Project Motivate Inspires Its Biggest Audience Yet

Once again, the inspirational seminar gets teachers jazzed up and ready to start the season!

Over 250 dance teachers from across the U.S., Canada, and as far away as Australia flocked to the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, MA this July 27-30 to be inspired by Rhee Gold and an impressive cast of guest speakers at the 2006 Project Motivate Seminar.

Over the course of the four-day seminar, attendees were treated to presentations by Rhee Gold on key issues in the dance-teacher world, such as how to build their business, new ideas in marketing, dealing with parents, maintaining a website, what to charge for classes, and more.

Also presenting were Rennie Gold, who spoke on running a smaller business and created live choreography for the attendees; Pam Larsen and Lisa Schnabel, who relayed their experiences running a large business and the marketing techniques they use to boost their enrollment; Paulette Harwood, who talked about putting on recitals; Ellen Ferreira, CEO of Costume Gallery, who explained how owning a studio is essentially the same as being the CEO of a company; Steve Barnett, who helped studio owners learn how to generate extra income and boost their bottom line; Kathy Kozul, who shared tips and techniques to help improve students’ technical skills; and Hedy Perna, who proposed performance concepts that are both good for business and inspirational for students.

A new addition to Project Motivate this year was the presence of vendors at the seminar. On Friday and Saturday, vendors set up booths in the Park Plaza Castle, and attendees were able to browse through merchandise and ask the vendors their questions one-on-one. The vendors also participated in special round-table discussion panels throughout the two days, covering topics such as costumes, make-up, and backdrops for recitals; dance studio flooring; competitions and conventions; carrying dancewear in the studio; and music and video in the classroom. These round-table discussions proved to be mutually beneficial, as they allowed teachers to address their questions and concerns to the vendors, and helped the vendors to understand where the teachers are coming from and what they are looking for in products and services.

The seminar concluded on Sunday with a special luncheon in the Imperial Ballroom, during which the first-ever Project Motivate Award of Excellence was presented to Debbie Lamontagne of the North Andover School of Dance for her kindness and unselfishness in reaching out to a fellow studio owner, Jane O’Donnell, when her school was destroyed by a flood. The luncheon was capped off with a performance by students of the Gold School featuring Gold School alumnus Kyle Robinson, who was fresh from the “Hell’s Kitchen World Tour” with Mikhail Baryshnikov, and is continuing his dance education at Juilliard.

All of us at the Rhee Gold Company would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to each and every teacher who attended, and to the guest speakers and vendors who helped make this year’s Project Motivate possible. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you, and we’ll see you next year!

 What This Year’s Attendees Have To Say About Project Motivate:

“Thank you for Project Motivate. It was better than ever – I came home ready to take on the world. The speakers were all terrific, and I loved having the vendors there this year.

I don't know how I would be able to start the new dance year without getting pumped up at Project Motivate. I have made so many great friends who support me, empower me, validate what I am doing, and in general remind me to laugh at this crazy life we have chosen. Please give all your staff a big hug for the hard work they did to make this year's event so special.

Thank you most of all for continuing to remind us of the responsibility we have to support the young lives that we touch in a positive way.”

–Bobbie Tauber, Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts, Newbury Park, CA

“I had an amazing time at Project Motivate. I would like to thank you for inspiring me to be positive and focus on what's important. I came home and I could not wait to teach!

It was soooooo nice to be able to share ideas and get ideas from other teachers and not feel the competitive aspect of the dance world.”

– Danielle LaTulippe, Get Up and Dance!, Gilbertville, MA

“This was the best thing we have ever done! We were so moved by the camaraderie between the teachers and everyone's willingness to help and share. A sense of empowerment is something we hadn't realized we lacked until you gave it to us. We have now totally re-organized our class schedule, raised tuition, started a newsletter, and are implementing a flat fee for costumes. We're hoping to utilize more of the suggestions we took home, but we don't want to shock the parents too much all at once!

We are excited to start the season and the fact that we are even opening this year we owe to you. We love you and Rennie and we can't wait till next year!”

–Michaele Replogle & Sharon Hicks, Sharon's School of Dance, Middletown, PA

“I wanted to thank you for Project Motivate. It gave me the confidence to view my business as a business, not a hobby. 

Before I went to Project Motivate I was ready to throw in the towel. Now I feel ready to go for another season. I just loved it and would recommend it to anyone.”
–Nicole Smith, Smith's Dance Academy, Grafton, New Brunswick, Canada