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The Quest for a Studio: Five Years Later
By Michelle
As I planned my studio’s fifth anniversary hafla, everyone kept asking me, “Has it really been five
years?” And every time they asked, I would have to stop and think…when did I open the studio? Yes, it’s
been five years. I have an easy way of keeping track of the time because I opened the studio and got
pregnant two months later (in retrospect, perhaps not the brightest idea, but it worked!), so the studio is a
year older than my youngest daughter. Time has flown—I think that’s an indication that I’ve had fun—and
as I reflect back on that article I wrote about opening my studio, I realize that I have gained as much as I’ve
given and laughed more than I ever could have in a more lucrative career. I also learned more about
running a business/studio than I ever could have in a classroom. Because I received so much feedback from
my first article from other people wanting to open their studio (or change the way they were running the
one they had) I would like to share some of the lessons I’ve learned along this quest.
First and foremost is recognizing that owning a studio is a BUSINESS. If it’s a hobby, you should
do it in your living room. If you go into this business with the idea of “breaking even,” guess what? You’ll
live down to your expectations. There are enough people in the world who think that the arts mean
“freebies.” You don’t need to be one of them! Don’t shortchange your expectations. From the first month
of operation, I paid myself a monthly salary. Within three months I quadrupled that salary. Ok, it was really
puny to start with, but the point is that I did not plan to just get by, I planned to make it a decent source of
income. This has held true to other productions I have undertaken. When I plan a budget for a workshop
I’m hosting, I always include how much I want to make in profit. THEN I figure out how many people I
need to meet that budget. So in my monthly budget for the studio, I know that I need to make more than
just what the bills come to. In the past five years, I’ve given myself two good raises and raised the amount I
pay my teachers so that their check at the end of the month is a pleasant surprise.
Second, owning a studio is not really like running, say, a clothing store or a car dealership. The
same techniques that work for those types of businesses do not always translate to the business of dance.
For example, I have received FAR more students from word of mouth and fliers I place around town than I
ever have from a newspaper ad. The internet has been a huge blessing for my business, so I’ve invested a
lot of time in keeping it fresh and up-to-date. But when I joined a local chamber of commerce (because we
were going to be meeting so many people who would like to hire my troupe and attend our classes, so I was
assured) all I got were a lot of requests for free classes and, you guessed it, free performances. Now I focus
my energy and much less money on beautiful full color fliers, postcards, and business cards. More
importantly, I focus on my students so that they have a great time in each class and then bring their friends.
The students are the main (only?) reason to have a studio so if you do not make them your priority, you will
soon lose them.
Third, stay true to yourself. Remember why you opened a studio or why you want to open a
studio—especially a belly dance studio. You love belly dance and love to share your passion with others,
right? For me, my greatest satisfaction as a dancer has come in my interactions with people—both through
performing and teaching. When I can make someone laugh or inspire them through my dancing, I am
gratified. When I can reach a woman through her self-doubt and help her break out into a confident, joyful
woman, I feel like I’ve truly contributed to our world.
This last year I was facing burnout. I was tired of having to leave my family at night to go teach; I
was tired of always having to come up with new class plans; I was tired of the buck stopping with me.
There was a stretch of time when vacations and illnesses amongst my other teachers had me teaching a full
six weeks with only two days off. I moaned and groaned for a good couple of weeks. My husband—truly a
nominee for most supportive dance husband ever—did not help me by suggesting that perhaps it was time
to quit. Finally, I grew so sick of myself that I sat down and gave myself a good talking to. I reminded
myself that I loved dancing. Then I reminded myself that I was so fortunate to be working doing what I
loved when so many other dancers had to orient their art around “day jobs.” Finally, I took a closer look at
my students and saw their joy in learning to use and appreciate their bodies. I fed my soul on their laughter
(we do not allow a class to end without at least half a dozen belly laughs) and my heart on their delight in
what I and my fellow instructors were sharing with them. I was almost instantly cured of my ennui.
