Tippi Toes Coming to Houston!

Tippi Toes Dance Company, is so proud to announce Tippi Toes will be bringing our award winning dance classes to Houston, Texas!  Tippi Toes dance classes will bring a fun, high-energy, positive activity to children as young as 18 months.

Tippi Toes Houston will offer, Toddler and Me Classes for our littlest dancers (18 months - 3 years) as well as Baby Ballet, Ballet, Tap & Jazz Combo Classes and Hip hop/Jazz for children as old as 12 years.

Miss Kasey and Miss Kelly are the owners of Tippi Toes Houston and will be focused on offering the best customer service to all of our new Tippi Toes families!  The children of Houston will love every minute of their time with Tippi Toes and we cannot wait to get our classes started!

All of our classes are encouraging, fun and educational!  Your kids will leave our classes with knowledge of dance terminology, a smile on their faces and will be a little sweaty from all the energetic dancing!  Our original music (Tippi Toes has produced 3 of our own CDs) used throughout class keeps the kids dancing and singing along for the entire class time.

Visit our website, www.TippiToesDance.com to learn more about Tippi Toes Dance Company!  We have offered classes for 15 years and for the past 10 years we have offered classes all over Texas and we are thrilled to be answering the request from so many families to bring our unique classes to Houston!  To enroll or to learn more about our classes you can also email Kasey and Kelly at, TheSisters@TippiToesDance.com.

Tippi Toes Dancers dancer at one of our studio locations!

Tippi Toes at preschool!

Every dancer can show their personality with their outfit!

Hip Hop dancers rocking it at school!

Congratulations Tippi Toes OKC

We are so proud to announce that Miss Tracy and her Tippi Toes staff in Oklahoma City/Edmond, OK area were awarded the top honor of BEST DANCE STUDIO by MetroFamily Magazine!

This is a huge honor and well-deserved!  This is an area with a population of about 1.5 million people and hundreds of dance studios.  Tippi Toes Dance Company stands tallest among all others and brings a quality product to children and families like no other.

Miss Tracy is the owner of Tippi Toes in the OKC area and she was also awarded Tippi Toes Franchise of the Year award in 2011.  She is such successful business woman largely because she adores her craft and her customers!  She has brought smiles to thousands of children through her positive, exciting and high-energy dance classes.  Miss Tracy has a wonderful team of teachers as well who bring knowledge, smiles and fun to every class!

Tippi Toes OKC/Edmond reaches children in preschools, schools, community centers and fitness centers so no matter where you are it is likely that one of our award winning Tippi Toes classes is nearby!

Tippi Toes Dance Company is proud to have our Oklahoma City/Edmond center as the cream of the crop!

Here are some pics that perfectly illustrate why Tippi Toes OKC is wonderful!

OKC Dancers performing at the Globetrotter Game in
2013! The rocked it out!

Miss Vanessa is loved by her students! 

Special Events in OKC like Princess Camp
bring extra joy to these dancers!

Sweet little ballerina princesses in OKC!

PINK

Parents Introducing Nutrition to Kids - PINK
As all of us are well aware the health of the children in our country is deteriorating.  Childhood obesity has gotten more serious and severe over the past decade and the solution to this scary problem is in our hands, the Parents.
Of course, there are many aspects to this problem and there is not one quick fix.  For example you have already made a positive healthy choice for your child by having him/her in Tippi Toes.  You are encouraging and facilitating physical activity (one solution to decreasing childhood obesity) and during class we make physical activity fun, positive and exciting for your children.
Another step you can take besides encouraging physical activity is also encourage healthy eating.  Parents play a massive roll in introducing food, health and nutrition to their children so it seems like a logical focus to PINK - parents introduce nutrition to kids.

We want to help you help your family and to do so try making one small change in your household.  Look at the list below and choose one behavior to adopt in your own house:

1. Switch out one pre-packaged snack for a vegetable or fruit
2. Do not keep soda in your house
3. Sit at the dinner table for dinner
4. Use salad plates as your main entree plate
5. If you must go through the drive thru for dinner - make the healthy choices on the menu (apples, salad, water, whole wheat, etc)

Sometimes with such a massive problem the solution seems too far away; that is not true and with small changes within your household big changes can occur.

