Advertise on podcast: Transform Your Team

We're talking ALL things competition teams! 💃 Robyn is joined by special guest Mae from Dance on Pointe for an open and honest conversation about the world of competitive troupes — from how we structure our teams to creating the best possible competition experience for our dancers. We dive into: How we split troupe ages and structure our teams Competition Scheduling  Paying teachers for competition days Creating a positive and memorable comp-day experience for our kids Whether troupes should have different competitive levels — just like solos do And the decisions studio owners make behind the scenes to keep troupe programs running successfully If you're a studio owner or teacher or someone who has competiton teams in their school, this is a conversation you'll want to hear. What do you think — Should troupe sections have different levels? Should competition schedules look at how long each age group are there for?  🎧

This week, Katja from Katapult Performing Arts joins Robyn to discuss all things teachers, assistant teachers and what our students need from their teachers. Katja took over Katapult in 2022 and since her inception, she has gone from strength to strength not only with her student base but also with her incredible team!

Join Robyn in our Special Studio Owner Series with Jessica Kinsela. Jessica is the owner of Parkes Dance Co and has been running her school since 2022.  In 2022, Jessica and another teacher were the only teachers with another joining halfway through the year due to her growth. In 2023, Jessica had three senior teachers teaching across 6 days a week. This year, Jessica has 3 head teachers with 3 junior teachers who trainined in the Dance Apprentice in 2023 and then has added another 4 assistants in the classroom who are undergoing Dance Apprentice in 2024. This year Jessica has increased her team trainings and meetings compared to last year and the year before where she barely had any.  Now she has at least 2-3 a term which has made a significant impact on her as a studio owner and her team.

In Episode 16 of Transform Your Team, Robyn meets with the amazing Nicholle Andreuzza from I-mediate who has over 20 years experience in child protection. Nicholle gives us an insight into how we can implement strategies in our studio to ensure we are doing what we can to have everything in place to keep our students safe, what to do in the event a student discloses information and how to make a mandatory report. Online Self-Assessment for your organisation - https://cssa.ocg.nsw.gov.au/

Join Robyn and her incredible guest Will Centurion as they delve into ways that we can empower our staff and students wellbeing. Will provides some helpful tips to add into your tool box that includes the traffic light system, a pathway to assist those struggling with mental health, recognising burnout and implementing Self Care strategies.

There are dancers and then there are performers. How can we train our little ones to bring their confidence to the stage that includes the facials, energy and team work!? Amy Petsalis from Uncensored and Real talks all things about bringing out the performer in the dancer by coming back to their passion and why and visualising their true and authentic selves when performing. Robyn and Amy also delve into how we can prepare our teens for that next step in their dance career.

Are you looking at ways to inject some fun and energy into your tap classes that want the children coming back for more!? This week Mitchell Hicks joins Robyn to talk all things Tap! Mitchell gives an insight into ways to keep your tap classes fun and engaging but also ways for your students to retain the work they are being taught! Mitchell shares some insight into his new syllabus called Tap Mode which is going to take our industry by storm!

Looking at putting your teachers through the RAD Ballet teachers program so they can be your next RAD registered teacher? Amy Fitzpatrick has 30 years of teaching experinece and is a RAD registered teacher as well as an adjudicator also known as the "Smiley Judge". Amy delves into how we can mentor and train our assistants in our ballet classes to be the next head ballet teachers in our schools. We also discuss what judges look for at eisteddfods along with some other controversial topics!

Welcome back to Transform Your Team for 2023. We are kicking off a new year with none other than Tyler Heath who is the lead educator for Injury Prevention Alliance and Head of Training at Dance Cirque. Join us as we talk about how we can train our assistant teachers to take on an acrobatics class, what they need to know and how we can encourage them to take initiative in these classes.

This week the amazing Maree Khoury from Dancing with Maree joins me to talk about how she decided it was time to invest in her team. Maree has invested heavily in different forms of teacher training which has changed the way her studio operates and has allowed her some extra time with her family.

Join me for an epic chat with the incredible Amanda Barr from Dance Sensations and Dance Principals United as we talk all things admin teams! Amanda has a wealth of knowledge in hiring the right admin team for her school and training them so they are across all elements of her studio.  We also talk about the different responsibilities each of her team members are given and how she keeps track of the tasks they are set.

Something I certainly wish I knew earlier in my career was how to time manage my classes better. In this episode of Transform Your Team, I talk all things lesson planning and how this can assist with time management in the classroom. Training our team to write a good lesson plan and ways to structure their classes, will help with their time management. This is something we can achieve across all classrooms and letting them know that they have your support if they need help with something will keep them on task also.

Do your teachers know how to make a mandatory report? Are they aware of the signs of abuse and neglect? In this episode of Transform Your Team, we talk all things Child Protection. This is a crucial topic to discuss within our industry and an area all of our teachers should be trained in. As teachers, we are mandatory reporters. It is our role to protect out students.

In this weeks episode I chat to the amazing Chantal Curmi from The Little Groovers Hip Hop Syllabus about all things pre school and pre school teachers. We delve into things our teachers should be implementing into their pre school classes, how we can work on those students who have separation anxiety and how to ensure your class is always engaged.

What is your biggest struggle at the moment as a studio owner? Is it finding good and reliable staff? Staff who want to work? Staff who are there for you, your studio and your students? In this episode of Transform Your Team, I go through the process of recruiting your dream team if you do not have a young group of assistants coming through your school. Now is a great time to start putting the feelers out to secure amazing educators for 2023!