It’s time to showcase some of our newly painted backdrops! These are our fall favorites that may or may not have anything to do with fall & that’s alright by us! It’s so fun to constantly add to our inventory. We love designing new backdrops & love when they are freshly painted! These new backdrops are sure to enhance your event to the next level!
Our Pier 2 Carnival backdrop is the perfect, vibrant background to bring life to your next event or party! We love this iconic pier in Santa Monica. There are so many fun activities for people of all ages to enjoy. From the ferris wheel to the roller coaster to the restaurants and ice cream shops, there is so much to enjoy. All of that fun and excitement shines through in this lively and vivid backdrop. The sunset and reflection of the bright lights on the ocean add a dynamic element to the scene.
Our Winter Waterfall backdrop is the ideal scene for a snowy, wintry themed event, recital, or production. This backdrop features a frozen waterfall, which is a unique element that adds a chilling and beautiful effect to the backdrop. The snow covered trees, both near and in the distance, provides a depth perception that feels as if you were walking into the snowy abyss. This will enhance your winter wonderland production instantly.
Want to bring a theater audience to your event or production? Look no further. This newly painted Downstage 2 backdrop provides the idyllic drapes surrounding a gorgeous theater filled to the brim with onlookers. The gold theater is a sign of elegance and class, which is perfectly complemented by the red drapes. Create a theater-like atmosphere in no time!
Check back with us next month to see our newly painted November backdrops! Have an idea for a backdrop? We’d love to here it! Adding new hand-painted backdrops is one of our favorite parts of the business!
Our inspirational graphic designers and talented artists have created some unique and vibrant backdrops during the month of September! We’re so excited to have these backdrops available to be rented or purchased for your upcoming dance recital, special event, theatrical production, or to be placed in your studio!
Our newly painted Christmas home backdrop showcases the ideal interior during the magical winter nights of December. With the snow outside the window and the moonlight shining down, this backdrop emanates a feeling of warmth and comfort to be inside. The Christmas Tree is adorned with effervescent lights and vibrant ornaments. It’s topped with a prominent yellow star and surrounded by a plethora of presents for all that live within this home. The fireplace is generously decorated with a greenery and topped with a festive wreath above. This is perfect for any Nutcracker ballets, Holiday events, or Christmas themed performances!
Looking for a beautiful backdrop that complements your actors, performers, or dancers? This purple drape and stars backdrop highlights just the right amount of shimmer and elegance. We all know that real drapes can be extremely expensive, which is why we are so excited to offer this affordable drape backdrop that looks just as amazing as real drapes. Love the style, but want a different color? Check out all of our drape backdrops here.
This Graffiti backdrop was inspired by our love for street art and the dynamic sport of skateboarding. This backdrop offers so many vibrant colors and an array of different images that creates a seamless and unique design. This was a custom rental that we designed together with a customer for a Bar Mitzvah to celebrate his love for skateboarding and passion for street art. What person that loves skateboarding wouldn’t want this at their event or party? This backdrop creates a fun and playful atmosphere and looks wonderful as a background in pictures, video, and in person!
We can’t wait to see what new backdrops are painted next month! As always, feel free to let us know if you have any ideas of backdrops to add to our ever-growing inventory!
We had such a great time over the last few months traveling all over the states for one of our favorite industries: DANCE! We met so many ambitious, creative, and amiable dance teachers and studio owners during our travels. Our first stop along the Dance wave was Dance Teacher Summit in Long Beach, CA. What a fun vibe to be around so many people that are passionate about dance and are eager to learn about the next best thing in the industry.
Our next stop was DanceLife Teacher Conference in Scottsdale, AZ where we escaped the heat and enjoyed the conference and expo by talking to new and familiar faces in the industry. It was wonderful getting a chance to bond with fellow vendors and those excited about learning how to make their recitals the most memorable ones yet.
We then travelled to Dance Teacher Web Live Conference at the beautiful Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, CT. Surrounded by a beautiful, lush forest – this resort is one of a kind. We featured our Dance Radio backdrop, which has become one of our more popular dance themed backdrops. We loved meeting with so many dance teachers and studio owners from the East Coast. Our favorite discussions were hearing all of the different recital theme ideas and were so inspired by all of the professionals that dare to be different! We’re always welcoming new suggestions and ideas on new backdrops that we can paint to better accommodate all of the trendsetters in the dance industry.
We can’t wait to see you all at the UDMA Shows in Atlanta, New Jersey, and Chicago! Let us know if you’ll be there and be sure to stop by our booth to say hi and receive our latest specials! I have a feeling that we will be offering something special in our raffle and we would love for the winner to be you!