 "Be the change you with to see in the world." -Mahatma Ghandi

Tippi Toes hit list for - Hottest New Franchise!

It was so fun today to see an article written showing Tippi Toes
 is one of the Hottest New Franchises! We think so! 
Mostly because the amazing women owning Tippi Toes all across 
the country. It is thanks to each of them, their hard work + 
success that makes us shine! 2012 we have already expanded
 to DC, South Carolina, Illinois! See the article below!

To the extent that prospective franchisees
 can achieve greater financial rewards with
 a well-chosen, growing franchise than with
 one that may have already reached its potential, 
Bond’s Hottest New Franchises promotes those
 companies that have less than 50 operating units
 and which provide great potential for 
entrepreneurial franchisees. Eligible 
companies are listed on this 
website, as well as in the annual 
Bond’s Hottest New Franchises publication.

Tippi Toes Dance Company

Tippi Toes Dance Company is a family business
 dedicated to the happiness of children and their
 families. Tippi Toes’ goal is to help children develop
 a love for dancing which promotes healthy living
 habits, builds self-confidence, and a love for others.
 Classes are specifically designed to develop motor
 skills and body awareness — Tippi Toes wants to
 help every child’s self-esteem while developing their
 imagination, critical thinking, and sharpening both
 cognitive and creative skills.

Operating Units	12/31/2009	12/31/2010	12/31/2011
Franchises	1	6	8
Company-Owned	3	1	1
Total Outlets	4	7	9

http://www.hottestnewfranchises.com/franchise-profiles/Tippi-Toes-2013.html

2012 Franchise Conference

This is our adorable group at our franchise conference this year. We were missing 3 franchise families and a few husbands but we had an amazing crew. We had 12 franchise owners meet in Tulsa, Oklahoma to learn, share and develop their business. It was exciting, refreshing and oh so fun! These women are amazing! They are driven, determined and have so much to offer to each other and to Tipi Toes. We all learned so much by getting quality time together. God has blessed this little company to impact over 3000 children this year!!!

Tippi Toes Owners, Megan Reilly and Sarah Nuse. This weekend Tippi Toes We introduced a new CD Make Believe due out August 21, new training DVD's and a new software system built just for Tippi Toes!! Our goal is to help each franchise owner work smarter and grow stronger! Megan 27 weeks pregnant. 

The ladies of Tippi Toes
from back left: Donna, Megan, Laura, Tracy, Teri, Karri, Tara, Katie
front: Mallory, Kasey, Laura, Sarah, Erin, Andrea, Brittany
Not pictured: Lindsey, Claire and Kayla

 Down to business!

 Banquet Dinner Friday evening at the Summit!

 Awarding our Franchise Owner of the Year for 2011-2012 Miss Andrea Dangel in Cincinnati, Ohio

 How precious is she - an amazing women and mother of 4!

 Kasey and Mallory enjoying the first business trip! Many more to come

 Tippi Toes conference = baby shower! Last year we celebrated Sarah's son Hank and this year we are celebrating Megan and Chris's baby Harper due on Halloween. The franchise owners surprised Megan and Chris with a shower!

 Megan was VERY surprised!!!

 Katie and Teri  - they were sneaky and put this all together!

 Let's get down to business - nothing more fun and strange than teaching children's dances to a group of adult women! Our new CD - Make Believe is due out August 21! Sarah doing her favorite thing - teaching!

 Chuck our franchise consultant - we love him!!!

 Enjoy a night at the ballpark!

 We reserved a party deck and enjoyed good food but even better company!

 Sharing ideas and watching some baseball

 Jonathan and Laura - St. Louis Tippi Toes

 There was so much shop talk 

 Awesome husbands that are amazing supporters and team players. Many of these guys work behind the scenes and support their leading ladies! 

 Brian and Erin are incredibly sweet and make me laugh so much! It was hard to say good bye to everyone - but they are all on their way home to get back to business!

