What if your dance studio timetable was costing you thousands of dollars in missed revenue, and you didn't even realise it?

It's that time of year again. Concerts are coming, teachers are exhausted, 2027 planning is underway and somewhere in the middle of it all, you've got to put together a timetable that actually works.
But here's the thing. Your timetable isn't just about fitting classes into rooms and keeping teachers happy. It's one of the most important business decisions you'll make all year.

In this episode of the Dance Principals United Podcast, Amanda and Bec share the practical timetabling strategies they've used in their own studios, including how to fit more classes into your week, encourage students to enrol in more styles and make better use of your available space.

In This Episode We Discuss...

• Why your dance studio timetable should be built around students and families, not just staff availability.
• The three questions to ask your teachers before planning next year.
• How a 15-minute change to opening times could create significant additional revenue.
• Why 45-minute classes can work when teaching quality and class structure are strong.
• How to encourage more enrolments by grouping classes together.
• Why your most popular classes might belong on different days.
• How to protect prime afternoon teaching times from private lessons.
• When weekend classes could create more opportunities for your studio.
• Why you should think about sales and student progression before allocating teachers.
• How the new DPU Timetable Optimiser can help you approach your planning.

One of the biggest lessons from this conversation is that your timetable needs to be easy for families to say yes to.

If you'd love a student to take three classes, but those classes are spread across three different afternoons, you're making that decision harder than it needs to be.

Instead, think about the journey you want students to take through your studio.

Which classes naturally work together? How can you make it easier for a child to try another style? Are your most popular classes helping you fill the rest of your timetable?

These small decisions can have a huge impact on dance studio enrolment, retention and profitability.

Ready to rethink your 2027 timetable?

Tune in to this episode for practical ideas you can put to work straight away, along with a few entertaining detours into Dance Moms and reality TV.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the Dance Principals United Podcast, leave us a review and share it with another studio owner who's currently deep in timetable planning.

And don't forget, podcast listeners can access two weeks free in Dance Principals United Tribe through the link in the show notes. https://danceprincipalsunited.com/dpu-tribe/

What does it really mean to run a successful dance studio?

Is it the trophies? The competition results? The students who go on to professional careers? Or is it something much bigger?

In this special episode of the Dance Principals United Podcast, recorded at our Fiji Retreat, Bec sits down with internationally recognised dance educator and choreographer Shannon Atkins for an honest conversation about dance studio ownership, student development, mindset and the lessons that have shaped her career.

From building a successful studio on the Gold Coast to selling it and starting again in New York, Shannon has experienced both the rewards and the pressures that come with running a dance business.

• How Shannon went from studying law to running a successful Gold Coast dance studio.
• The challenges of managing parent expectations and competition pressure.
• Why dance studio values matter more than maintaining a winning streak.
• The importance of teaching a broad range of dance and performance skills.
• Shannon's decision to sell her studio and pursue opportunities in New York.
• How confidence, preparation and putting yourself forward can create new opportunities.
• Why reflection, rest and positive self-talk belong in dance education.
• How Shannon's Dance Journal encourages students to recognise their progress.
• Why showing parents the personal development behind dance classes can support retention.
• The lasting value of dance education, even for students who never become professional dancers.

Listen to this episode of the Dance Principals United Podcast for a thoughtful, practical and inspiring conversation with Shannon Atkins.

Click here to pre-order Shannon Atkins' Dance Journal: https://inmotionsociety.com/products/shannon-atkins-dance-journal

If you enjoy the episode, we'd love you to subscribe, leave a review and share it with another dance studio owner who might need to hear it.

And if you'd like more support with the business of running your studio, check the show notes for our special offer of two weeks free inside Dance Principals United Tribe. https://danceprincipalsunited.com/dpu-tribe/

The Secret to Better Student Retention? Better Dance Teachers

You can have incredible marketing.

Beautiful branding.

A stunning studio.

The latest enrolment software.

But if your teachers aren't delivering an exceptional experience every week, families won't stay.

In this episode, Nathan and Bec dive into one of the most overlooked responsibilities of studio ownership: developing your teaching team.

Too many studio owners hire great people and simply hope they'll become great teachers.

The reality?

Teaching is a skill.

Leadership is a skill.

Both need coaching.

Bec shares why regularly observing classes has transformed her team, how to give feedback that actually helps teachers grow, and why staff development is one of the highest-return investments you can make in your studio.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why your teachers are your product
• The difference between great dancers and great teachers
• How often you should observe staff classes
• Simple ways to give constructive feedback
• Creating clear teaching expectations
• Why ongoing coaching builds staff loyalty
• The biggest mistakes studio owners make when managing teachers
• How better teachers improve student retention and profitability

Great teachers aren't born.

They're developed.

