with. We go somewhere fun and are very productive! Our typical solid "formula" doesn't quite work under covid, so this year takes a lot of extra planning. We bring one or two staff members along and focus on our packet, graphics, decor and more.

Year-End Show Packet: This 15-20 page packet holds ALL the details of our year-end show for our families in an easy to digest Q& A format, filled with colorful images and graphics to draw the reader in. We create a chart that includes each class, day & time, routine title, date and time of show, day and time of dress rehearsal, hairstyle, and shoes/tights/ leggings/accessories or any other accessories. We also include the running order of each show. We also hold several meetings to review all the details with parents in person or virtually and create short videos they can watch on our IGTV.

Designing Final Graphics for the Show: We create logos and artwork that we use in all our materials. We start by sketching out our ideas and sending to our graphic designer to execute along with a project list and due dates. Check out #rhythmfrozen to see how we've started branding the show, building excitement and keeping our clients updated!

Orders/Renaming Routines: This big task creates a flow that tells the story. We create fun names for each of the dances (including company dances) in line with the theme, like Elsa’s Fancy Ice Capades, Olaf’s Snowy Shuffle, Ice Ice Rhythm, and Let it Glow!

Character Involvement: Our characters are members of our Senior performing company and they play a large role in several of our pieces! They will be coming into the classes over the next few weeks to learn their parts. This is always something that adds a ton of fun to the routines, and the little ones are beyond excited to have Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven in their dances!

Finalizing Sets/Props: Our next big task is figuring out props and set building. We use makeshift props in most classes until the real props are ready. Our creative and talented staff get super crafty and help us create all our sets.

Tech Week: We usually hold a “tech week” at the studio and rent pipe and drape, cover the mirrors and have each class come into our big studio and run their dance for us. We take notes, determine lighting, review character involvement and props and just confirm we understand what is going on in each dance. This year, our tech week will actually be our dress rehearsal so we will go full out and have a backdrop and photo ops and more for dancers.

We hope you’ll be able to use some of these ideas to help you in the final stages of your show planning and they will hopefully make things easier for you and your customers.

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In Episode 15, our Studio Owner BFF Christy Curtis, owner of CC&Co Dance Complex in Raleigh, NC, is with us, and we're sharing a little about her, our friendship and how she inspires and motivates us!

Christy has trained some of the most incredible dancers and choreographers: Martha Nichols, Ariana Dubose, Kirsten Russell, Sarah Pippin and Jake Tribus to name a few! She is so well respected in our industry for her energetic and outgoing personality as well as her passion, grit and true love of dance! We met on a Break The Floor teacher retreat in Hawaii and quickly our studios were similar size and mindsets with many of the same issues and goals for studio growth!

Over the years, our friendships and our businesses have grown, changed and leveled up! We leaned on each other greatly during covid. We are always learning, educating ourselves and wanting to make all aspects of our businesses stronger! We continually motivate and inspire each other!

We discuss the Darren Hardy podcast and how Christy starts her day with the Darren Daily. Christy discussed how she motivates her team, especially the past year during covid.

• ID staff strengths and lean into their high achieving abilities
• Vulnerability - there is a lot I don’t know and I share that often
• Trust staff and let them co create and own their project
• Lots of Instagram shares, staff weekly update through MailChimp, live resources document, SLACK channel, gratitude channel, teacher training and get togethers

We love how quickly and efficiently Christy makes decisions and takes action. She shares that it goes along with trust and that she will move quickly if she believes in the person, product or idea. She also gets bored easily so loves to try new things, is OK if something doesn't work out, and always thinking ahead. She discusses using assistants to keep her organized so she can stay on task, even though it is hard!

To stay motivated, she loves talking with her dance friends, learning new ways to operate, joining like-minded, high level achiever groups: MTJGD, DH Hero Journey, The Locality (locally in Raleigh), podcasts on every morning, finding time to get away, travel, music, clothes, art scene. She has had an executive coach for 7 years, always working on weaknesses.

We talk about our get togethers/trips/zoom calls and phone check ins.

To learn more about Christy, check out the Confetti Conversation we had with her a couple years ago on our blog.