It’s time to showcase what our talented graphic designers and artists have been up to this past month! Our team has been busy designing and hand-painting these beautiful backdrops. We can’t wait to see them at your event, theatrical production, or recital!
Our Fantasy Village 1 backdrop offers an escape from reality and an opportunity to enter a land full of animation and vibrancy. The unique shaped houses, the mountainous scenery, the abstract clouds, and the playful colors highlight each component of the backdrop. Bring an element of fantasy to your affair by showcasing this newly hand-painted backdrop or any of our other fantasy backdrops!
Our Museum 2b backdrop feels as if you have just stepped into a world renowned museum. It is complete with intricate bronze statues, hand-painted portraits along the wall, and a glimpse into the past with skeletal artifacts in the room on the left. This backdrop features great depth perception as the hallway appears long and inviting. The skylight in the middle of the hall illuminates the statue and brings the attention to the marble floor.
Our Train 5 Winter backdrop is one of our newest additions as we are preparing for winter recitals and events. This is the ultimate winter backdrop, accentuating the fast pace of the train amid a snowy day. The beaming lights of the train showcase the essence of witnessing light within the darkness. This backdrop is perfect for any winter occasion. It will definitely change the atmosphere of your affair immediately.
Have a new idea for a backdrop that we don’t currently have in our inventory? Feel free to call or email us to let us know! We love hearing what you would like to see and treat all of our customers as trendsetters! Can’t wait to hear what you think and we’re looking forward to seeing what our team comes up with next month!
Our customer service is second to none and we always go the extra mile to help our customers. A few weeks ago, our customer Michele Rubino was in distress because of an issue with not receiving one of the backdrops she expected. We first learned about the incident the evening before her event which made everything a bit more of a challenge for us. After reviewing all our options, we decided to jump on a plane and hand-deliver the backdrop. Michele was shocked to learn that we would do something so out of the box to help her have a successful show.
At Backdrops Beautiful we value our customers and we will do everything we can to deliver on our product. We will go up and beyond to earn your continued business to ensure a long-term successful partnership.
Here’s a testimonial from our valued customer Michele Rubino:
Dear Backdrop Beautiful,
I just wanted to write and let you know how pleased I am with not only your product but your amazing customer service as well! When there was a major snafu with one of our drops (no fault of your company), Backdrops Beautiful FLEW a backdrop to us on a commercial airline so we would have it for our production of “Cinderella”. Your backdrops were indeed beautiful and so was the service! Everyone there was friendly and helpful! We will be returning for our next big production for sure! Thank you for making “Cinderella” a truly enchanted experience!
Michele Rubino – Executive Director | Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre
Social Media continues to provide us with the opportunity to meet amazing people. We recently exhibited at Dance Teacher Summit in New York and it was wonderful to see how many internet friends came up to our booth and introduced themselves. I commonly heard, “Hi, are you Jose? The person behind the company’s Facebook page?” or “Hi, we’ve connected on Twitter. I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself.” Social media takes away the awkwardness when meeting people you already know so much about because of a virtual network. Having a presence on social media has facilitated the way we meet each other and connected us with many incredible people. While at Dance Teacher Summit, I met new people for the first time, but as I mentioned, I also got to meet many individuals I knew from Twitter. And even though we didn’t plan on having an official tweet-up, our twitter community did end up hanging out together. Suzanne Blake Gerety, business owner of DanceStudioOwner.com, put it best in her recent note on facebook, “The ripple effect of a tweet can’t be measured.” She’s spot on! Some of us see the benefit beyond the advertisement of our product or services and trying to gain new business. Social media continues to function as an everyday tool to establish new connections and grow them.
People who are only pitching their services or products are missing the overall picture. Social media is a platform to meet and greet people. It helps us connect and build relationships that in turn can lead to business. It is important to be accessible and resourceful to as many individuals as we can, regardless of industry. In the end, you don’t need to pitch to anyone; in wanting to return the favor, they gladly become promoters of you and your brand. Social media definitely enhances our relationships and expands our knowledge all around.
We all get asked from time to time the million dollar question, have you seen a ROI in using social media? My answer to them has always been the same; yes, we have acquired new business, but not because we are constantly pitching, but because of the relationships we make and the interest we spark in people to see what you do for a living. I know I put a lot of time into social media, and my time will never be compensated monetarily, but the new friendships it brings me is much more than I can ask for on a personal level.
I’d like to close my post with the following thought: The most important thing you can do on social media is to be yourself. Everyone can see through fakeness. I’ve encountered my share of superficial people only looking out for themselves and I rather not be part of their world. My solution is to un-friend, un-follow and/or block. My experience at Dance Teacher Summit was real; online friends turn into long lasting friendships. I met real people behind their brand and people who I can continue to learn from no matter what industry they find themselves. I’d like to hear your personal experience whether good or bad with meeting new people you’ve engaged on social media.
