Sonia-

I've been teaching since 2001 and the thing I've learned is that in the beginning many people think belly dance is so exotic and beautiful that when they learn how hard it really is and how much they'll have to work to look "like that bellydancer on tv" they give up and realize they just aren't committed to it that much. Also, sometimes they have family issues like having to take care of ailing parents or a death.But mainly many people wanna dance like Suhaila (for example) but not have to practice. Very few are those who stick with it long term.

As far as being a successful dance instructor: know your stuff--how to explain a move, what muscles are involved, alternative ways to explain a move to suit people's different learning styles and also know something about the dance history and culture. Aside from that...just keep good records and paperwork. And, not everyone does this but I do--I carry liability insurance and I have each new student sign a release that a lawyer drafted for me. I used to work for lawyers and we are in a litigious society so it makes me feel better.

ZD

Hi Sonia,
I noticed the same thing when I started teaching about 5 years ago. I asked two very established instructors I highly respect about it because I thought maybe I was doing something wrong to be losing such a percentage of students. They both told me that there is always a high rate of atrition - sometimes as little as 30 or 40% of the class remains at the end of the semester. They both advised me not to take it personally. I'd definitely say you see more loss at beginner level than above - this group is less invested in the activity.

A couple things I have done to counter this trend...

I write my class curriculum in a progressive way. One skill builds on the next. I tell them on the first night that we'll be building on skills from prior weeks each time so they'll see the most success with regular attendance. At the end of class I tell them how we'll be expanding on this week's skills next week - make the connection.

On the first night I give them a list of skills we'll be covering in the 8 week session so they see where we're headed.

If someone is absent, I send a short email asking if they're ok and offering them to come to a makeup class.

I arrive early for class and try to get to know each person, if you take a genuine interest in them, they take a greater interest in you.

Something I thought might work but didn't with my students - doing a choreography. I thought that doing this would keep them attending but I found the opposite. If they missed one week - they felt so lost that they stopped coming.

Hope some of that helps,

Mahin
www.shes-got-hips.com

I assume you're talking about beginners? Wish I had a nickel for every beginner I've ever taught :-)
they're like delicate flowers that wilt in less than ideal conditions! Talk too much or not enough, you lose them either way.

What's good about the atrition rate though is you'll end up with the hardier "flowers" that are more suited to your teaching style; also they won't be quite so shy to let you know what they need or don't like.

So the best strategy is to be able to roll over your beginners from one session to the next in a short amount of time (I like monthly sessions the best) so if they miss one or two they don't get way behind, and the next session is coming right up. If you do 8 week sessions, they may drop out because they miss one or two, then find something else to do before it's time to sign up again.

Also if you can have a "beginners plus" class where they can go after they've learned a few things, that's great. Then the ones who do show up & learn won't always feel like they're perpetually bogged down with newbies.

You generated a thought- does anyone ever turn their next week's material a little choreography to show at the end of class- so you can say "next week we'll be working on these moves"
Perhaps *seeing* the cool new moves would get them excited about not missing it.

But a lot of times people just get stuck in traffic and feel embarassed about being so late for class, put their hubby/kids' schedule before their own, have to work late,... after missing one class, sometimes it gets tough back into the groove- so gentle reminders that you are still ready to welcome them with open arms is good...

I would hope you try to get their email/phone number/address info their first visit.
That way you can send out emails the day before class or beginning of the week reminding them about the exciting stuff they have to look forward to.
Even become their friend on facebook if you can because if you send little reminders like "looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night at 6" can be enough of a "Oh yeah- bellydance" to make them remember. Not only that but then all of their friends see it too & may ask about joining or hold them accountable a little by asking how it went, you know what I mean? I have a friend who is pretty religious about sending facebook updates to her students (or just her status updates actually) and all her friends leave comments like "can't wait" "see you there" "oh I can't make it tonight" "hey is there still room in this class? where is it?" etc.
So I think that works well for her.

And this is time consuming but personally I love getting a handwritten letter in the mail because it is so rare to find anything but nasty old bills most of the time. If I have an important event coming up I take the time to handwrite an invitation even if I do all the other digital stuff cuz I think people tend to delete stuff in their inbox they weren't expecting and at least a handwritten note is something they have to hold and touch and consider its value before discarding. It is a personal touch that makes people feel special- lets them know you care about seeing them.
They know they aren't just some name on a list.