Christy is such a great friend and inspiring human, and she motivates and inspires us daily! So, take our advice (and Darren Hardy’s) and FIND AND HANG OUT WITH AWESOME PEOPLE!

Remember….Dance Friends are the Best Friends!

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

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In episode 14, we are back with Part 2 of our Recital Fun podcast and discuss ordering costumes, announcing our characters, props, production value, and our opening number!

Ordering Costumes: We review catalogs and decide on all costumes at recital retreat with our key staff. Once a costume is confirmed, we add the details such as catalog, wholesale cost, color and accessories into our master spreadsheet so it’s easily accessible when it’s time to actually place the order. If we can't find the perfect costume, we improvise by creating some of our own things and mixing with pieces from a catalog.

Announcing Characters: We use our Edge Performing Company dancers for characters as they already perform in every show! We usually choose graduating seniors as main characters and then they are also included in many of the preschool productions. We announce the characters on Instagram just like our show, and the kids start asking us about who the characters are right after we post the show! It creates lots of fun anticipation about the show! Once announced, we use them to promote the show. We also have a fun tradition of creating big posters of the characters that we use as decor at the show. Then, these posters hang in the studio as fun memory for everyone!

Props & Production Value: We call all our preschool class dances preschool productions. We create an experience for the kids and audience that feels like a 3-4 minute show within itself. This creates a memorable WOW factor and prompts many to register for next season right after the show.

• Take basic props a step further. EX: We bought a small electric kids' toy Ford F150 a few years ago and covered it in colorful duct tape to coordinate with our theme and had an older dancer drive it onto the stage in the middle of one of the preschool productions hauling giant piece of wrapped "candy" for kids to grab.
• Create fun background sets with a cut-out for dancers to walk through. EX: giant gum ball machine with a slide in the middle. When the kids slid down onto the stage, it looked like they were little gum balls coming out of the machine.
• Incorporate characters into the dance!

Creating the Opening Number: This is a "combo" routine of all 4 of our Edge companies and is one of our favorite things! We are the producers and create the idea, music, costuming and direct it all, but we have the Rhythm faculty and sometimes a guest contribute to the process! It's an amazing way to open our show as it is big, fun and VERY entertaining! We also compete it. The main characters have different costumes and then an separate costume for each company. This is the first year that we have divided up our companies due to covid. We did a Teen/Senior one that will open our show anda mini/junior one the teen senior one that will close act 1.

Episode 15 will include a special fun guest, and then for Episode 16 we will be back with part 3 of Recital Fun where we will dive deeper into our spring break planning week and all the final to-dos on our list.

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In Episode 13, we are talking all things recital! In Part 1 of 3, we cover choosing a location and a theme, announcing your show and our recital retreat!

Location of show: In normal years, our is theater booked a year in advance. In pandemic times, we have to flex! Due to restrictions at our theater, we had to find a new space for this year: a large convention space at a cool hotel near our studio! We are excited but overwhelmed with the work and creativity required since it is not a theater. We will build out a full stage, wings, dressing space and bring in a production company for lighting and sound.

Choosing a Theme: We start this process early in the season and announce in the Fall. We create a brand around the theme and use it all year to build anticipation! Story driven themes work best for us...if preschoolers AND dads know the storyline and characters, it's much easier!

Once the theme is confirmed, the brainstorming and research begins BEFORE we announce the show: watch the movie, take notes, discuss what parts/characters/concepts would be best for specific classes, purchase books, scour Pinterest and more BEFORE we announce the show. We take this process very seriously and continues throughout season until we make it to the stage!

Announcing the Show: We make this a really big deal! Our entire studio family gets VERY invested in the theme and announcement day. We reveal on Instagram and drop hints for a few days leading up to it in our stories and posts. These are some of our most engaging posts of the year! We have a show logo and fun announcement ready to go as soon as we announce!

Recital Retreat: This planning retreat with key staff is one of our favorite and most productive things we do all year! We rent a cabin, work around the clock for 3-4 days and plan our entire show. We also work hard to make the weekend fun! As the studio owners, we arrive a day early to set up, buy food (and drinks!), decorate in our theme and assemble goodie bags for everyone! We all watch the movie together and shout out ideas (both good and bad)! You can recreate this concept on a smaller budget, too!

