by Matt Barber  Author, Columnist, and Dance Professional

 I get asked all the time, “Which is the better option: independent dance studios or franchised dance schools?” Admittedly, I have a unique perspective, as I have, indeed, taught both in the independent dance studios and for the franchised dance schools. The answer, unfortunately, is: it depends on what the student is looking for.

 As I mention in my book, Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes, to listen to some people talk, one would think that there’s a huge war going on between independent studios and franchised dance schools. Of course, that’s not quite true as independent dance studios are independent not only of franchised dance schools, but they are also independent of each other.

 On the whole, Joe Blow’s Dance Studio in Small Town, America, is not exactly going to be able to compete with the large franchised dance schools which can cater to both national and international markets. In fact, ol’ Joe Blow himself is probably much more concerned with another independent dance studio down the street for his share of the local dance market than he is with one of the big dance school chains. Every now and then the dance studio down the street just happens to be a franchised dance school, but even then, Joe Blow is competing only with that one dance school, not the entire chain.

Simply put, independent studios are not connected to any large chain of dance schools nor are they connected to each other; they are independently owned and operated and do not have a separate corporate body. On the other hand, franchised dance schools are just that; they represent large studio chains that do have a corporate office, a standardized dance syllabus, and lots of rules and regulations; generally such things are seen as positives, though, as they represent a set way of doing business, a general procedure for learning how to dance, and there is a general acceptance that the rules and regulations are in place for good reasons. What most people miss, however, is the fact that these larger chains are franchised, that is to say, the studios themselves are owned and operated by a single person or couple just as most independent studios are.

 Of course, there are classic arguments for and against independent studios and franchised schools; however, from my experience in each, they tend to cater to different clientele almost entirely. The biggest noticeable difference between the two comes in their dance competitions. Independent studios, as there is no general agreed-upon dance syllabus, tend to have very interesting competitions to watch. Franchised schools, though, tend to have more fair competitions as every competitor is usually restricted to the same steps as everyone else, and the dance levels are very specifically defined.

Basically, when You’re enjoying Yourself out on the town, my advice is this: don’t listen to the talk about independent versus franchised, most of it is not true anyway. Stay with the studio You’re comfortable with.

About the Writer: 

Matt Barber, author of Beginning Ballroom: Why’s, Do’s, Don’ts, and Shoes, first encountered ballroom dancing as choreographed routines onstage for musicals and began ballroom lessons in high school. At eighteen, Matt started training to be an instructor with National Dance Clubs as a side job in college; he went on to teach in the independent world, for Arthur Murray International, and for Fred Astaire Dance Studios.  At the same time, Matt graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan and acquired an SB from Fordham University, his MS, and his business management and leadership training from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

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