Ron Oates and Danc'eM music

If you have any of Danc'eM's Creative Movement CDs or the 9 Month Creative Movement Program or the Circus Recital CD you have Ron Oates playing in your studio. He wrote the arrangement, played the piano and was the leader on the sessions for the album and movie, Sesame Street Follow that Bird that won the Grammy Award. He has 38 gold and platinum records. Just click on the link at the end to hear the original demo for Wind Beneath my wings. He also arranged and played on the Gladys Knight record which was the first record ever of Wind Beneath My Wings. Isn't it interesting to get a behind the scenes look at how this song got it's start?
Love dancing to Ron Oates' music!
This quote is from Kevin Montgomery. “One day Larry Henley walked into my dad's (Bob Montgomery) office with his co-writer, Jeff Silbar and they played him two songs. Dad noticed the third song on the reel to reel and asked them, "What's this third song?"…….Larry said, "oh, it's a piece of s**t……we don't want you to hear it"……….Dad said, "it's a great title. I want to hear it"………….they repeated, "no, we don't want to play it for you"…………Dad said, "play the damn song"………after it was over Dad said, "Guys this is a hit song"………they had recorded it as an uptempo. He told them to redemo it as a ballad.

Dad called his piano player and arranger Ron Oates and asked him to come down immediately and work his magic, and then called Jim Hurt to sing on it. Dad said no one ever sang it better than Jim Hurt. God rest his soul, too. Another great that has passed.
So, what you are hearing here is that original demo……….that day……….the rest is history.”
Here is the youtube link if you want to hear how the original demo sounded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNckQWW530
Ron Oates is the composer, arranger and producer for our Creative Movement Vols. 1-6 and the 9Month Creative Movement Program and the Recital Circus CD.

Winter Blas

Winter Blas
Winter blas can strike any time between December and whenever spring finally gets here. It is Spring already and we have a snow forecast for today.  In the states where it gets cold and snows it is usually the worst but Southern states can have them full force also.
When they hit your dancers be sure you are prepared. Do something to shake up the class. In the really younger classes you might have crazy hair day, weird tights day, pajama day or make up day. You can have a ‘dance with your friend day’ where the students bring their friends and the friends dance in the class with the regular students (be sure you have something that day that the non- dancers can do plus, offer free tights, free ballet shoes or free registration if they sign up for classes). I love to use the 'stories to dance'. You can always make up some or order some to have for these special occasions. The little kids love Toy Store and Deep Sea Diving and the older ballet dancers (ages 6-8) love Magic Carpet Ride and Dancing Princesses and the tappers love Candy Land. You might get the Wedding Dance and make some brides' bouquets or bridesmaids' flowers. You can do some steps that you have been working on to this music with the dancers holding the flowers. You might let a different students lead each barre exercise, or let them wear hats for the lesson. Take pictures! You must do SOMETHING to keep them interested during this time or they will drop out or you will start to get those phone calls: “she just doesn’t want to come, she says she doesn’t like it any more, she says her friends are better than she is” etc…… Nip all this in the bud by creating excitement at the studio during the winter bla months. I used to take my Great Pyrenees with me to the studio in Colorado and he just sat in the very back and watched or slept. I would let the dancers say goodbye to him and let them hug him goodbye if they wanted too. Another studio in Colorado Springs had a resident cat that lived in the studio. He just stayed there all the time and the dancers could pet him and visit him when they were there.
Another thing you can do is get out your scrap book. I hope you are keeping a scrap book of pictures you take in class, at the shows, recitals and any other place where your dancers are. It is fun to look back and see the kids at a younger age. You can't do this on your cell phone, you have to take the picture and then print it! The dancers get a kick out of seeing themselves a year younger or even years younger. It only takes 5 minutes in the middle of class to do this then put it away. You don’t want to do it at the end of class because the moms are listening outside the door and won’t hear any music and then you will have to explain what you were doing.
Let me know what you do to pep things up in the winter.
And remember: There’s no crying in dancing school.

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No Surprises

No Surprises

When I first started teaching I made a handbook that had the calendar, prices of classes and costumes, recital and rehearsal dates and make up info. When parents would question me about anything I’d say “I think that is in your handbook”. Sometimes they would say things like “Oh, I threw that out.” YIKES!!!

Some of the problems/parents never change and they are the parents who want to argue about their bill, the make-up time, the snow policy, the break at Christmas, the rehearsals for the show, the price of the costume, how much the shoes cost, WHY do they have to wear pink tights, (she has some really nice striped ones that are new), she has to have another pair of pointe shoes?, the hair bun, (I don’t know how to make a bun), and the ever popular: we forgot her shoes, leotard, hair clips, pony tail holder, scrunchie, dance bag, etc today.

You should have a ‘studio policy’ on your web site or in a handbook that you print and hand out, or email that says what you will do about all that stuff. Just put it out there, up front so the parents know what they are signing up for at the beginning of the dance year. All the prices of the classes, the costumes, the recital tickets, the cost of the shoes, leotard, tights, dance bag (if you sell them at your studio), the make-up times (when the dancers can come and ‘make up’ the class they missed). The date and times for all the rehearsals, the show time (when they will need to be there not the actual time that the show will start), the no jewelry policy for the show, and anything else you want them to do or not do. If you require that they pay by withdrawal from their checking account or with a monthly charge on a credit card, put it all in writing. Don’t wait until November to tell them what the costumes will cost. You know pretty much what the cost will be so just decide on a price and then get a costume in that price range. At least they know up front what all the charges will be for the entire dance year.

One the great things about having everything up front is when parents are ‘dialing for dance studio info’ (calling all the names in the computer under dance studios) is you can tell them the prices of your costumes, tickets, classes, shoes, etc. right on the phone. When the call the next studio and the owner or office manages says they don’t know the cost of the costumes yet it seems like they aren’t as organized as you are and might seem like they are hiding something. They know what is expected at your studio when they sign up so there are no surprises.

Remember: There is no crying in dancing school.

It's A Costume Not a Wedding Dress

I've had some mothers who complained about the costume they got. "It looks flimsy, it really is too big around, we have to SEW the straps?, she doesn't look good in that color, I think it's a little snug, that hair pieces looked skimpy" etc... just fill in the blank. These mothers just don't understand that this is a COSTUME that the dancer will wear for 3 minutes on the stage that is 20 feet from the closest person in the front row and who knows how far from the people in the back row. Plus, she will be DANCING in it and not standing still and without a close up camera on her. Twenty feet away and on a moving object, under the lights, most costumes will look great! Just tell her you were going to get one that cost $100.00 but decided to go with this one since she will outgrow it before Halloween anyway and you know from years of picking out costumes that this will look wonderful on the stage under the lighting. It is a costume not her wedding dress!

Remember: There is no crying in dancing school.