“GEO, I own a studio and I’m having trouble bringing in boys. From your videos, it seems you’re pretty successful in this area. What’s your secret?” ~ Brian, MA
Hey Brian,
This is a question I get asked frequently so I am glad I can share my thoughts with you and other studio owners through gendance. I never imagined I would have over 100 boys enrolled at ICON and the number seems to be growing. I attribute this mainly to HIP HOP and its popularity. It is now "cool" for boys to dance whereas years ago boys were made fun of. With the growing number of TV shows like "America's Best Dance Crew" and "So You Think You Can Dance", boys want to aspire to dance on TV and be the standout at the school dance. HIP HOP has given every single dance studio out there an opportunity to capitalize on the "boy" dance market, now they just have to figure out how to do that. I started with myself, I realized I had to be a positive role model, a standout dancer on top of my craft and most of all... as funny as this may sound, I had to be cool!!! What makes it easier for me is that... I was that boy. I wanted to dance as a young kid and many factors held me back for a while, the biggest one was being made fun of. I took all that knowledge and tried to figure out how I would have wanted things to be in my perfect dance world. The Hip Hop culture embodies all the factors... the look, the style, the music, the swag. Use these factors and transform them into success.
The Look... I designed ICON to be hip and cool, neutral colors, flat screen tv's, sleek and fresh, a place boys would feel comfortable walking into, as well as girls, little kids, adults and of course dads. I'm never surprised when I hear a Mom say to me... "my son wants to dance but my husband won't let him." I have actually had dads change their tune after visiting ICON and watching one of my boy classes. No pink or lavender, no rainbows. hearts and balloons... I went the MTV route. I envisioned MTV cameras filming in my studio one day... and it happened... twice!
The Style... ICON gear. The boys, kids, Moms, Dads, Grandma's... they all rock their ICON gear, it's cool! I wear it all the time, I love my gear. It started with me again, I designed stuff I would love to wear and feel confident in. The boys see that and they want to rock the same gear. I always wear one leg rolled up on my sweats... when you see kids coming into class doing the same it's a sure sign they are following the trend. If you have a hip hop teacher in tight black jazz pants and foot undies (I have seen it)... it is most likely not going to lead to a successful boys program. Throw on your fitted baseball cap backwards and your hoodie and live the style, the kids will follow.
The Music... very important. Do your research, find good music, and change it up, kids get bored easily. Don't play the same music for warmup from September to June, I change it up every week. I always keep up to date on my music, I even have some of the hottest tracks before they are released through exclusive music websites, you just have to do your homework. Although it is difficult sometimes, find CLEAN VERSIONS! If I can't, I use a simple editing program like Garage Band on my mac and cut out the bad stuff. The music is one of the biggest motivators for the boys, the music has to be... COOL!
The Swag... the way one carries their self. I try to live the culture. Dress it, feel it, dance it. I feel comfortable in my skin and they way I dress. If someone doesn't feel comfortable with these factors it will show. Find the right person to be that role model and who is also a great teacher. The boys need that someone to not only look up to, but also to aspire to be.
Although I take some slack for it, I do sometimes put my boys on a pedestal. I was in their shoes once so I know what they go through mentally as a dancer. They are the minority, so I try to put a little more into giving them the confidence to not give up on what they love to do. Put them in the spotlight. I always try to showcase an all boys Hip Hop routine at events. The people love it, they love seeing all these boys up there entertaining the crowd. Other boys in the audience see this and get the itch. They want to be up there getting that attention, wearing the cool clothes, dancing to the cool music. It becomes infectious, and it works. As a studio owner figure out how you can do that... what recipe will work for you and your boys. Use the boys you have to inspire other boys, let them become the role models for other boys that want to dance.
To sum it up, there are so many things that factor in to this equation. Most important, it's got to be COOL! The boys want to feel confident and comfortable, all you need to do is set the stage. Good Luck and wish you success!!!
“Be ICONic”
GEO
gendance gives you the chance to talk to him directly. Ignite your queries by asking for Geo’s advice. He cares. It shows. What’s your question? Tell Us Here