Our task list is crazy, but the most important part: We outline every major task on a poster hanging prominently in our cabin, and we don't leave until it’s all completed! Our most critical tasks include assigning classes to shows, themes and music for all routines, choosing costumes, editing music, dress rehearsal schedule and identifying props and backdrops.

We create a master spreadsheet to store all our decisions in Google Sheets, as multiple people can edit at the same time. We will reference this spreadsheet throughout entire season and it becomes our tech sheet, check list, and so much more!

On next week's episode we will continue this conversation and talk about ordering costumes, announcing our characters, creating our opening number and our props and sets and preschool productions!

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

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In Episode 12, we are answering recent questions you've sent that we hope are fun and beneficial for everyone!

Do you design a new step and repeat for all your events?
No, but we do create a step and repeat each year in the theme of our year-end show in addition to our Rhythm-branded ones. We also recommend retractable banners. We design these along with our graphic designer, and use our local printer to produce them. We prefer the fabric ones over vinyl.

How do you store and organize preschool props?
We invested in big white double-door cabinets for each preschool dance room and styled them super cute. They are a challenge to keep organized over time but our preschool teachers are committed to putting things back where they belong after each class. At the beginning of the new season, we go through everything and donate, toss and replenish where necessary. Check out this blog post!

How do you run your Twirl program and how often do you hold Twirl weeks?
Twirl is our fun preschool program: Learn more here! It is not a curriculum, but a fun supplement that adds a fun dance party each month in class! Our preschool team plans our Twirl calendar at the beginning of season. We use Mailchimp to communicate the dates, themes, reminders and recaps (including photos taken from each class during Twirl week). Check out #rhythmtwirl!

Do you list invitation-only classes publicly on your schedule?
Yes and we note they are invitation only. We have a full description of each class type to educate our customers on what we offer. Advertising them sparks interest to learn more. We are transparent with our process for selecting dancers and encourage them to work hard if they are interested.

How often do you meet with your team?
We meet every Monday with our key staff, including company directors, studio manager, convention/comp registration manager and COO/HR - Shelley (who also runs Confetti!) This meeting often leads to additional one-off meetings. We communicate regularly with our full staff through Basecamp , and we hold several full staff meetings per year either in person or on Zoom.

You’ve been advertising your Frozen recital, what you will be doing this year?
We made the decision in the fall to hold a year-end show of some form and were confident in getting our families excited about it, even without confirmed details. We were hopeful to use our new local theatre, but created multiple alternate plans. We reached out early to several hotels/convention spaces and found an awesome venue near the studio. We put it on hold and this week, we made it all official and shared the exciting news with our whole studio. The feedback has been amazing, and everyone is so excited we can safely hold our fun shows!

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In Episode 11, we are sharing our go-to fun photo shoot tips and resources!

Models: Use your own dancers, be diverse in age, ethnicity and dance strengths. Communicate clearly what to bring/wear, obtain a signed photo release. Play music, guide their poses, be patient and explain exactly what you want in the shot. Throw confetti!

Photographer: Go professional, do it with your iPhone or barter with a parent!

Backdrops: Simple clean solid color wall, brick wall, colorful seamless photo backdrop paper, cool walls or fun murals or create your own backdrop based on your theme.

Lighting: Shoot outside or near a large window with light coming in behind camera, use your own lights and/or use apps to edit your photos for brightness.

Styling: Accumulate a collection of clothes and accessories in all sizes and styles, including repurposed costumes. Ask models to bring an old costume or attire that fits theme. Use handheld props and lots of accessories!

