Running a dance studio, especially if you find that you’re handling every aspect of running your dance studio on your own, can be all-encompassing. Which means, the time you’re spending on chasing payments, scheduling classes, enrolling new students, and more, is time that you’re not focusing on your dance lesson plans.
That’s where Class Manager comes in. Our dance studio software helps you manage every part of running your studio, from automated billing and attendance tracking to class scheduling and parent communications, freeing up hours of admin every week so you can focus on creating amazing lessons and nurturing your students.
To get you started, we’ve put together some top tips for planning effective dance lessons.
Dance Lesson Plan Creation Top Tips:
Establish Your Level & Style
Before you start writing your lesson plans, it’s essential to understand exactly who you’re teaching.
For example, using the RAD curriculum age and grade breakdowns…:
Grade 6 ballet students (ages 14–18): These students are preparing for higher-level training, so your lessons should focus on refining technique, building strength, and improving artistry.
Grades 1–3: Younger students are building foundational skills, so lessons should focus on basic technique, coordination, and confidence in movement.
Tailoring your lesson plan to your students’ level ensures every class is purposeful and relevant.
Tailor To Your Class
You know your students better than anyone. If a class struggles with certain skills but thrives on improvisation or creative exercises, plan your lessons to meet their needs while keeping them engaged.
Flexibility and personalisation are key; your lesson plan should reflect your students’ strengths, challenges, and learning styles. Which is why, even when using established lesson plans, it’s important to fully know and understand what the lesson plan is asking for and make relevant amendments.
3. Give More Time Than You Expect
Dance lessons rarely run exactly to schedule. Warm-ups take longer, students may need extra time to focus, and transitions between exercises can take unexpected minutes.
Always build wiggle room into your plans so you’re not rushed and can respond to your students’ needs without stress.
4) Keep Your SMART Goals In Mind
When planning, align each lesson with your overall learning objectives.
For instance, if your goal is for students to master a grand jeté, or eventually work toward advanced moves like fouettés or cabrioles, every lesson that week or term should build toward that target.
SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) keep both you and your students focused, motivated, and on track. Learn more about SMART goal setting for your dance studio in our previous blogs.
5) Plan Clear Warm-Ups & Cool Downs
Now, for younger students, these could feature the best warm-up games for dance lessons, or they could be more skill-focused. But, to protect your students from injury or strain, it’s important to ensure muscles are properly warmed up and cooled down.
6) Break Elements Down Into Skills
Sometimes, highly-skilled elements or large sections of choreography can seem overwhelming for students just starting, so breaking multi-element skills into smaller steps can help students absorb and learn them.
Example: Start with footwork in isolation, then add arms, then the full combination. This keeps lessons achievable and motivating.
Where Does Lesson Planning Time Come From?
You’re probably thinking: “Where am I supposed to find the time to create weekly lesson plans for all my classes, across different genres, ages, and skill levels?”
With Class Manager dance studio software, small studio owners have reported saving up to 25 hours a week on admin tasks.
Imagine what you could do with an extra 25 hours each week in your studio… planning some pretty epic dance lessons, that’s for sure!
Want to find out more about how Class Manager can help you save time (and money)? Book a demo with our team, or create your free account here. For more information, about lesson planning, see our latest blog posts:
