The Importance of Planning Ahead

Spring is in the air and Recital is just around the corner. Are you ready to pull your hair out yet or are you as calm as a cucumber? Chances are, the way you feel right now is a direct result of your preparation (or lack of preparation!) over the past 6 months. Read more on Recital Planning, Preparation and Automating time consuming tasks.

A good rule of thumb in the dance studio industry is to be AT LEAST 3 months ahead in your planning. Many things can be done ahead of time to ease the burden in the last 6 weeks. Keeping your staff on that same course of preparation will keep the energy flowing and positivity flourishing throughout the show time stress! A word of caution, however, doing some things too far in advance winds up wasting time instead of saving time. For example, printing (or handwriting for the old school studios) your costume labels months before costumes arrive or are ready for handout may result in too many changes needed to be made to the labels. Many students may add and drop classes during those months, changing the class enrollment. Your dance studio management software should allow you to easily print costume labels in a few minutes. This task should be completed just prior to your costumes arriving and ready for handout.

Top 7 Tasks to Automate and Time-Saving Techniques for your Recital:

• Use a Dance Studio Software with a robust RECITAL MODULE. A Robust Recital Module will allow you to keep organized and efficient and help you save time on necessary tasks.
• Easily track Show Order Conflicts or Quick Changes With a Dance List Order Report.
• Re-order your show with the Click of a button to fix conflicts.
• Manage students dancing in multiple shows with a Multi-show Participation Report.
• Manage siblings dancing in multiple shows with a Multi-show Participation Report.
• Export your Dance Cast Report to create your Recital Program.
• Create your Backstage Recital Book from your Dance Studio Software, saving hours of manual time.

If you are still doing these tasks manually it is time to look into enhancing and improving your systems. Your Recital is the crux of your business. To use a software management system that doesn’t help you with this aspect of your business is costing you more in manual labor than you realize!

Top 7 things you can do 3 months in advance to ease the stress:

• Create a Page for each class with all their pertinent show information including Day and Time of show they are in, Day and Time of their Dress Rehearsal, The Name of their song, the shoes they are wearing with their costume, the color of tights and whether or not it comes with their costume, how to wear their hair and makeup, address of theater and anything else you can think of or want to remind them of! One sheet per class that can be printed, emailed or included with their costume bag will keep everyone informed!
• Use an E-Bulletin Board to post all pertinent Show Information! If you don’t use an E-Bulletin Board ask CompuDance how.
• Make sure you have your Class Moms in place for each class and set a meeting day and time closer to the show to review all important aspects of their Class Mom duties for Dress Rehearsal and Show Day.
• Start your Timeline Countdown to your teachers – 12 weeks until show time! – Include reminders about what they need to have accomplished at this point and countdown each week with them. Instead of typing all of this up, you can do quick videos of yourself talking to them and blast it out so you get 10 conversations done with one video!
• Make sure any last minute Costume Orders are placed!
• Start signing up your Show Volunteers!
• Make sure your Videographer and Photographer are booked!

Let CompuDance Software's robust Recital Module help you with all the planning and communication regarding your show! It is the software of choice for studios just like yours!