We are excited to reach so many more families this coming year and look forward to opening Tippi Toes in new cities around the country. 

Importance of Activity for Kids

By LENORE SKENAZY

"A new study of how preschoolers spend their days may make you want to run around screaming, which is apparently more than the tykes themselves get to do. After interviewing child-care providers from 34 very different Cincinnati-area centers—urban to suburban, Head Start to high income—researchers found that kids spend an average of only 2% to 3% of their day in "vigorous activities."

Can you imagine that? Children spending 97% of their day not running around? It's like a desk job, except with cookie time. Excuse me—apple time. When you consider that three-quarters of American kids aged 3 to 5 are in some kind of preschool program and a lot of them come home only to eat, sleep and go back again, this is beyond sad—it's bad."

Wall Street Journal - Full Article

Yikes!!  The idea of our children's daily routine being compared to a desk job is very vivid and unsettling.  Kids need to have the time to be free, active and physical every day so that they can grow up with activity being a staple in their lives.  

At Tippi Toes one of our main goals is to present activity and exercise in a fun, exciting, positive manner.  We want children to leave class and go home wanting to play "dance class" at home which of course leads to even more activity.  

Let's keep our kids moving so they can live long, healthy, happy lives!

Thank YOU!

We are so lucky to be in the business of making kids happy!  Thanks to our incredible Tippi Toes families we have the privilege of teaching kids how to dance, be confident, make new friends, learn a skill, work hard, follow directions, be silly and be polite.
Parents and grandparents give us a chance every week to impact their child's life and we take that honor very seriously!  While in class we get to be silly and entertaining with the kids and we take those endearing and special moments with us as we continue on through the day.  We know that those 45 minutes are precious and so we do everything we can to be sure that the dancers enjoy every minute.
This is just a Thank you to all of the parents who allow their children to participate in Tippi Toes each week.

We hope that Tippi Toes positively impacts your children as much as your children positively impact our lives!

Some of our littlest dancers at Mommy & Me in Texas

One of our hip hop stars with her favorite Texas teachers!

A precious group of Oklahoma Tippi Toes Stars!

Sweet Oklahoma dancer proud of her Tippi Toes shirt and her mom's new car decal!

Shop Strong!

As the parent you have an important job of providing your kiddos with healthy food options and that job starts at the grocery store.  We have all probably done this before, you are running around and realize you need food for dinner, you are overly hungry and run to the store...uh oh!!!  This is a recipe for a disaster!

While it may not always be avoidable we want to encourage all parents to go to the grocery store at times when they are feeling strong and healthy so they will then in turn choose healthy options for their family.

Also, be prepared when you go to the store.  Think about the days ahead, determine which days you will be able to cook and go to the store with a shopping list in hand of the items you need.  Stick to that list because once you start going off the list next thing you know you will look down to a cart of snacks that come in a box (the healthy snack options don't come from a box) and sugary or salty "extras".

Finally, most grocery stores are designed with the essentials and healthier options around the perimeter of the store so keep that in mind as you go up and down those interior aisles.  Stay around the edges as much as possible and don't even bother taking a trip down the snack/cookie aisle!

I have found that if I can Shop Strong that I offer healthier options through out the week.  If I Shop Weak, then I spend the entire week fighting my will power at home.  Make it easier on yourself and Shop Strong!!

How to Shop STRONG!
1. Avoid shopping while hungry
2. Make a list and plan the coming days meals
3. Shop around the edges of the store

THINK PINK - Parents Introducing Nutrition to Kids

*This post is written by Megan Reilly a registered dietitian and co-owner of Tippi Toes Dance Company.

CD #3 On the Way

We are so excited to begin the writing process for Tippi Toes 3rd CD!  The writing process is so much fun as we  get to pull so much inspiration from all of the wonderful Tippi Toes students!  A child's mind is so full of wonder, imagination and dreams so we keep these concepts at the forefront as we start to write the songs.
We have only written a few songs so far for the CD and lyrics are coming along and we will soon be preparing for working with our music producer, Joey Davila.  So far the songs all incorporate some sort of prop for the kids to use as they dance and sing along!  In Tippi Toes dance classes sometimes props like bean bags, little turtle, rhythm sticks, etc are used to enhance the dance class experience.  This CD will help engage the children as they dance, sing and use a fun object to bring the song to life!
We are thinking wands, scarves, Tippi Turtles would all be exciting props to use during class!  CD #3 is un-named and will be released in 2012!  We will keep you posted!