Seamless Backdrop Photo PaperHang on a photo backdrop stand or use duct tape and tape to the wall.
Atlanta Area: Professional Photo Resources (PPR) - 9ft (107” x 36”). Favorite colors: Sky Blue, Apple, Aspen, Orange, Carnation Pink, Mardi Gras, Thistle, Arctic White.
Elsewhere: check with your local photo supply store for photo backdrop paper
Online supplier: we have used Backdrops Express and had a great experience

Photo Shoot Decor

• Oh Happy Day Party Shop
• Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, Michael’s
• Party City
• Blick
• Oriental Trading
• Vintage Stores

Backdrop Ideas: Splatter paint, honeycombs, pinwheels, layered metallic fringe streamer curtains, balloon garlands and wrapping paper

Apps for Photo Editing: SnapSeed, ColorStory , Canva, iPhone editing/filters. Listen to Episode 7 - Making it hAPPen for more of our favorite editing apps!

General Inspo: Pinterest, Instagram; Take photos of things you love for 30 days in a row. What is a common denominator? That is your inspiration for what you are doing next! Studio DIY, Oh Joy, Sugar & Cloth - great blogs and photo shoot ideas! Make sure to find YOU in all this inspiration. Don’t just copy other accounts.

Now, go create a fun photoshoot with your dancers at your studio!

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

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In episode 10, we're helping you connect the dots of all aspects of your business to help you build a stronger dance studio brand. Your brand is the meaning that people attach to your product or service. You do not get to define this, your customers do!

Just like a simple connect-the-dots activity, the only way you can fully recognize the image (your brand) is to make sure all the dots are connected: website, social media, physical location, performances, competitions/conventions, costuming, studio decor, logo wear, advertising, your team, etc.

Logo: Your logo is a big part of your brand identity, so make sure it represents your studio well! Know when it is time to update it! Keep it simple enough so you can adapt it to fit a theme. We recommend working with a professional graphic designer.

Physical Studio: As soon as you walk into Rhythm, you know that our vibe is fun and colorful, from fun wallpaper, colorful decor, bright lighting and our ever-changing Rhythm Fun Wall. Make sure people feel your brand inside your studio too!

Website: From the wording (be authentic, match your brand tone and use your own voice, not someone elses) to the colors to the photographs, these are all part of connecting the dots to complete your studio image! You will need to invest money and time consistently. They are HARD to keep updated, but it's important to remember that you can’t just create it and forget about it. Keep the look and feel up to date with your studio brand!

Events: Make sure your customers/prospects can easily recognize you/your brand at offsite events. Branded signage is very important! Have your staff wearing latest logo wear, offer goody bags to attendees with studio info and branded items. Small details go a long way!

Social Media: Social media is an easy way to establish your brand identity. If you are doing your own, it creates immediate authenticity. If you have help, make sure you communicate clearly your brand voice, colors, vibe and mirrors all the other aspects of your business. Post more photos and less graphics, and create exclusive hashtags that match your brand and engage your audience.

Communications: Keep all your communications branded, from emails, newsletters, signage, etc. Include your logo and an eye-catching image, pay attention to color scheme, use exciting language and a compelling subject line.

Recital: We brand our recital at the beginning of our season, create a logo and a hashtag, and it becomes an extension of our Rhythm brand. When we announce our theme on social media it is our most commented and liked post of the year! We continue our branded theme to promote and decorate for every holiday, launch our summer programs, etc.

We hope this gives you inspiration and motivation to connect your branding dots! Think about all the “dots” in your studio, and do a check up on each to see how you can make them more cohesive to your brand!

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In Episode 9, we're sharing our go-to simple crafts that add fun and color to decor, props and events. And, we hope to inspire you to up your crafting game at your studio!

We create so many of our own backdrops, props, small, Twirl preschool crafts, and costumes! Check out #rhythmcraftcenter for fun photos. We also created this graphic with images of each item we discuss!

1. Cardboard Letters & Numbers: We purchase them at Hobby Lobby, but you can find them at most craft stores. We like the 18" letters, but the 8" ones are fun, too. We used them for a staff photo shoot by spray-painting the each letter of RHYTHM a different color, covered in spray adhesive and sprinkled glitter all over them. Since then, we’ve used these for almost every photo shoot and/or event by painting, covering them with Duck Tape and other craft supplies!

2. Pom Pom Balls: We LOVE pom poms! We have hot glued them on most everything : photo props, costumes, stage props, the cardboard letters and more! You can also purchase pom pom garlands or create your own to use as decor or in a photo shoot!