Staying true to yourself and your goals will also help when you face the inevitable negativity of a
few people in your dance community. Success is a huge target for those who are envious or unsure of
themselves. Instead of taking slights or critiques personally, I have learned (though it was a painful lesson,
long in the acquiring!) to place myself in my detractor’s shoes. I judge my actions and success from their
perspective. Sometimes I recognize that there is a kernel of truth amongst the negativity and I try to address
it (for example, I was once accused—third hand, of course—of being “elitist” in my shows. I realized that
even though I have a large student body and many troupe members from which to draw performers, I
needed to include the greater dance community more. As a result, I have guest performers from around the
city at our regular monthly show.) Othertimes, I recognize the criticisms for being simple jealousy, or more
often, unhappiness with that person’s own life. These I try to release and send thoughtful prayers to help
those people gain happiness (ok, ok, I’m still working on this last step!).
Some other lessons I have learned these last five years:
Don’t take it personally when a student stops coming to your classes. There are a hundred
reasons she might have stopped dancing or begun dancing elsewhere and it probably has
absolutely nothing to do with you.
Wear extra deodorant.
Recognize that not everyone in class is there to be a world class professional belly dancer and
keep the classes fun enough that they’ll simply enjoy the dance.
Delight in the small steps a student takes—an advanced student who has just mastered an
intricate combo gets no more or less applause than the beginning student who can finally
touch her toes. Everyone is on their own path and two paths cannot be compared.
Smile at your landlord, even when they raise your rent 40%.
Don’t tie up a lot of capital in merchandise. Either be a dance studio or a costume shop. Once
you’ve hit the big leagues and have a large staff and an enormous student base, then you can
start diversifying.
Paint your toenails.
Support your fellow artists whenever possible. Not just fellow belly dancers, but flamenco,
hula, salsa, modern.
Be glad for your competitor’s success. This means the business of belly dance is growing.
There’s enough pie for everyone to have a slice and their success in no way diminishes yours.
Buy more toilet paper than you think you need.
Laugh. At jokes, at yourself, at the world. Just laugh. Practice laughing while you dance.--
there’s no quicker path to joy.
Will I be here in another five years? That is a good question and one which I can’t truly
answer. I cannot imagine leaving students without a place to express themselves and discover the
joy of belly dance. On the other hand, I have many good teachers in my troupe. Any one of them
would be capable of continuing my dream and making it their own. I learn every day to take
delight in the many aspects of owning a studio and teaching belly dance and ultimately, what’s
most important is that dancers—be they students or teachers—continue to dance and grow and
(you guessed it) laugh.
The Quest for a Studio: Five Years Later
By Michelle
As I planned my studio’s fifth anniversary hafla, everyone kept asking me, “Has it really been five
years?” And every time they asked, I would have to stop and think…when did I open the studio? Yes, it’s
been five years. I have an easy way of keeping track of the time because I opened the studio and got
pregnant two months later (in retrospect, perhaps not the brightest idea, but it worked!), so the studio is a
year older than my youngest daughter. Time has flown—I think that’s an indication that I’ve had fun—and
as I reflect back on that article I wrote about opening my studio, I realize that I have gained as much as I’ve
given and laughed more than I ever could have in a more lucrative career. I also learned more about
running a business/studio than I ever could have in a classroom. Because I received so much feedback from
my first article from other people wanting to open their studio (or change the way they were running the
one they had) I would like to share some of the lessons I’ve learned along this quest.
First and foremost is recognizing that owning a studio is a BUSINESS. If it’s a hobby, you should
do it in your living room. If you go into this business with the idea of “breaking even,” guess what? You’ll
live down to your expectations. There are enough people in the world who think that the arts mean
“freebies.” You don’t need to be one of them! Don’t shortchange your expectations. From the first month
of operation, I paid myself a monthly salary. Within three months I quadrupled that salary. Ok, it was really
puny to start with, but the point is that I did not plan to just get by, I planned to make it a decent source of
income. This has held true to other productions I have undertaken. When I plan a budget for a workshop
I’m hosting, I always include how much I want to make in profit. THEN I figure out how many people I
need to meet that budget. So in my monthly budget for the studio, I know that I need to make more than
just what the bills come to. In the past five years, I’ve given myself two good raises and raised the amount I
pay my teachers so that their check at the end of the month is a pleasant surprise.
Second, owning a studio is not really like running, say, a clothing store or a car dealership. The
same techniques that work for those types of businesses do not always translate to the business of dance.
