Thread: Ideas for Troupe Rehearsal Location

Hey everybody, I'm sure some of you had to have run into this before. I'm currently teaching a class at this studio, but it brings in brand new students every 4 weeks because they sell blocks of classes. I have a few (well, 2 or 3)very dedicated students and I'm interesting in finding a place I can work on some advanced stuff with them, and start learning some group choreography, and start up a troupe. I'm not expecting to get paid, I just want to break even. Meeting at somebody's house would be the obvious choice, however, we are scattered around Nashville, and the drive to my house is too much for some of the girls. None of them really have a good space or location to practice at either. So I've been looking around at places in Nashville. The best I can find so far is a mirrorless space for $60 an hour. I'd be paying, and I would have to depend on the girls to be there every week. What are some of the solutions you all have come up with? I thought about contacting some gyms, but I foresee much rejection in my future. I don't even care about mirrors, I can bring mirrors, an empty room at a church would be sufficient. Hm... that gives me an idea... There may be one church in all of Middle TN that would have an open mind...

• Someone's garage
• Church basement (any Unitarians in your group?)
• School gym - is there a parent who can schmooze the school?
• City-owned park building
• Park picnic shelter
• Parking lot of an office building that doesn't have anyone around on evenings and weekends

It's okay to use a facility that doesn't have mirrors. Something I find more helpful than mirrors is bringing a video camera to class and a small tv monitor. Tape a run-through, then show it to the group and critique it.

Our folk dance group meets in the conference room upstairs of an auto parts store. We've also used a library meeting room and church fellowship hall.

I teach periodic classes at a Lutheran church. They've had me perform as a guest entertainer several times. Churches can be very supportive of the arts, even ours :)

Does anyone in the troupe have access to a university or college? Sometimes they have rehearsal rooms that are open to the university community, or might have classrooms or conference rooms that you can practice in if you move the furniture around. Still no mirrors, but free is better than $60!

I have a multipurpose room at the neighborhood clubhouse that I can use. It's $25 a day or something.

we used to use a library meeting room

All great ideas, thanks ladies! I found another possibility, Nashville has an endless supply of bands (of course) and thus band rehearsal space. I never considered it a possiblity because I used to date a musician and the place they practiced space was dirty and disgusting. Turns out band rehearsal space is not all like that. I found a place that's $80 a month (2 hours each week for a month). Plus it's right above a coffee shop, good place to meet afterwards for brainstorming sessions. I think it's affordable, as long as my girls are good about being there each week. I'm going to go check the place out in person to make sure the pictures are true to it, and then I guess we'll see what happens. :-D Gonna keep these other ideas in mind as well especially if I start paying $80 a month to sit in an empty room by myself with my stereo. ;-)