A big thank you to the following people for making my time at Dance Teacher Summit that much more memorable:
I wrote a similar post almost two years ago called The Power of the Net , It’s amazing how things change. We had just started our journey incorporating social media within our studio. I am happy to say I have learned a lot in these two years. For example; what works and what doesn’t, what to keep your eyes open for (the good, bad, and the ugly), and social media etiquette. I will speak a bit more about those later, but for now lets talk about the benefits of social media for dance. I will list a few examples, but as most of you already know the opportunities with social media are endless.
A Professional Dancer:
With a few simple tools such as Facebook and Twitter, you can promote yourself as a dancer and connect with several other people in your industry. You can post your performances to get a bigger fan base and connect with those who may have information on the latest auditions in your area.
Dance Teachers:
Similar to the above, teachers can promote themselves and connect with people in their industry. They can share ideas, thoughts, and concerns with teachers from around the world. Teachers can also stay connected with their students, but make sure you check with your studios policy on contact with students online. My suggestion is create a separate Fan page or Twitter account, keep your personal life personal and your contact with your students professional.
Studio Owners:
Can do all of the above plus created networks, blogs and of course websites for their business. Please see my networking list in my previous post for examples. What I have done, and what you will do over time, is narrow down the sites you use for networking. If you have experience with social media you know that it can become a bit overwhelming and time consuming, a great example of less is more and quality not quantity.
Find Out What Works Best For You and What Doesn’t.
For me it’s convenience, that’s why I love and stick to my Facebook Fan page, YouTube and Twitter accounts for networking. What’s great about these three is you can sync your accounts, which saves time. Then of course we have the Blog and Ning Network. What I recommend doing is keeping things clean and simple all on one site. I did this on my personal site and plan on doing it for the studio soon. You will notice that I have a blog and network all in one place on one site, that way it eliminates your customers and fans from having to navigate away from your main site and eliminates you having to post in several places. With my dance studio I would no longer have to have a Ning network or a blogger account, it would be all in one place as I said before.
Narrow Down Your Network
For help and support I’ve narrowed down my list to Dancestudioowner.com and Danceadvantage.net. Now especially, there are tons of sites and blogs to lend a helping hand and give advice to the dance industry. Again, find what suites you and makes your experience convenient.
What to Keep Your Eyes Open For
It’s ironic because at the same time I was asked to be a guest blogger, my circle of online dance buds did a Social Smarts Live Chat . This very informative event was hosted by Nichelle of Dance Advantage, Suzanne of Dance Studio Owner, and Marc of Tendu TV. By visiting the Social Smarts link you can get the opinions of some great people who have experience with Social Media and Dance. Social media is open for anyone, and we are all here for different reasons. My advice would be to surround yourself with people of similar interest and common goals… not to far off from how you would conduct yourself in “real life.”
Social Media Etiquette
This is something I would like to give my opinion on for those of you just starting out. I know you are excited and see many benefits and opportunities. Just remember that you will build a reputation online just as you do out in the real world. Be polite and courteous of other peoples time and what you ask of them. A few examples…
Do not tweet to often and flood peoples stream with tweets
Do respond to relevant questions or posts
Do not beg for followers or people to participate in what you are doing
Do remain professional at all times
For those of you still hesitant to jump on the social media ban wagon, think of these questions for yourself and ask the opinions of others…
What do you hear of more often, a person reading the yellow pages or a person googling the information they need?
What do you see more often, a person reading the newspaper or someone with and ipad, personal reader, or iphone?
How are the younger generation communicating, through telephone or real life conversations or by Tweeting and Facebooking each other?
How has our lines of communication changed, do we talk on the phone at all anymore or do we just text?
How has our society evolved as far as communication and advertising?
Is Social Media right for you and your business?
I hope this information is useful for those of you just getting started and even those of you who have been here for some time. It never hurts to share ideas, it’s yet one of the other benefits of social media, right? I would also like to say that by creating this post I am by no means categorizing myself as a “social media expert”. I just think it’s nice to hear from others in your field about what works for them.
As I explained before, we will all use Social Media for different reasons. Some are trying to sell a particular product, some simply want to socialize, and some are here just to get themselves out there and known. I happen to like keeping it fun, I’m not pushing my studio or myself in anyway, I just hope people become more aware of my presence and if I happen to get a new student or client this way, then great! Social Media for me is just an addition to the advertising we do already and a fun way to share ideas and meet other great dance industry people.
I shall leave you with two perfect examples of what I’m talking about.