3. Felt Fabric: We use felt fabric to make capes, wings, ponchos, mermaid fins, skirts, little fanny packs, purses, bags, and so much more. Our November #FunConfettiMood blog post included a really cute pink A-Frame Cabin made out of felt!

4. Duck Tape: There are so many colors, fun prints and themes of this tape, available at craft and hardware stores. We prefer this over painting things sometimes as it creates a super saturated color, and you can make straight lines pretty easily too! We use it to cover cardboard letters, styrofoam floral wreaths, canes and even an electric truck we used for a stage prop!

5. Glitter Paper Mosaic: This tip will make your stage props shine super bright! Use glitter foam sheets or card stock and cut it into random shapes. Then hot glue them onto your surface to create a mosaic look. You can use multi-colored paper for a stained glass effect or different shades of the same color to create a water or sky effect.

The next time you are at a craft store, pick up some of these supplies and create something colorful and fun to use in your studio! And, if you use any of these ideas to create some fun, share with us!
Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

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In Episode 8, we're giving you 10 things you can do right now in studio to make dance fun!

1. Make a playlist that defines your studio and share it with all your students. Spotify is great! Check out our Confetti Spotify Playlists while you're at it!

2. Do a quick makeover in a space or two in your studio and make it look extra cute!

3. Host a parent appreciation station! If your lobby is closed right now, think outside the box!

4. Hold a fun photo shoot using your own dancers! We do do this often with dancers from our studio, and they love it!

5. Hold a contest or plan a special fun event related to your year-end show theme – as big or small as you want.

6. Send your dance studio BFFs a pizza or some cupcakes!

7. Launch confetti during class or during a performance. SO MUCH FUN!

8. Create a fun bulletin board for dancers to write their favorite dance memory!

9. Teach choreography from your favorite throwback music video!

10. Use one of our FUN Products in Dance Class! We're all about making dance fun and we have a few fun products that make it easy!

11. WOW Cards - Hand out these tiny compliment cards in class when students have a WOW moment, attach to gift for a teacher, or send home to a parent who helped you in some way! We have 2 different versions available and they are one of our most popular products!

12. 567cre8 Cards - This is a a lively improv inspiration card game to inspire fun kids to create cool dance moves. They add fun + creativity to any dance class! With 50 fun inspiration cards and two wild cards, dancers can express themselves through their own interpretation of the cards! We have two versions and both include an extra card with EIGHT ideas of how you can use these cards in class! Once you start using them, you'll come up with tons of creative variations of your own!
    • Elementary version: Each card includes one image and three descriptive words for that image to help guide the dancers.
    • Teen version: More challenging as each card only includes one word to describe a more abstract image, leaving more room for interpretation. These work great for improv sessions!
13. CAMP CONFETTI - We have 26 Summer Dance FunPack themes that plan your entire summer camp for you! Each one includes a camp theme, dance activities, crafts, social media image and marketing language, dance combos and much more! You can offer them year after year and even use some of the activities during the season! Check out this blog post for even more detail on Camp Confetti!

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group
• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

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In Episode 7, we're sharing our go-to apps for social media and productivity!

Canva: We prefer the user-friendly desktop version to create flyers, newsletters, presentations, postcards, etc. We use the paid Team version to share and make edits. You can also print directly from Canva (shipped to you), post direct to social channels, share to Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

Pic Collage: Create a photo collage from many options and sizes. We recommend the paid VIP version! Bloom symPOSYum includes a tutorial for this app!

Basecamp: Create a specific Basecamp to manage any event/project you have, assign tasks with deadlines, share files, message teams and more.

Over: Great fonts, templates and graphics to use for video, Facebook cover photos, business cards, etc.

Dropbox: We use for file sharing, storage, music and media management, to organize/share our recital/competition music, rehearsal videos, downloads for our customers and more!

Rhonna Designs: Use it to add graphics and texts to posts and pics, create quotes, flyers, calendars, create insta-story graphics and more.

Planoly: Visually plan and schedule your instagram content in advance!

Snapseed and Color Story: Photo editing apps for enhancing your photos to correct lighting, shadows, saturation, etc.

