Marketing Your Dance Class

Alesia Baber and Pam Tomlinson

When the state of Texas began including dance as an approved course, many drill team directors jumped at the opportunity to teach these classes. A few of us were fortunate in that there was such a demand at our schools that we were able to teach dance full-time in lieu of our other core classes. However, there are still many teachers out there with one or two dance classes stuck in the middle of the day between their other English or science classes. If you are interested in raising the numbers enrolling in your dance classes so that you can teach dance all day, here are some suggestions.

•  When it is time to begin signing up for classes, have students in your dance classes (or drill team girls if you do not yet have dance classes) make posters promoting the class. You know students do not read their course guides and may not be aware dance classes are available.
•  In GISD, dance counts as a Fine Arts credit or a P. E. waiver depending on what the student needs. Check with your district to see if this scenario is an option in your school. (This will allow students not wanting to be in a typical P. E. class as well as students who do not want to take theatre, speech or art to enroll. Also, if it can count as a fine arts credit, many of your drill team girls, who have already used their P. E. credits for drill team will be able to enroll.)
•  Speak to your school counselors and ask them to promote your dance classes when going into the classrooms and talking to the students about their schedules. 
•  See if you can approve your drill team girls to bypass Dance I since they have already met the Dance I criteria in drill team thus creating a need for a separate Dance II class and the following year, a Dance III class.
•  Set up a booth/table at your freshman registration. Put it next to the drill team tables and let students know that if they don’t have the time or funds for drill team, but enjoy dancing, this is an alternative. (Make sure they know prior dance experience is not a criterion.)
•  Talk to your boys’ and girls’ coaches. Convince them it’s excellent training for their athletes. It enhances agility, endurance, flexibility, coordination and balance to name only a few benefits. (We have had football players in our classes and they’re great!)
•  Tell your drill team girls what you teach in dance – social, aerobics, jazz, ballet, tap modern, etc. then have them tell ten friends. This will hopefully promote interest as well as dispel any myths about the class.
•  The first year especially, if you are trying to increase in number, encourage your new girls and junior varsity girls to sign up for that added technique work and attention they need. (You could also let your drill team candidates know during tryouts that you teach dance classes. If they don’t make it, they may choose to sign up for the added experience.) 
•  Finally, remember your best tool is word of mouth. Make your classes fun and interesting. If your students enjoy the class, they will tell their friends!

If you’re starting a dance program at your school and would like some help, or if you already have a program in place and have questions, feel free to contact either of us.

Alesia Baber – Naaman Forest High School (972) 494-8352

Pam Tomlinson – Garland High School (972) 494-8492

Pam Tomlinson

• Lakeview Sweetheart – Officer senior year
•  Auburn University – member of Tiger Pause Dance Team, Bachelor of Science in Education, Language Arts and Dance
•  Garland High School – Varsity drill team director, co-developer of Dance Curriculum for GISD

•  Lakeview Sweetheart- Officer senior year
•  University of Texas graduate with teaching fields in English and Dance
•  Naamen Forest High School- Varsity drill team director, dance teacher, and co-developer of Dance Curriculum for GISD