Food for Thoughts for Dance Teachers and Organisers

Structured programmes such as Zouk dance camps and boot camps are a new era and becoming widely popular and for many positive reasons. It’s amazing seeing our community heading this direction because of artists and organisers who have invested their time, blood, sweat and yes lots of money to help grow our passion for Brazilian Zouk.

I’ve recently had a very very very interesting but concerning discussion with another fellow dance camp organiser. As a fellow dance camp organiser who has risked and invested heavily, I completely understand the situation.

Who would own a dance programme and structure, dance camp or boot camp concept or methodology; the intellectual property or patents or rights to use?

Let’s say an Organiser X (like my friend and I) felt there is a missing need in the market, because of our wide experience and investment we made in traveling the world. We saw what’s good, what’s bad and what could be improved from a student’s perspective and some of us may even teach so we get both perspectives and even further, some of us have much other useful expertise which would be useful for the community.

Here is the situation, Organiser X met many wonderful teachers along the way and inspired by the potential of particular teachers and saw a strong vision.

So Organiser X uses their expertise to build dance programmes, dance camps or boot camp concepts together along with the teachers that inspired them. Teachers get compensated with professional fees, the Organiser X would take all the bills, the costs, the risks, and pays and build all business required infrastructure, marketing and growing a completely new market niche. Whether it succeeds or not, Organiser X will take on all that risks and in most cases, I’ve seen, takes the losses or barely break-even. Regardless… the teachers will still get paid.

The teachers, of course, would spend some of their own time to help formulate the structured programme with their experience and expertise as part of the agreement, which we ask teachers to reflect those costs in their professional fees. Teachers have great influential power and can really help drive conversion rates and spreading dance camps via word by mouth. We really do know how important teachers are in making dance camps successful! However…

Organiser X would spend the time too creating the best learning environment possible within a budget of their target market. Over the years these programmes goes through refinement and maturity through feedback and years of dedication of work from both the Organiser X and the teachers to make it become successful.

Now, what seems to be happening next is the teachers take this matured programme structure, and roll it out with other Organiser Y, Z, etc, who invites the teachers and want this same successful structured programme shared with their regional community. The question is, to what extent should this be allowed or even ethical?

Whether the intention of Organiser Y, Z, etc is just to share with their regional community, to make a profit or not, they are now taking much lower or zero risk because of the popularity and demand of the matured programme structure. For sure the programme structure works effectively and new students may have heard through good reputation and previous marketing through the works of Organiser X, so it’s much easier for Organiser Y, Z, etc, to sell now.

But what if the market demand is not enough for a multiple of the same programmes? If the dance community has not yet been educated enough to know that dance camps and boot camps are another ideal tools to invest in themselves but they appear to cost much more (which in reality they actually aren’t) than congresses and festivals and so it drives up the marketing costs to persuade per student! I can see the advantage for the dance community of having multiple organisers pumping monies into marketing and growing more interest. On a negative note, if not enough marketing and education is done, then everyone and everything goes to shits because of market dilution. However, whichever way the market goes, I can’t see any rewards or real positive advantages for Organiser X for all the risks and investments made so far? Do you see any? Teachers could continue monetising the matured structured programme and even walk away with it. Organisers X could be left with nothing, for their efforts, time, passion, and commitment. And this is all happening, I see it!

I’ll make this super clear, I’m not referring to programmes which teacher’s formulate in closed doors on their own time and their own costs. For clarity, I’m talking about this new era of structured programmes (dance camp and boot camps) that are co-created and developed by teachers and organisers while organically working together. This blog isn’t about shooting teachers down and taking away their efforts and time they have given to build their profession/business income. I’m here to be a VOICE for organisers and share our experiences of what we go through in order to create amazing environments for teachers to share their greatest passion for the world. We create work and generate income for teachers. Organisers are the silent heroes of our dance communities; whom I truly deeply love and have the utmost respect for.

Most organisers and teachers working together do not anticipate this situation, my friend didn’t, we didn’t, and many others probably wouldn’t either.

There are still so many unknown challenges ahead and probably beyond my entrepreneurial foresight right now. However, I do know the cost to patent such structured programmes are not worth the time and money because to enforce by a lawsuit is costly or demanding a shutdown of programmes in another country is likely impossible.

I know for a fact teachers just want to share what they love and help students grow, I’m 100% sure of that! Teachers don’t think about this stuff or the consequences, they aren’t always aware of this, hence why I am putting this sensitive yet important topic on the table as food for thoughts of the dilemmas organisers go through.

Organisers like ourselves love sharing, that’s why we do it. It’s not always for the money, we can earn much more in our main careers for the time we give up. But for some, it can a heavily invested events business. Organisers have lots of bills to pay while balancing the books, a team to support and a goal to achieve. Our goal is helping dancers unlock their true potential and we want to be around long enough to do so.

We’re all here to work together and build something worth offering to the world, let’s keep doing that but at the same time, let’s not shoot each other in the foot, be mindful of each other’s position, situations, and circumstances.

After reading this blog, I’d like to hear some of your thoughts…

How do you think this situation makes Organiser X feel?

Has this happened to you as an organiser?

As a teacher, what do you think of this situation?

What does any of you think would be a reasonable solution?

Here are some of my long thoughts to a solution:

Should some sort of royalty be paid to the original Organiser X and teachers by Organiser Y, Z, etc to reuse their matured programme structure?

Should Organiser Y, Z, etc have included working together with Organiser X?

We need to consider sustainability, accessibility and not restricting growth. I am seeking answers, thoughts, and suggestions because we are in this situation. Is there a right way? But right for who?

Hoi x