Google Drive: View and manage Google docs, sheets and forms.

InShot: User-friendly app to create and edit videos with filters, easy transitions, effects, backgrounds, music, stickers, text and more.

Pinterest: We use for almost every project/event, creating boards for costume design/ideas, collecting inspo for decor, props, crafts, etc. Check out our February MOOD boards!

iwatermark: For batching your logos on photos.

Word Swag: Use to create quote posts, class announcements, etc. It is very quick and easy to make text look professional quickly!

Magisto: Creates fun videos for you!

Hyperlapse: Use to speed up a video.

KiraKira: One word...sparkle!

Start by experimenting with a few of these! And, share your favorite apps with us, too!
Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group
• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

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In Episode 6, we're throwing kindness around like confetti! With the craziness of the past year, being motivated and staying positive is more important than ever! We've had some tough days but, ultimately, we are optimists who look for the bright spots!

We have been so inspired by our peers, friends and leaders in our industry and are sharing a few things we hope encourage you to focus on the positive things in your dance life! Celebrate the small successes and little things that make you happy!

Here's our list:
Farmgirl Flowers: The owner is super inspiring and her flowers are amazing!

Ruthie: Dani's tiny 7-pound dog is a source of joy through all the crazy.

New Space: Becca recently moved and it's made a huge difference!

Ability to work from home: We learned we can be productive from home while enjoying our actual homes!

Treat People With Kindness: This Harry Styles video and lyrics is so inspiring!

Challenge: Write down some things that are making you happy lately and celebrate them!

Three things that have helped us as studio owners:
1. Misty Lown: More that Just Great Dancing and Studio Owner University
Such a leader in our industry! She produced two amazing issues of Insight Magazine! It feels like a mini dance teacher conference in a magazine! Check out - Start Strong and look for our 2-page ad with a QR code for a free download.

We are attending Studio Owner University Virtual Feb 8-11 as studio owners and, Confetti on the Dance Floor will be a vendor at the event! If you are attending, schedule an appointment to meet with Shelley about our products and show specials!

2. Studio Owner Friends: We are fortunate to have several close studio owner friends we communicate with regularly. Through text chats, zoom meetings and happy hours, they brought us a sense of relief, confidence and reassurance during this crazy time. Also, both Clint Salter and Dance Studio Owner Facebook groups continue to be amazing places to connect and get advice from other studio owners. You can also join our Facebook group for free!

3. The Mind Juice Podcast: This is our friend and fellow studio owner Jen Jarnot's podcast! It's great motivation for dancers, studio owners, teachers and parents!

Challenge: Reach out to someone who has inspired you and let them know! Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle:
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group:
• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

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In Episode 5, we're sharing 3 ways to boost summers at your dance studio! These have helped us have successful summer months at Rhythm, and we hope they help you, too!

1. Offer an invitation only program that requires a summer camp in order for dancers to participate.

• Separate from performing companies but serve as stepping stone
• No additional requirements beyond mandatory summer camp
• Ours do two recital dances, get an embellished costume and attend one competition
• Designate directors who are enthusiastic, understand your studio's mission and can help the students thrive.
• Start small and watch it grow!

2. Offer multiple summer dance options!

• Virtual:Offer a completely virtual camp or a hybrid option that provides a fun experience to keep them engaged! Check out our Vibrant Virtual Dance Parties for ideas!
• Dance & Play Parties:Two-hour dance parties with a fun theme! We use our Twirl to Go or Camp Confetti themes. Coordinate a theme around a camp you're already hosting to save time on decor, etc. Invite an older company dancer to dress up as a character and offer a quick photo op.
• Open Classes: Intermediate/advanced drop-in classes. Offer a class card discount and incentives if they take a certain number of classes.
• Camp Confetti: 3- and 5-day camp options from various Camp Confetti themes for both preschool and elementary.
• Camp Rhythm: Very popular musical theatre camp that is always in the theme of our year-end show.
• Others: Private lessons, day camps, workshops for a specific style

3. Hire a Summer Camp Director to plan, organize, staff and promote it. Trust us!

More information on the Summer Launch we referenced in Ep 4:

• “Into the SUNknown” launch week theme to play off our recital theme
• Holding in our new outdoor space. Anna and Elsa will do a quick performance, photo op and hand out stickers/treats.
• We're creating a QR code that links to our Summer page

Reminder that our NEW Camp Confetti themes are available for presale! Take advantage of our launch specials: $200 each (ends March 26) or the Bundle special of all 4 new themes at $175 each (ends Feb 1).