For example, I have received FAR more students from word of mouth and fliers I place around town than I
ever have from a newspaper ad. The internet has been a huge blessing for my business, so I’ve invested a
lot of time in keeping it fresh and up-to-date. But when I joined a local chamber of commerce (because we
were going to be meeting so many people who would like to hire my troupe and attend our classes, so I was
assured) all I got were a lot of requests for free classes and, you guessed it, free performances. Now I focus
my energy and much less money on beautiful full color fliers, postcards, and business cards. More
importantly, I focus on my students so that they have a great time in each class and then bring their friends.
The students are the main (only?) reason to have a studio so if you do not make them your priority, you will
soon lose them.
Third, stay true to yourself. Remember why you opened a studio or why you want to open a
studio—especially a belly dance studio. You love belly dance and love to share your passion with others,
right? For me, my greatest satisfaction as a dancer has come in my interactions with people—both through
performing and teaching. When I can make someone laugh or inspire them through my dancing, I am
gratified. When I can reach a woman through her self-doubt and help her break out into a confident, joyful
woman, I feel like I’ve truly contributed to our world.
This last year I was facing burnout. I was tired of having to leave my family at night to go teach; I
was tired of always having to come up with new class plans; I was tired of the buck stopping with me.
There was a stretch of time when vacations and illnesses amongst my other teachers had me teaching a full
six weeks with only two days off. I moaned and groaned for a good couple of weeks. My husband—truly a
nominee for most supportive dance husband ever—did not help me by suggesting that perhaps it was time
to quit. Finally, I grew so sick of myself that I sat down and gave myself a good talking to. I reminded
myself that I loved dancing. Then I reminded myself that I was so fortunate to be working doing what I
loved when so many other dancers had to orient their art around “day jobs.” Finally, I took a closer look at
my students and saw their joy in learning to use and appreciate their bodies. I fed my soul on their laughter
(we do not allow a class to end without at least half a dozen belly laughs) and my heart on their delight in
what I and my fellow instructors were sharing with them. I was almost instantly cured of my ennui.
Staying true to yourself and your goals will also help when you face the inevitable negativity of a
few people in your dance community. Success is a huge target for those who are envious or unsure of
themselves. Instead of taking slights or critiques personally, I have learned (though it was a painful lesson,
long in the acquiring!) to place myself in my detractor’s shoes. I judge my actions and success from their
perspective. Sometimes I recognize that there is a kernel of truth amongst the negativity and I try to address
it (for example, I was once accused—third hand, of course—of being “elitist” in my shows. I realized that
even though I have a large student body and many troupe members from which to draw performers, I
needed to include the greater dance community more. As a result, I have guest performers from around the
city at our regular monthly show.) Othertimes, I recognize the criticisms for being simple jealousy, or more
often, unhappiness with that person’s own life. These I try to release and send thoughtful prayers to help
those people gain happiness (ok, ok, I’m still working on this last step!).
Some other lessons I have learned these last five years:
Don’t take it personally when a student stops coming to your classes. There are a hundred
reasons she might have stopped dancing or begun dancing elsewhere and it probably has
absolutely nothing to do with you.
Wear extra deodorant.
Recognize that not everyone in class is there to be a world class professional belly dancer and
keep the classes fun enough that they’ll simply enjoy the dance.
Delight in the small steps a student takes—an advanced student who has just mastered an
intricate combo gets no more or less applause than the beginning student who can finally
touch her toes. Everyone is on their own path and two paths cannot be compared.
Smile at your landlord, even when they raise your rent 40%.
Don’t tie up a lot of capital in merchandise. Either be a dance studio or a costume shop. Once
you’ve hit the big leagues and have a large staff and an enormous student base, then you can
start diversifying.
Paint your toenails.
Support your fellow artists whenever possible. Not just fellow belly dancers, but flamenco,
hula, salsa, modern.
Be glad for your competitor’s success. This means the business of belly dance is growing.
There’s enough pie for everyone to have a slice and their success in no way diminishes yours.
Buy more toilet paper than you think you need.
Laugh. At jokes, at yourself, at the world. Just laugh. Practice laughing while you dance.--
there’s no quicker path to joy.
Will I be here in another five years? That is a good question and one which I can’t truly
answer. I cannot imagine leaving students without a place to express themselves and discover the
joy of belly dance. On the other hand, I have many good teachers in my troupe. Any one of them
would be capable of continuing my dream and making it their own. I learn every day to take
delight in the many aspects of owning a studio and teaching belly dance and ultimately, what’s
most important is that dancers—be they students or teachers—continue to dance and grow and
(you guessed it) laugh.
