It’s scary to walk into a new place, let alone a place where you’re expected to perform in a way.
Let me put your mind at ease. A ballroom dance studio like ours has no expectations for our students except that they’ll have fun while they’re here.
Everything else is up to you.
The hardest step to take in ballroom dancing is the first step into the studio. People are usually afraid, intimidated, or otherwise uncomfortable about walking into an environment that is unfamiliar.
There’s no need to be afraid, though! It’s like any situation where you’re new.
When I interview a new teacher, I ask them if they’re nervous, and if they’re honest they say yes. I go on to say that this is the feeling our students will have when they come in for the first time, just like they were walking into an interview for a new job.
Unless they’ve danced before, they don’t know what to expect. They’re out of their element.
More than the high level of professional expertise our teachers offer, I hire them because of their ability to welcome our students and make them feel comfortable and at ease from the moment they step into our studio.
Part of our daily business training includes focusing on how to interact with students, how to make them feel comfortable, what to do so they can start to relax and feel a part of things here.
This is a dance business so we do focus on teaching dance. But we know very well that in order to become a better dancer, a person must feel happy, comfortable, and they also need to know they can learn to dance. Part of our teachers’ responsibility is instilling the confidence in our students so they know exquisite, elegant and fun ballroom dancing is never out of reach.