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'll share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We would also love for you to share on social media that you listened to our podcast! Tag us and we will repost! We love socializing!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle: https://confettionthedancefloor.com/pages/confetti-circle
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/387508401945315
• Follow us on social media!
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confettionthedancefloor/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confettionthedancefloor
  • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/confettiontheda/_saved/

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In Episode 4, we're sharing a tips for having a successful summer at your dance studio and answering your top questions about Camp Confetti!

Three things we do at our studio every January and February to make our summer dance camps as successful as possible:

1. Schedule your dates! We plan our company summer intensives in the fall and get those on the calendar first. In January, we plan which weeks will work for Camp Confetti, Dance n Play Parties, etc.
2. Announce the dates! We announce our non-company summer dates in January! We then send out a simple save-the-date flyer and promote on social media.
3. Summer Dance Camp Launch Week! We host a fun summer launch week in February to bring awareness that registration is open. We create a theme, encourage dancers to dress in summer attire, offer discounts and give out a fun treat!

Camp ConfettiIntroduced in 2017 with 8 themes, we now offer 26 different themes (14 Preschool and 12 Elementary)!

Camp Confetti Summer Dance FunPacks are digital downloads that your theme, storyline, camp description, social images, combo videos, dance activities, a dance game, music suggestions, crafts, certificates, decor ideas and more! They can be easily converted into a virtual camp if needed.

We design the camps to fill a 5-day period for 2-3 hours each day, but they can easily be adapted to fit a 3-day camp format or any other format. It's up to you with what you decide to cut out!

We provide you with tools you need to market your camps: logo, social image and description.

Our FOUR new fun themes:

1. Dance PAWty with My Pet
2. The Snowflake Spectacular: A Frozen Adventure
3. The Big Time: Your Name in Lights!
4. Peace, Love and Remix: That 70s Dance Camp

The new camps are $200 each through March 26th (normally $225)! And our Bundle special (best deal) includes all 4 new themes at $175 each through Feb. 1!

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We will share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We would also love for you to share on social media that you listened to our podcast! Tag us and we will repost! We love socializing, and we have so many ways to interact!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle: https://confettionthedancefloor.com/pages/confetti-circle
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/387508401945315
• Follow us on social media!
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confettionthedancefloor/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confettionthedancefloor
  • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/confettiontheda/_saved/

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In Episode 3, we are sharing a behind-the-scenes look at our creative process! We find inspiration from travel, shopping, fashion, magazines, fabric, colors, nature, Pinterest, books, movies, and more! Our ideas for everything are born from this inspiration!

Performing Company Costumes: We are very inspired by fashion and trends. We use Pinterest to organize our inspo, and take ideas from different parts of dresses or outfits we've pinned to sketch out a costume design. Our seamstress creates a sample that we tweak it until it works, and then embellish it with rhinestones, appliques, pom poms, patches, and more. To learn all our costume designing secrets, check out Fabric Shopping in NYC: A Complete Guide for Designing Custom Costumeswhere we share ALL we know about creating and designing costumes!

Events: Here's a look at 3 different events and how we got our inspiration!

• Open House: We look at what is going on in pop culture, specifically with kids!
• Themed classes or camps: We survey different age groups and ask about their current favorite TV shows, songs, toy, activities, etc.
• Confetti Bloom Symposyum - We were really into flowers when planning this virtual event, so we took that as a sign for our theme. We made a long list of every type of flower, word and pun and came up with the name and fun ways to incorporate flowers into every aspect of the presentation.

Competition/Recital Routines: Combine a few things that don’t necessarily go together, but try to mash them up in some way, like mermaids and NYC...the beach and candy...disco and flowers...snow and tigers. Be different by going off the beaten path and challenging yourself to more than the go-to mix of standard songs or that latest popular song.

