To keep your community talking about your dance studio between performances, try inviting knowledgeable professionals to offer related free or low-cost education to the public. If you promote the topic and the speaker in an engaging way, both the promotion and the event will build your standing in the community. Sharing nutrition information in this way can actually provide quite a few benefits for you and your studio!
While the general public normally thinks of nutrition — if they think of it at all — in the context of weight management, good nutrition also plays a role in energy, stamina, recovery, and for kids, growth and development. And you know, of course, how critical nutrition is to dance performance.
Since nutrition is also critical to attention and learning, if you have groups of kids who can’t seem to focus or control their behavior, poor nutrition may well be a culprit. And if these are issues in the studio, you know they are also problems at home. Your dance parents and others in the community would likely welcome sensitive and practical education around this issue!
Here are some key points to keep in mind as you plan your event:
– Choose your nutrition professional well. Look at both their public-speaking experience and their nutrition background. Avoid fads and outdated theories! If your potential speaker is all about “multivitamins as insurance,” or coconut oil, or no-carb diets, then you know that their nutrition knowledge is not current. Look for someone who is aware that both macro-nutrients (protein, carbs and fats) as well as the all-important micronutrients (vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, enzymes) must come from whole food sources.
– Create excitement and anticipation as you promote the talk. This means that rather than promoting the information your speaker will share, highlight the story of the information (as well as the story of the speaker.) For example, consider the difference between “Nutrition for Young Dancers” and “Creating Vibrantly Healthy Dance Teens – Who Love What You Serve for Dinner.” Which talk would your dance parents be more likely to attend?
– Open up the event and promote it to your community at large. It’s a great way to bring new potential dancers (or at least their parents) through the door. To ensure a larger turnout of newbies, take words related to dance OUT of the title of the talk. In our example from above, we would take out the word “dance”, resulting in the title: “Creating Vibrantly Healthy Dance Teens – Who Love What You Serve for Dinner”. This title still speaks to dancers/dance parents, but also to a larger audience.
– Send the details about your event to Local Radio Community Calendars (AM and FM), neighborhood newspapers, and community events newsletters. Post the information on your website and Facebook page. Print flyers with the information and ask your students to post some in local cafes, community centers, etc. These efforts can really boost community attendance, while also keeping the event top of mind for your dancers and dance parents.
– Ask for a guest-blogger article from your speaker to include in your newsletter and/or website, as well. This substantially extends the impact of your event.
– Discuss a referral relationship with your chosen nutrition professional. Make sure you have and display their cards and brochures, and that they do the same with yours.
Developing a nutrition event at your studio – it could be yearly, or even quarterly! – can be rewarding in multiple ways. As you are supporting the health of your students and their families, you are enhancing your reputation and visibility in the community. Everybody wins!
Guest blogger Beth Genly, CNM, received her advanced-practice nursing education at Yale University. These days, she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. “I really enjoy public speaking and education. So, after 20+ years of clinical practice, I now choose to empower people to move into optimal health by focusing on making ever-better nutritional choices. I know I am influencing the health of generations.”