Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anastasia Gordeeva. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Anastasia, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Ballroom dancing is a moderately-priced niche hobby in the United States, making it an interesting market for the professionals. Typically, ballroom dancers are able to make a living teaching others to dance in the form of private lessons and sometimes group lessons. Professionals will always start by teaching students the basics, whether it’s for a wedding dance or just to learn the skill for future events. Because it is such a niche hobby, we are able to succeed in our professions by having returning customers who take regular weekly lessons, and through client referrals to grow our student body. Dance studios that have a physical location have the added advantage of visibility.

At EA Dance Art, we do not own our own studio as of yet and instead prefer to rent space from local studios. This gives us the advantage of having flexibility with our students however it also presents a challenge for marketing and finding new clients. There are many instructors in the ballroom dancing industry who choose to go this route, called independent instructors. We decided to become an independent company because our vision differed from the studios we used to work for. It was NOT easy the first year, both my partner Enoch and I had to get secondary jobs to support ourselves until our student body grew enough for us to focus on teaching full-time.

It takes time to grow your client base in any company. We more than doubled the number of weekly lessons taught in our second year of business, so I would tell anyone to just be patient and spread the word about what you do! It’s important to get involved with your community in areas that would be mutually beneficial – wedding planners, country clubs, theater groups, etc. Building those relationships are key to future opportunities, collaborations, and new clients. And lastly – never getting complacent or comfortable with where you are today. The pandemic taught us that – all of your students may cancel on you and you suddenly have no paycheck and no secondary means of income.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

EA Dance Art was founded by Enoch and Anastasia in 2020 to teach individuals and couples how to ballroom dance. We each have been ballroom dancing since we were children, and have been teaching for over 11 years – offering expertise in over 20 different styles of dancing. We also currently compete as a couple in the American Rhythm style, having won several Rising Star competitions in the midwest region. We are always working on our personal craft, even taking lessons ourselves from former champions to become the best teachers we can be.

We are different from many dance studios in the country because we offer a personalized experience for every single student that begins taking lessons with us. All of our students take private lessons and together we set goals and expectations depending on where they want to go with their dancing. Some students want to learn cool new moves for the salsa party while others may be getting married and are looking for a choreographed first dance. We also often compete with our students (Pro-Am) all around the country for those who are looking for more of a challenge. We do not have contracts or packages of lessons like many other studios, which generates a lot of trust and provides flexibility for our students. Most importantly, we want to see our student’s progress, and we want to ensure that they feel that progress as well. Dancing is a complete mind-body experience, making it one of the best hobbies there is. It is social, musical, and a physical sport too that we wish to share with our community.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In our line of work we often teach individuals from all walks of life. We work with scientists, medical professionals, accountants, lawyers, etc. Dancing is a beautiful leveling field which brings everyone together. Because we do not always work with other “creatives”, we have to adapt our teaching style. Dancing is never black or white, and it is never the same from day to day. It’s really difficult for many people to understand that there is more than one correct way to do something and that perfection is not the goal. Our over-analysis of the steps or the movement can become debilitating – it is important to learn how to trust your body to react and just do, which is a challenge for some.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Our clients are changing. Nowadays, the consumer has often done some research before enrolling into lessons. We (most dance instructors anywhere) were taught numerous sales techniques to sell dance lessons. Although this is important and great information for anyone to learn, there is no sense in some of the old methods such as concealing prices or pushing hard for the sale. That led to some harsh reviews in our past studios. We have since adapted a much more natural and authentic approach with our students in order to help them succeed in their dance journey. We have learned that if people want to dance and you can show them that it’s possible – they will keep dancing happily without the need to push or beg. This also attracts the right client for your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eadanceart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eadanceart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eadanceart