Burlesque Workshop or a Burlesque Course (and what's the difference?)
I was chatting recently to a fellow teacher about the process of setting up new opportunities for learning.
If you’ve been on the Miss Kitty’s Meow website you might have seen that we have had a bunch of different learning opportunities available.
I’ve been fortunate enough to move away from the one ‘mixed bag’ burlesque class to including some more specific skills and offerings.
That’s definitely something that as a teacher you need to consider carefully. It’s sometimes hard to know what is better to offer -a one off workshop or a longer course.
A workshop can be one off, specific and skills based.
A visiting performer that has a limited period of time to share their knowledge
Travelling to a community or region you are travelling in for a limited period of time
A business or marketing seminar that addresses burlesque as an industry
Making an opportunity affordable
Offering an opportunity online
When is a course more appropriate?
I know not everyone is able to commit to those longer blocks of time. But there is definitely some advantage to being able to teach in a longer course.
I think often a course is better for:
Building skills and knowledge over a period of time
Being able to pace learning (not overwhelming students with too much in a short period of time)
Building longer community engagement and brand awareness through longer term opportunities
Helping students build those friendships and connections - that sometimes you don’t achieve in a 90 minute workshop!
The last point speaks to me the most. I have moved to favour offering courses over one off workshops. It offers me an opportunity as a business to build longer term engagement in my location.
Courses can be beneficial for teachers, as it offers the opportunity for students to get to know you and your teaching style and priorities. If you are one studio or teacher in a bigger landscape, it’s important that students can find the right studio and home for them. Because we all bring different experiences and teaching styles to the table.
And remember your students are the bedrock of your business. Your biggest cheerleaders and supporters. If you can build that relationship in those longer periods of time, I think that it builds your business awareness overall.
And importantly, you are then building those long term connections between students. Not everyone is going to be or needs to be best friends. You will usually find that they have something in common or someone that you connect a bit more with. I love seeing people become friends and continue friendships outside of their classes - especially as life moves on and they move outside the ‘burlesque’ world.
Beginner Burlesque Workshop (2022)
Are courses a bit exclusive? Price prohibitive?
Courses can be an initially price prohibitive. I think that is sometimes the biggest turn off in adding them into your teaching repetoire or in reducing workshops over longer courses.
Honestly, over a period of time, an 8 week or 6 week course often work out to be more affordable per hour or per session.
I would take that as a marketing or promotional opportunity for you as a teacher. I personally just due to demand don’t offer payment plans (and have been rejected - RUDE! - by Afterpay), but that can be an option if you are emerging or have the capacity to navigate the budgeting of that. It depends a bit on your pricing structure and how you like to run your business. Keep in mind I’m speaking from working in one smaller city in Australia and run only a few classes per week - not a full time business model.
What do you think? What’s worked better for you as a teacher or burlesque business? I’d love to hear from you!