Streaming for Dance Professionals

I’m going to try to keep this guide as succinct as possible. I’ll break down streaming into three different categories and the pros and cons of each. Video Calls, Video Conferencing, and Broadcasting. I’ve also included small sections regarding equipment, monetizing, and marketing. If you have useful resources or ideas please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Video Calls

Videos calling is by far the most accessible and easy to use forms of connecting people remotely. Most people are already familiar with video calling via Facebook, Skype, FaceTime etc.

Discord is my preferred app for video calls. Discord is a free text, voice and video app marketed to gamers, but I really like their user interface and service. You can also create a “server” on Discord for free where you can communicate with your community of students or dancers. I’ll touch on community management later.

Facebook would probably be second on my list just because of how many users are already on that platform.

I probably dislike Skype the most because I think their user management is awful to wade through. The last time I checked it took way too long to create an account and/or recover an old one.
At the end of the day, I would get familiar with a few different apps so you can easily accommodate your students . Just like how most teachers offer “Cash, venmo, paypal” you can offer “discord, facebook or facetime.”

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is very similar to “video calls” except they allow you to video connect with multiple users at once. Many of the “video call” platforms allow you to have multiple users, but with some limitations.

Facebook allows a max of 6 users. Skpe allows 50. Discord allows 10. However, almost ALL of these types of platforms have a limitation on how many video feeds you can have displayed at one time.

Zoom - So far is the only video conferencing platform I’ve found that can display up to 100 video feeds all at one time. This was of particular interest to me because I’ll be hosting an “online social” where I want to see everyone dancing to the same music feed. Zoom can be used for free HOWEVER the meetings are limited to 40 minutes in length on their free plan. It’s $15 per month (paid only by the meeting host) to unlock that limitation.

There are a lot of other video conferencing apps out there. Unfortunately I don’t have much experience with the others, and I will add information about them as I receive it from dancers and musicians. Some other websites I’ve heard of include gotomeeting, webex, and Join.me

Broadcasting

Broadcasting is more of a one-way solution where many users are tuned in but you cannot view them. Most interactions will occur from reading “chat.”

Facebook Live - This is an easy solution built into facebook. You simply select “go live” from a mobile device when making a new status. HOWEVER if you are dancing to recorded music you run A VERY LARGE RISK of your live broadcast being muted by their copyright enforcement. The Benefit of facebook is that they very much prioritize broadcasts in their algorithm. If you have a lot of dance friends on FB, your live broadcasts will be seen.

Twitch, Youtube and Mixer are all platforms that are better choices than Facebook in my opinion. Twitch is owned by amazon and is mostly marketed to gamers. Youtube is owned by google, and Mixer is owned by Microsoft. You can “go live” from both Twitch and Youtube’s mobile apps, (I’m not sure about mixer) however most broadcasters stream from their computers using software called Open Broadcast Software.

There’s a bit of a learning curve with OBS but many tutorials are available on youtube and you can hit me up with any questions you have. Basically OBS ties all the components of your stream together (mics, video, screen sharing, audio capture devices, images and more) makes it internet ready and then sends it to the platform of your choice. If you’ve watch an official ILHC or Camp Hollywood stream within the last couple of years, you’ve seen obs.

Equipment

There is an extremely wide range of equipment used for broadcasting and video conferencing. Please let me know what equipment you’re loving and I’ll add it to the list.

Smartphone - Don’t take it for granted, smartphones are incredible versatile and a lot of cell cameras have great image quality. I’m a fan of my Google Pixel 2.

Logitech C920 Webcam - is a great webcam for about $70 if you need one or need to replace a really crappy laptop camera.

Blue Yeti - this is a great USB Mic if you’re looking to capture voice or instruments and for it to be hassle free. I use it to capture my music and voice when I’m dancing on my regular streams from my home studio.

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 - is an audio interface device that takes signal from an XLR or 1/4' cable and converts it to USB. This is basically a requirement for musicians that plan on streaming. Dance teachers that already have headset or lav mics, this will seriously up your game sound quality wise.
Lighting - Honestly, I struggle with lighting. When possible, use natural lighting and teach with a window behind your camera. Aside from that, the more light the better especially if you are using a cell phone.

Monetizing Your Work

Patreon - I think patreon is the best option for reoccurring revenue for artists online. You can provide subscription “levels” and customize what you offer at each level. For example, your $5 patrons get access to all of your online lessons, while your $40 patrons get that plus a half hour private lesson each month. Patreon also helps you track all of it.

Streamelements and streamlabs are incredibly useful tools for generating money and encouraging community contributions. If you’re using OBS these tools “pop up” to notify viewers when someone subscribes and/or tips on your different platforms. This keeps users engaged and tipping more front of mind.

Youtube, Twitch and Mixer also have “in house” subscription or channel membership options. You usually have to meet a requirement to turn on these options but they can be lucrative.

Website - Teachers and musicians, it might be time to revamp that website. I know it’s a little more expensive, but I’ve seen a lot of success using squarespace. I can easily set up and customize my online store, blog, and create and share events on my calendar.

Community Management and Marketing

I wanted to briefly touch on this because there are some “no-nos” in marketing that I wanted to mention to you.

If you are streaming on a platform other than facebook, do not include links to those platforms in your statuses until they gain some traction. Facebook will almost CERTAINLY bury those links within their algorithm because they want to keep you on their site. Post an announcement, let people comment and build hype, and then share the link.

I love discord for community management. You can customize threads to be invite only and your paying students/supporters can have access to exclusive content. Sharing videos, links, gifs, and whatever else chronologically is hard to come by nowadays and I find a lot of value in that. Otherwise I would definitely set up a facebook group for your students and community if you don’t have one already.

Final Thoughts

Please don’t be afraid to reach out and ask me for help. Technology also easily allows us to collaborate and I would encourage you to collaborate with musicians, other dancers, and broadcasters when you’re planning your “online events.” If you’d like me to host an event for you or get the word out, please let me know. Also please let me know if I should add anything to this article, this will definitely be a living document and will grow over time.

Last September I left my full time job to commit all of my resources to teaching dance locally and growing the live stream. What a year to do it! If you like what I’m doing here consider subscribing on patreon or twitch. Even $1 per month makes a huge difference. If nothing else, your continued viewership and participation mean the world to me. Thank you! - Paul