And that starts with leadership.

Most dance studio owners think enrolment happens in January... and that's it.

But what if you could create another wave of excitement in the middle of the year that brings in dozens—even hundreds—of new students?

In this episode, Amanda and Rebecca share why Open Week has become one of the most effective dance studio marketing strategies they teach inside Studio Growth Club. They unpack the systems, marketing and mindset behind studios achieving incredible enrolment results, including regional studios adding more than $40,000–$60,000 in annual tuition revenue from just one campaign.

The biggest takeaway? It isn't luck.

The studios seeing exceptional growth are the ones willing to create excitement, build urgency and consistently market their dance business.

Amanda also shares the behind-the-scenes results from her own studio, where a carefully planned Open Week generated 161 new class placements in just seven days, adding approximately $3,500 in recurring weekly tuition revenue.

If you've ever thought your location, studio size or budget was holding you back, this episode might change your perspective.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why successful dance studio growth comes from consistent marketing—not luck.
• What an Open Week is and why it creates so much excitement.
• How urgency and FOMO encourage families to enrol now instead of "thinking about it".
• Why regional and smaller dance studios can achieve incredible results.
• Real examples of studios adding tens of thousands of dollars in annual tuition.
• The importance of having a strong conversion process after every trial class.
• Why great marketing still needs a great dance studio experience behind it.
• How incentives can increase on-the-spot enrolments.
• Creative ideas that helped generate more than 160 class placements in one week.
• Why studio owners should stop relying on January as their only enrolment period.

One of the biggest themes throughout this conversation is that successful dance studio owners don't simply hope for growth—they create opportunities for it.

Amanda and Rebecca discuss how marketing events like Open Week work because they give families a reason to act today instead of someday. Just like Black Friday or end-of-financial-year sales, a limited-time event creates excitement, urgency and momentum.

The conversation also explores why so many studio owners underestimate what's possible during the second half of the year. Rather than accepting slower enrolment periods, the most successful studios actively create campaigns that bring new families through the doors while also encouraging current students to add extra classes.

Another important reminder is that marketing alone isn't enough. While strong advertising gets families into your dance studio, it's your customer experience, teaching quality and enrolment process that turn enquiries into long-term students.

Throughout the episode, Amanda shares practical examples from her own studio, including invitation cards, social media campaigns, school partnerships, referral strategies, follow-up systems and exclusive enrolment bonuses that helped make Open Week such a success.

If you're looking for practical dance studio marketing ideas you can implement immediately, this episode is packed with inspiration.

Whether your goal is stronger dance studio enrolment, increased recurring revenue or simply building more momentum throughout the year, you'll walk away with ideas you can adapt to your own business.

Success isn't reserved for the biggest studios.

It's built by the owners willing to consistently show up, market their business and put in the work.

If you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you subscribed to the Dance Principles United Podcast, left us a review and shared this episode with another dance studio owner who could benefit from these ideas. Every share helps us support more studio owners to build stronger, more profitable dance businesses.

Are you accidentally ghosting people who want to give your dance studio money?

Someone fills out your website form. Sends you a DM. Asks about a preschool class. Maybe they even book a trial.

You mean to reply. You really do.

But then a teacher calls in sick, you've got costumes to organise, a parent needs you, there are 47 unread emails waiting and suddenly that new enquiry has been sitting there for three days.

In this episode of the Dance Principles United podcast, Amanda and Rebecca are talking about why dance studio owners ghost enquiries — and why fixing your follow-up process could be one of the simplest ways to increase dance studio enrolment.

Because here's the thing: if someone has enquired, they've already taken the first step.

They found your dance studio. Something caught their attention. They were interested enough to contact you.

You don't necessarily need more leads. You might simply need to do a better job with the ones you've already got.

In this episode we discuss...

• Why busy dance studio owners accidentally ghost new enquiries
• The difference between being pushy and providing good customer service
• Why one follow-up message often isn't enough
• How perfectionism can slow down your enquiry process
• Why studio owners prioritise comfortable tasks over sales activities
• How to think about the lifetime value of a dance student
• Why parents don't always reply, even when they're genuinely interested
• What to do when a family doesn't show up for a trial class
• How your dance studio team can take more ownership of enquiries
• Why making enrolment easy matters just as much as your marketing
• Stop treating an enquiry like an interruption

One of the biggest issues Amanda and Rebecca see is that dance studio enquiries aren't always treated as a priority.

It's understandable. Running a dance business means there is always something urgent competing for your attention.

But there's an important difference between urgent and important.

Choosing a costume might feel urgent. Answering a current parent might feel urgent. Fixing tonight's class problem definitely feels urgent.

Following up the mum who asked about your three-year-old class yesterday? Easy to put off.

