Tips on how to properly host a Country Dance Lesson at a Bar
Are you looking to host Dance Lessons at a Country Bar and are looking for some good tips on how to build a good reputation with the bar? Well I’ve got some really good tips that will give you the knowledge you need so that you and bar owners are on the same page. And what I mean by that is that bars are allowing you the instructor to teach because they want to make money. And one of the biggest factors a dance instructor needs to know about a bars profits is that they make money by the ounce. So if you are not helping them make money to get people to buy drinks then they are going to most likely end up having you put on the chopping block because all you are doing is creating more expenses without any gains. So, here are a few tips on how to properly host a Country Dance Lesson at a Bar:
-
Don’t take free drinks or food from the bar as a way to get compensated
One of the things that I’ve learned is that you really want to keep the bars expenses down to a minimum. If you don’t know the bars expenses and liabilities, then try to come up with clever ideas on how to help the bar make more money. Remember they are paid by the ounce so if you can help them get people to buy drinks then do that. One idea I’ve read, is that instead of having the bar get you your free drinks, why not get your students who are there to drink, get you and your partner a round! You can incentivize your students by saying first person to get us a round of drinks will get to have the first song played on their request after the lesson.
-
Make sure you are clearly heard on the dance floor
A big mistake I think some dance instructors make is that they don’t use a microphone to present their lessons. If you are teaching a lesson you need to be heard well by your students. That microphone is a great way to get your students not only to learn but to hear any advertisements you are making either for yourself or for the bar. Some people in the back will hear you make an advertisement on the microphone that they wouldn’t otherwise hear if you just spoke the words without the microphones help. So make sure you are using microphone in your lessons.
-
Make sure you record your lessons on video
Recording your lessons on video is probably the best way to advertise! The biggest factor that is missing from dance instructors is video recordings from dance lessons. You can never have enough video. Getting the right angle and having the right look of the audience when teaching can be tricky sometimes. If you can get more video of you teaching that can be used to promote your lessons and also it will be a way to promote the bar because people come to the bar to learn how to dance. Another note is on where to place your cameras and I would say in general you want to place them up high to get an overall view of the dance floor because you could be teaching from any angle on that floor and it’s very hard to video from down low because people are in the way a lot. So try to record video from up high looking down.
-
Make sure you are dressed well for the lesson
Presentation is everything in the business of dancing. If you are going to teach make sure you look good in your country western wear. I love the black shirt blue jean colours and you can see why in these pictures. Uniformity between you and your partner is important and wearing the right clothes is important as well. I would say for guys you need to be wearing boots, bootcut jeans, and a nice shirt and hat. For girls I would say this can vary a lot and it might be easier for me to say what not to wear first which are, shoes, skinny jeans at the “ankles,” dresses, and any loose-fitting clothing. What I prefer to see are women who wear bootcut jeans, boots, and t shirts with maybe a belly top if they have a nice looking belly. They could also wear booty shorts instead of jeans and rock it all out with a nice looking belt around their waist as well. I would prefer this, over jeans tucked inside the boots too, because some of the girls ankles can be so small and it doesn’t look like something I would want to present if they look really small. Also watch your colours too, I find that lighter coloured jeans are too flashy sometimes in the bar and what it looks like is you can see a pair of pants walking around the bar with a shadow on top and it just looks quite strange from a distance so I don’t really recommend light coloured jeans. I would say the same thing for shirts as well. If you are going to wear a shirt have it a dark colour and there are many reasons for this, one being that you can see through white shirts when they are wet and the other is that it’s very noticeable for stains if someone spills something on you. That’s probably the main reason I recommend dark colours in general is that it’s hard to notice stains on your clothing in the bar.
-
Talk less and Dance more
One thing that sometimes can drive your students away is that dance instructors can sometimes get too talkative in the lesson to the point where people are just standing for minutes waiting for the instructor to let them start dancing. Try to make your dance lessons more focused on demonstrating the move and less on talking the night away in an explanation of the move. So my suggestion is to spend 5 minutes for every 15 of your time demonstrating and explaining the move and then the rest of the time spend observing how your students are doing.
-
Play music that is really catchy!
One of the biggest things that lacks among dancer instructors I find is that they play some really dull songs that are not really that enjoyable to dance to. If you are teaching Country Swing Dancing we have developed a list of really good songs to teach Country Swing Dancing to, and so we recommend you stick to a good list of cool songs for young people to dance to.
-
Light up the Dance Floor if it’s Dark!