ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What if some of the things you've always done for your dance studio concert are actually making the experience worse for your families?
In this episode of the Dance Principles United podcast, Bec and Nathan are recording from New Zealand, where a conversation with another business owner gave them a fresh reminder of what dance concerts can feel like from the other side of the curtain.
This business owner loves that his daughter dances. He's happy to invest in quality training. But sitting through a long concert to see his daughter perform near the very end? Not exactly his idea of a great customer experience.
And that raised an important question for dance studio owners:
Are the decisions you're making about your concert truly fans-first, or are you doing them because that's how dance studios have always done things?
In this episode we discuss...
- Why a two, three or four-hour dance studio concert can feel very different from the audience than it does backstage.
- Why a shorter show doesn't automatically mean parents receive less value.
- How concert length can affect ticket sales and overall dance studio profit.
- Why splitting one long concert into shorter shows may create a better customer experience while still making financial sense.
- How simplifying costumes for preschool and recreational dancers can reduce costs for families.
- Why costume revenue and costume profit are two very different things.
- How expensive concerts can contribute to students opting out — and potentially leaving your dance studio.
- Why competition families and recreational families shouldn't always receive the same concert experience.
- How Bec is testing a "pick your own costume" approach for younger students.
- Why strong dance studio leadership means being willing to test new ideas, even when your team is uncomfortable with change.
- Stop assuming more means more value
One of the biggest ideas in this conversation is that more isn't automatically better.
As dance studio owners, it's easy to believe that a huge concert with hours of routines, costume changes and production elements gives families better value.
But your families may see it differently.
Nathan shares the experience of sitting through his own daughters' three-hour concert. With three children performing regularly throughout the show, he had plenty to watch — and even he was checking how much longer was left by interval.
Bec admits her own concerts used to run for around four hours. At the time, she thought she was creating an incredible experience. Looking back, she sees it very differently.
A shorter, well-paced concert could leave families wanting more rather than watching the clock.
And there's a business strategy behind that too. If grandma, grandad, aunties and uncles know they're committing to several hours in a theatre, they may decide not to buy a ticket. A shorter experience could make it easier for extended family to say yes.
Rethinking dance concert costumes
The second big tradition under the microscope is costuming.
Instead of giving preschoolers and younger recreational students a different costume for every genre, Bec now uses one main costume and changes smaller elements such as shoes or accessories.
For recreational dancers, the studio may start with a quality base leotard and add a skirt for lyrical or cargo pants and a bandana for hip-hop.
It's simpler backstage.
It's cheaper for parents.
And importantly, it may help protect dance studio retention.
Nathan breaks down the numbers in the episode. Protecting a small costume profit isn't particularly useful if the total concert cost pushes a student to opt out and the studio then loses hundreds or thousands of dollars in tuition and ticket revenue.
That's why dance studio finances need to be looked at as a whole rather than focusing on one revenue line.
Make your concert a retention exercise
Your end-of-year concert isn't simply a performance.
It's one of the biggest customer experience moments in your dance business.
Parents and students should leave thinking, That was brilliant. I can't wait to do it again.
If instead families leave exhausted, financially stretched or relieved that it's finally over, something needs to change.
So before your next concert, audit your decisions.
Ask yourself: Is this fans-first?
That one question could change the way you approach concert length, costumes, rehearsals, production and even your dance studio systems backstage.
If this episode gives you something to think about, subscribe to the Dance Principles United podcast, leave us a review and share the episode with another dance studio owner who might need to rethink a few concert traditions too. https://danceprincipalsunited.com/dpu-tribe/