Yet that enquiry could become a family who stays at your dance studio for five years or more.

That's why good dance studio management needs a clear enquiry system, rather than relying on the owner remembering to reply when things calm down.

Because things rarely calm down.

Following up isn't being salesy

Many studio owners hesitate to follow up because they don't want to annoy people.

But remember: they contacted you first.

You're not cold calling a stranger who has never heard of your studio. You're helping someone who has already shown interest make a decision.

And sometimes they need more than one reminder.

Parents are busy. Dance class might be important to them, but it's competing with school, work, dinner, siblings, sport and everything else happening that week.

No reply doesn't automatically mean no.

Look beyond the weekly class fee

Another important shift is to stop looking at an enquiry as "$20 a week".

Think about the value of that family over a year — and potentially over five, eight or even ten years.

Add classes, costumes, concert tickets and other studio purchases, and one enquiry can represent thousands of dollars in lifetime value.

More importantly, that child could be at the beginning of an incredible dance journey.

Suddenly, making another phone call doesn't seem like such a hassle.

And don't ghost your no-shows

A family books a trial and doesn't arrive.

What happens next?

Too often, nothing.

Instead of assuming they weren't interested, call them. Ask if everything is okay and offer to book another trial.

They may have forgotten. Their child may have been sick. Their afternoon may simply have fallen apart.

Good dance studio customer experience means making the next step easy — not making people feel awkward because they missed the first one.

Your job isn't to chase people aggressively. It's to help interested families move forward.

So, after listening to this episode, check your inbox, DMs and dance studio software.

Is there someone you've accidentally ghosted?

Send the message. Make the call. Follow them up.

That one small action could turn into your next long-term dance family.

If this episode helped you, subscribe to the Dance Principles United podcast, leave us a review and share it with another dance studio owner who needs the reminder to stop ghosting their enquiries.

What does it actually take to build a dance studio with more than 1,000 students?

Is it brilliant marketing? An incredible teaching team? A competition program that wins everything? Or something much simpler?

This week, we're coming to you from Fiji, where Beck is joined by one of our wonderful Studio Growth Club members, Katrina, the owner of Townsville Academy of Performing Arts (TAPA).

Katrina has been running her dance studio for 27 years. She bought the business in 1999 for $10,000, when it had around 50 students, and has since grown it into a thriving studio with more than 1,000 dancers, six purpose-built studios and a building the business now owns.

But what makes this conversation so interesting isn't just the size of her dance business.

It's how Katrina thinks about growth, teaching, studio culture and the people who walk through her doors.

Because after 27 years, she's still learning.

And she still genuinely loves what she does.

In this episode we discuss…

• How Katrina bought her dance studio for $10,000 with around 50 students
• The old-school flyer drop that helped grow enrolments to almost 500
• Why rapid dance studio growth means your systems need to change
• How TAPA has maintained more than 1,000 students over the years
• Why preschool programs and dance studio retention are so important
• How Katrina maintains high technical standards without a large competition program
• Her clever approach to organising concerts for a huge student base
• What happened when a car drove through the studio's front entrance
• Why dance studio owners need to stop copying their competitors
• The importance of continuing to learn, even after decades in business

Dance competitions can be exciting, exhausting, stressful, hilarious and completely chaotic — sometimes all before your first routine has even hit the stage.

There's the missing hairpiece.

The last-minute position change because someone's sick.

The costume that suddenly doesn't fit.

The six-year-old who can't remember where she starts.

And, of course, the pressure to perform.

In this episode of the Dance Principals United podcast, Amanda and Bec are talking about something every dance studio owner with a competition team should think about:

What experience are we actually creating for our dancers at competitions?

Because it's easy to get caught up in scores, placings and cleaning that final formation. But when your dancers look back on their competition years, the things they remember might have very little to do with the trophy.

In this episode we discuss…

• The different types of dance teachers you see backstage at competitions
• How much rehearsal dancers actually need on competition day
• Why younger dancers may benefit from familiarity and routine
• Simple ways to make dance competitions more fun
• The story of Bec's accidentally ordered "Lucky Octos"
• Why winning can't be the only measure of a successful competition
• How teachers' stress can transfer to dancers
• Why complicated hair, costumes and quick changes might not be worth it
• What teachers should say when dancers come off stage
• How to set competition-day expectations with your dance studio team

Your competition culture doesn't happen by accident.

You build it.

Listen to the full episode of the Dance Principals United podcast for a very honest conversation about winning, competition pressure, Lucky Octos, crazy hair changes and how we can make comp days better for dancers, teachers and parents.

https://danceprincipalsunited.com/podcast/

If this episode gets you thinking differently about your own competition team, share it with your teachers before your next comp. And don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review so more dance studio owners can find the podcast.