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

Video calling is by far the most accessible and easy-to-use form 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 similar to “video calls,” except it lets you 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. Skype allows 50. Discord allows 10. However, almost ALL of these platforms limit how many video feeds you can display 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 as I hear 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 it prioritizes broadcasts in its 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.

OBS has a bit of a learning curve, but there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube, and you can hit me up with any questions. 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 watched 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 incredibly 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 want 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 a signal from an XLR or 1/4' cable and converts it to USB. This is basically a requirement for musicians who plan to stream. Dance teachers who already have headset or lav mics: this will seriously improve your sound quality.
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 recurring revenue for artists online. You can provide subscription “levels” and customize what you offer at each level. For example, $5 patrons get access to all your online lessons, while $40 patrons get that plus a half-hour private lesson each month. Patreon also helps you track it all.

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