Recital Themes: We look at the overall vibe of the show or movie that we are considering. Is it colorful and cheerful or darker? Does it have a good mix of both to keep the younger and older dancers excited and engaged? What is the soundtrack like and are there enough concepts within that theme to create multiple routines for all ages and levels? Who are the characters, how many are there and what are their personalities? Once the theme is determined, it inspires our studio decor, marketing, summer camps and more for the whole year.

We hope this has given you a little insight into our creative process and some inspiration to help YOU be creative!

Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We will share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We would also love for you to share on social media that you listened to our podcast! Tag us and we will repost! We love socializing, and we have so many ways to interact!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle: https://confettionthedancefloor.com/pages/confetti-circle
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/387508401945315
• Follow us on social media!
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confettionthedancefloor/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confettionthedancefloor
  • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/confettiontheda/_saved/

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In Episode 2, we are talking all about our Fun Confetti Mood for January: FOCUSED ON FUN! At the beginning of a new year, it is natural to want to recharge, start fresh, get organized and focused for the new year. So, we want to do those things, but add some fun to them!

A Spotify Playlist that's only Focused on FUN!To help you get into our Focused on Fun Confetti Mood, we've curated a playlist that's sure to be FUN! In fact, we made a point to only include songs with the word FUN in the title, so it's kind of a guarantee! You can play them in your dance classes or just listen anytime when you want to add some fun to your day! While you are there, check out the playlists from all our previous Fun Confetti MOOD posts, too!

Link to our Focused on Fun Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ckKF00Q1u8hRSaMaqhHXe

Focused on Fun-spiration
For each Fun Confetti Mood post, we create a Pinterest Board to go along with our Mood! From words of encouragement and fun apparel to decor ideas, dance activities and more, you can find lots of fun on our Pinterest boards!

Challenge: We encourage you to create a mood board that is only focused on fun! You can use our Pinterest board and blog post to inspire or motivate you (the super colorful and fun mood shelf we created in our studio using all things we already had)!

Link to Pinterest Board:
https://pin.it/2Me7eDn

Focusing on Fun Goals
We want to strive to figure out a way to stay positive, especially given the climate we are in right now. January is typically a time for setting long term goals for the whole year but maybe that's not really doable right now. Instead, create smaller short term goals that are realistically achievable.

How can you add fun to your studio THIS week? What steps can you take to find a more fun and positive outlook on the obstacles you might be facing as a small business owner?

Here are a few examples of how we are taking some of the some things that need to get done at our studio, but focusing on them from a fun perspective.

1. Building our boys program/marketing

2. Creating a costume look book to share on zoom and our website since parents cannot come into the studio for an in-person reveal.

3. Creating a fun outdoor hangout space and hosting a fun and safe outdoor event that ties into our year-end show theme.

Thank you all so much for your support and for listening! We hope you are inspired and FOCUSED ON FUN. We wish you all the best in the new year!

Subscribe & ShareWe want to officially invite you to subscribe to our podcast and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review wherever you listen to our podcast! We plan to share one review each week and send that person a special Confetti prize!

We would also love for you to share on social media that you listened to our podcast! Tag us and we will repost! We love socializing, and we have so many ways to interact!

• Join our (FREE) Confetti Circle: https://confettionthedancefloor.com/pages/confetti-circle
• Request to join our private (and FREE) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/387508401945315
• Follow us on social media!
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/confettionthedancefloor/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confettionthedancefloor
  • Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/confettiontheda/_saved/

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Welcome to Make Dance Fun! In our first episode, we give you a basic history of our two businesses, Rhythm Dance Center and Confetti on the Dance Floor! Learn how we got started and continue our mission to  #makedancefun! 

For the full Confetti experience, in addition to listening to our podcast, we invite you to join our private facebook group, follow us on instagram @confettionthedancefloor and @rhythmdancecenter and join our Confetti Circle. Visit our website at www.confettionthedancefloor.com for all the things! 

We are so excited to begin this new podcast journey and share lots of dance fun with you!