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 Have
Yourself a Merry Little Show
By Rhee Gold
How to plan and market holiday performances
Does the thought of presenting a performance during the
holiday season make you shudder with horror?
Read on—this article, and the “Holiday Show Sampler,” might
make you tingle with excitement instead.
Why do a show at such a busy time of year? The simple answer
is that it’s good for the community, and your business. The
period from mid-November through December is a great time to
offer families that are looking for activities to enjoy
together an occasion to be entertained. Parents are more
likely to take their children to a holiday dance performance
than they are to an annual recital or year-end performance.
The diversity of content and length of many recitals can be a
deterrent; holiday themes typically interest children more
than standard recital fare does. Also, recital season
coincides with graduations, weddings, and proms—commitments
that can prevent potential students and their parents from
attending your production.
Children are already excited at this time of year, so it’s a
great chance to capture their holiday spirit and spark their
imaginations. Inspiring young children to appreciate dance—and
to want to be up on that stage—is good not only for your
school but for dance education in general. And if you offer a
January registration at your school, the timing is perfect to
show potential clients what your dance program is all about.
★
Start planning early
Summer is the best time to start developing your holiday
performance concept and strategy for success. Consider getting
together with your faculty or other dance teachers for a fun
brainstorming session. The best part of the decision-making
process for a holiday show is that anything goes! One thing to
keep in mind, though—a holiday performance should be family
entertainment, with something for everyone, from young
children to grandparents.
★
Start by contemplating the following:
•
Do you want to do a traditional Nutcracker or put a
creative, modern twist on the old tradition? Can you include
music and themes that allow you to integrate various dance
forms, like hip-hop, jazz, tap, and modern?
•
Is it important to avoid a religious theme that could offend
certain audiences? Or would your viewers appreciate a
religious theme that incorporates diverse beliefs?
•
Do you want to come up with your own unique dance tradition to
celebrate the holidays?
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Practical considerations
Get all your students involved in the holiday performance.
Don’t think of it as another opportunity to show off your best
dancers; they have plenty of chances to shine at competitions
or other concerts. Make this show a performance opportunity
for everyone in your school, regardless of age or skill level.
According to my seminar statistics, recreational and preschool
populations comprise 85 percent of American and Canadian dance
schools, compared to the 15 percent of students who
participate in intensive or competitive programs. If you want
to build a strong base of recreational students who will be
loyal to your school, create dance experiences that involve
everyone, from preschool to advanced.
Borrow an idea from ballet companies that alternate casts of
children in their Nutcracker performances. Why? It’s a
good strategy to increase ticket sales. The “babies” draw the
most guests to annual recitals, so the more of your school’s
younger set you can include in the performance, the better.
The audience will love them, no matter what they do!
Consider taking the concept of inclusiveness a step further by
involving your students’ parents. I once saw a Nutcracker
spin-off that included a routine featuring parents who
performed a soft-shoe to “Old Bones,” sung by George Burns. It
was fun, entertaining, and an audience favorite.
★
Save money and create goodwill
Create a fulfilling experience for everyone involved and cut
back on production expenses by earmarking the proceeds from
your holiday show for a charity. When choosing an
organization, keep in mind that one that benefits children
dovetails nicely with the holiday spirit and makes a good
partnership for your students. A benefit performance can offer
some advantages, including qualifying your school for
nonprofit rates for auditorium rental, program or poster
printing, and other expenses. Also, local newspapers and radio
and television stations are more likely to cover your event if
it benefits a nonprofit organization. That’s good for charity
and your school.
Even more important than minimizing your expenses, a
charitable performance teaches students about the value of
dancing for the benefit of others. Be sure to spend some time
talking with them about the nature of the charity they are
dancing for and why you selected it. They will learn how lucky
they are to have healthy bodies that allow them to dance and
appreciate what those who are not so fortunate have to live
with every day. What a great lesson to learn at dance class!
★
Marketing
There are two aspects to marketing, the short- and the
long-term. The immediate goal is to sell tickets for a
performance. But in the long run, marketing keeps your
school’s name in the public’s awareness, and that’s good for
business. The fact that your school is out there, regardless
of the reason, only helps to promote everything that you do.
Of course, selling tickets or promoting a performance may have
the added benefit of attracting new students to your school.
So keep in mind that just as the show itself might increase
your school’s January registration, the marketing you do for
it may boost future enrollment as well.
Let’s look at specific marketing techniques. First, include an
announcement about your holiday performance plans in a new
studio brochure. News about a holiday show will get your
current students excited that something different is in the
air, and it may attract new students. If you have an email
list, be sure to send an announcement to that group as well.
In September or October, hold an audition (maybe only for the
lead roles). It could be open to everyone interested in
participating, whether or not they are registered at your
school, or it could be an in-house audition open only to your
students. Create a press release announcing the audition and
send it to the local newspapers. Be sure to invite a
photographer from the paper to shoot pictures during the
audition process.
Send the same press release to the chamber of commerce and
local businesses. This will inform the business community
about the performance, bring your school’s name to their
attention, and familiarize them with your project. Then, if
you need to solicit donations or advertising for the program,
they already will have heard of your school and the upcoming
performance. Some businesses might be willing to help sell
tickets. Keep this group on your mailing list for all
performances.
In early October, bring in a volunteer photographer to shoot
head shots of all the participating dancers. Create a press
release that the dancers’ parents can send (with their child’s
head shot) to local newspapers announcing that their child
will be performing in a holiday show. Sometimes this approach
works better than a press release from the school; newspapers
may be more willing to run a story about a child in their
community than one that promotes a business. Ask the parents
to follow up with the newspaper to be sure that the release
was received and find out when it might run.
Encourage your students to send the press release to their
families and friends to encourage them to attend the
performance. Be sure it includes your website address so that
readers have the opportunity to learn more about your school.
In late October or early November, bring the photographer back
to shoot pictures of the dancers learning their choreography
and rehearsing for the big show. Use some of the photos to
create another press release; also include information about
how to purchase tickets. Again, send the release to local
papers and have your students distribute it to friends and
family.
About three weeks before the event, distribute posters or
flyers announcing the performance, dates, and venue to the
dancers. Give 10 of them to each student and ask them to post
them around town at libraries, grocery stores, and other
businesses and on community bulletin boards. This is also the
time to run a small ad in your local newspaper, perhaps
combining publicity about the show with information about your
school’s upcoming January registration. If your budget allows,
continue to run small ads right up until the show date. Also,
call or send press releases to local radio and television
stations and ask for a spot on their shows to discuss your
performance.
With this planning and marketing time line in hand, you’ll be
ready to get to work. But where do you find the time? you
might ask. There’s no magic bullet; you simply make the
time. It’s the season of giving, and there’s no better gift to
give to your community than dance.
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