We recently connected with Georgia Schrubbe and have shared our conversation below.

Georgia , appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I teach partner dancing classes (Salsa, etc) which is an absolute blast. However, a common challenge I encounter is balancing classes to make sure there is a good ratio of leads to follows.

The lead is traditionally the guy’s role in a social dance and the follow is traditionally the lady’s role, but it’s 2023 and anybody can lead and anybody can follow. A big value of mine is that people can come to class without a partner– I don’t want not having a partner to be a barrier to entry! We get a good amount of couples who sign up to take classes but there are a lot of people who come on their own which is fantastic– then they can make new friends while learning a new skill.

Our class ratios *generally* work themselves out naturally. There are usually an even, or close enough to even, number of leads to follows that I don’t have to worry about it.

However, occasionally the ratio skews in one direction or another and the class will be ALL guys or ALL ladies. That’s when I start going down my list of advanced students and asking (and sometimes begging) them to come and volunteer to be an extra lead or follow in the class.

Students sign up for classes in six-week sessions so at least when the numbers are imbalanced, I have advance warning and can do my best to figure it out in advance.

It’s such a niche problem to have– I’m sure all industries have funny/random problems. Imbalanced classes are always an exercise in creative problem solving, asking for help, getting more creative with teaching and recognizing I can’t always control everything and that’s OK.

Georgia , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At a young age, Georgia fell in love with ballet in her hometown of Fairhope, AL, and has been dancing ever since. She’s been teaching various dance and fitness modalities since 2009 and got bit by the Salsa bug in 2010. Her passion for dance has taken her around the country and the world, including adventures studying at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s Catedra de Danza in Havana, attending the Paris International Salsa Congress, and training with instructors at congresses and festivals regionally and nationally. She began teaching Salsa in 2013 as an apprentice with Yaenette Dixon at Charleston Latin Dance and started her company, Baila ConmiGA, in 2014. Baila ConmiGA rebranded to Holy City Salsa Dance Studio in 2016 and since its inception has shared the love of Latin dance to hundreds of people in the Lowcountry and beyond. Her intention as a dance instructor is to lead with joy and create a positive, uplifting environment where students can not only be the best dancer possible, but the best version of themselves.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being consistent. Showing up regularly over the years and doing what I say I’m going to do, when I say I’m going to do it. Life happens and things have to get cancelled or rescheduled (thank you hurricanes and COVID), but for the most part just following through and being professional has helped get me to a good place.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Google and an up-to-date, functioning website! I invested in SEO for my website early on and Google is one of the top ways that people find us. Our clientele already know they want to dance so it’s less about selling them on the idea and more about making sure that it’s easy for them to find us and see what we’re all about.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.holycitysalsa.com
• Instagram: @HolyCitySalsa

Image Credits
Tiffany Hicks Photography Abby Woods Jeffrey Wright