“Thank you for your support in my effort to create a positive, motivating, non competitive place for us to interact and share our love for dance. My goal is to be well known as a encouraging support system to our Dance community, and best of all, its Free! Help me in my effort and ask others who love dance in NJ to join too. Get yourself a badge or send them and invite. Questions, comments, suggestions are always welcome. I look forward to hearing from you all. Peace, Love, Dance!”
Second example, Why Dance Matters … a virtual event that rallies the dance community online created by my friend Nichelle of Dance Advantange. This was an amazing event to participate in and witness…the love and appreciation for dance was overwhelming! Below are my contributions to the event…
I hope you find this post and information useful. For me this was just another effort to spread my love and passion for dance. I thank you all for reading and as always…
Peace, Love, Dance!
~ Leslea
(image by Blethery via Flickr Creative Commons License)
Have you ever hit a stalemate in your business? Maybe you’re in slow season, or maybe things aren’t bad, but they’re not growing either, they’re stale. Well, years ago you might have considered printing and handing out flyers to promote your business, maybe advertising in a newspaper or trade magazine, doing a mass mailing, or, if you had the budget, doing some radio or television advertising. These are all very traditional forms of marketing your business which are effective, however, they will also affect your budget in a significant way. Times have changed, and the world is getting and sharing information in brand new ways, and it’s called, Social Media.
Social Media did not just come onto the scene, it’s been around for many years now. However, there has been a significant growth spurt and demographic transition and expansion for those using social media, and it’s one that you need to pay attention to. Remember, change is good!
Here are the top 3 reasons why some people don’t participate in social media:
1) I don’t understand it.
2) I don’t have the time.
3) I don’t see the point/benefit for my personal brand/business.
And my response:
1) I don’t understand it. – Well, let’s simplify it. All you need to do is 3 things: a) Determine who your target audience is b) Share useful information that is of interest to that audience c) Engage in conversation and offer support to your audience.
2) I don’t have the time. – You don’t necessarily have to spend 10 hrs a day on your social media accounts. And furthermore, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and Linked in accounts can all be connected to one another. You can schedule your updates ahead of time on a website like http://socialoomph.com. Or you can start off by simply dedicating 30 min. or 1 hour a day to social networking, and take it from there.
3) I don’t see the point/benefit for my personal brand/business. – First and foremost, when anything hits the masses and is acknowledged by television, radio, and global businesses, that should tell you that it is definitely beneficial for your brand.
I know this from experience. One example of this is, the “America’s Best Dance Studio Contest” that my company, Kiner Enterprises Inc. created. It’s all about showcasing excellence in dance studios across America, in celebration of National Dance Week. All of our contest sponsors were acquired through social media, and the success of the contest is solely based on social media, as we have done no other type of promotion or print advertising for this contest.
When done right, social media can help grow your business, enhance your brand awareness, and ultimately increase your bottom line. The best part, however, is all of the wonderful relationships that you will build with great, passionate, and hard-working people just like yourself. You’ll gain motivation, inspiration, and learn A LOT.
What are you using to attract more customers for the fall of 2010? You have your email list, you have your website, your photos for the fall ad campaign are in place, so what’s next? Have you ever considered the power of Facebook to attract new customers to your facility? Facebook is growing every day, it isn’t just for the high school or college student anymore. Companies like Pepsi and Toyota send out daily updates to fans on their pages. Dance Vendors, Dance Teacher Magazine and Dance Distributors offer daily articles or discounts to their fans on both Facebook and Twitter. So how can you expand your student base and attract more customers in your doors for the summer and fall?
Join Facebook and set up your own studio fan page, if you haven’t already. Then decide how you would attract a new customer into your facility. In a newspaper ad you might offer a coupon, you can do that on Facebook, or you might announce your summer program through your email customer base, you can do that too, and you can do it quicker and more efficiently. Everyday dance studios post class cancellations due to weather conditions, upcoming workshops or community events, kudos to their students in weekend dance competitions, just about anything they are currently offering in their studio. You don’t have to wait for ad design or approval from your local newspaper or until the next edition comes out to get feedback from customers. Facebook seamlessly integrates events (which you can request your fans to post on their walls to friends who are potential sales leads for you), information about your studio which you can edit without waiting for your website manager to do, or ask customers to review your studio in the review tab. You can upload latest videos of your dance events including competitions or mid-year performances; create a photo album of your latest fund raising effort, or post notes about recital picture days and rehearsals. How you use it to advertise is as creative as you want to make it.
I am not suggesting that you abandon the traditional methods you currently use. I am suggesting that you research the new concept of social media marketing for your facility. Recent articles suggest that a fan base created on Facebook increased a return of sales for most companies by 36%. In these economic times that is an investment worth researching.
