Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes a long 6-8 week break from your usual income and dance lesson routine.
Why not fill that space with a well-organized and fun summer camp? Whilst many dance studios and schools see the summer as a break and an opportunity to complete various summer studio maintenance checklist jobs, it's also a great opportunity to make additional revenue, attract new students, and encourage your students in a new environment.
What Does A Dance Summer Camp Look Like?
One of the best things about running a summer camp is the creative freedom it gives you, especially when exploring different dance camp themes. You can shape it to suit your studio, your team, and your dancers.
Want to run a week-long street dance intensive? Go for it. Prefer a ballet-focused camp with daily technique and choreography sessions for princesses and princes? Perfect. Thinking of a pop-inspired camp that lets dancers sparkle and shine? That works too.
The key is to design something that feels exciting, manageable, and, most importantly, appealing to parents and children, so they can decide which option fits best. What would grab the attention of your current families, or attract new dancers through the door? Themed summer dance camps can help young dancers build confidence, creativity, and movement through music and play.
For inspiration, think about themes like unicorns, dinosaurs, a beach adventure, or ideas for Broadway fans.
Quick Fire: Summer Dance Camp Ideas To Organize
Location Venue. Do you already have your own space, or do you need to hire somewhere? You'll need more than just a dance studio, think breakout areas, toilets, and somewhere for meals or snacks.
Team Who's running the camp with you? Make sure your teachers and wider team have a good mix of skills, ballet, street, and choreography, as well as the general day-to-day running of the camp.
Activities & Structure What's on the agenda as part of your planning? Will there be a theme, an end-of-camp performance, or guest choreographers? Are you introducing new styles or working on technique, with crafts and time for children to create and express themselves?
Age Groups: What ages is your camp for? Will you split kids into age bands or run a mixed-age format?
Spaces: How many dancers can you realistically (and safely) take?
Get Your Summer Camp Filled
Start by telling your current students all about it and where to find registration. Chat after class, send messages in WhatsApp groups, drop an email, or put up some flyers. Keep mentioning it too, because once a few students sign up, others won't want to miss out.
Try a referral deal: if a student brings a friend who's not already part of your studio, the referee gets a discount on their summer camp costs. It's a great way to spread the word among friends.
Don't forget to talk to local schools and clubs. They might help you get the word out to parents and families in your area.
And be sure to post about your camp on your website, social media, your registration page, local community pages, and notice boards. The more places you share, the better!
Families often compare the best date before signing up for summer dance camps.
By doing some of these (or all), you will soon see your summer camp filling up.
Benefits Of Running A Summer Camp With Dance Camp Themes For Your Dance Studio
Running a dance summer camp comes with plenty of benefits for your studio and your students as you build momentum into fall:
Boosts your revenue during the off-season and can bring fresh energy and adventure to your studio
Keeps current students excited and engaged with dance, building joy and confidence
Encourages students to step outside their comfort zones, try new styles, explore self-expression, and gives each dancer room to groove
Helps students discover new genres they might love, leading to more classes booked
Expands your reach by attracting new families with a focus on what different children enjoy and may join your studio in the new term
So, What Are You Waiting For?
Wondering how you’re going to find the time to organise a summer camp?
Did you know that you could save 25 hours a week if you switch to a class management software and system, like Class Manager? Class Manager can help you with the daily running of your dance studio, as well as the general organisation of your summer camp.
Book a demo with our team, or create your free account here.