CD #1 Tippi's Tunes 

CD#2 Tippi Toes Let's Boogie!

Mommy & Me!

We are so lucky to get to teach so many amazing kids. One of our favorite classes we offer is our mommy and me class for 18 months - 3 year olds. It brings parents and children together in a fun and healthy environment. Our classes start this coming week! If you haven't enrolled yet log onto our website and find a class that fits best with your family! We look forward to an amazing year!

Leslie and Libby singing about Tippi the Turtle

Jennie & Ella with Tiny Tim

 A full class of dancers and parents always fun!

 Tippi Toes teachers in training! Great staff in all areas this year!

 Jenny & Johanna singing and snuggling the best combination

 These 3 cuties left their mommy's and started dancing on their own!

Profile: Tara Cassmann Franchise Owner Rochester, MN

The Cassmann Family

My name is Tara Cassmann and I am the proud owner of Tippi Toes of Rochester, Minnesota.  Together with my husband, Jim of 16 years and our 3 year old daughter Elianna, we are blessed to be part of the Tippi Toes family.  

In 2009, my work temporarily brought my family to Corpus Christi, Texas.  Being new to the area, we researched enrichment opportunities for our then 2 year old daughter Elianna.  Tippi Toes stood out and she started attending baby ballet class. Each session of teaching, building self-confidence, music and body awareness and just being plain silly made us feel that we made right choice for our daughter.  Then it was time to make the right choice for our family.  Shortly after Elianna began classes we met with Sarah and Adam Nuse to discuss Tippi Toes as a business. After that meeting we knew that we wanted to do everything possible to bring Tippi Toes to our home in Minnesota.  Tippi Toes was the perfect combination of my elementary education background and my husband’s music education degree. 

Elianna - A Tippi Toes Star!

Since our classes began in Rochester in the Fall of 2010, we have no doubt about our decision to be part of the Tippi Toes family.  Each day, I get to experience the pure joy each child exudes during and after class, as well as the knowledge that I am making a positive impact of that child’s life.  Teaching, dancing, being silly and working with kids – What could be better?  

Together as a family, we look forward to the day that people across the globe know Tippi Toes by name. 

Profile: Tracy Genheimer Franchise Owner OKC

Tracy & Alex Genheimer

My name is Tracy Genheimer and I am the Oklahoma City and surrounding area franchise owner. I started out as a dance teacher for Tippi Toes in my senior year of college and immediately fell in love with it! I love the story-telling we use in class, our awesome music, and our great dancers! After working with Tippi Toes for two years, I had the opportunity to become a franchise owner. What an amazing blessing it has been owning my own business! Having danced since I was three years old, this is an absolute dream come true! I love that I get to dance and teach dance every day! I love what Tippi Toes stands for and that we are able to reach so many children around the country! My husband, Alex, who I married this past May, has been such a wonderful supporter of Tippi Toes. He helps in every way he can and I am so thankful!

Miss Tracy the Ballerina

Tracy and Alex on an adventure

PINK - Quick Tips and ADA

Helpful Healthy Quick Ideas
~Never go to the store hungry
~Go on a "nature walk" outside rather than being sedentary inside! Bring a basket and let them find treasures! Free, easy and convenient!
~Encourage your child to pick out any fruit or veggie to try while shopping with you. They will feel ownership from this and will love the control of getting to look around and pick out anything! Also, you both can learn about fruit and veggie options.
~Make a fruit shake with your kids! Ice, skim milk, dash of vanilla and some berries or bananas will make a healthy and delicious snack! Remember portion size when you serve them - start will a small glass and if they ask for seconds go ahead!

American Dietetic Association - Eatright.org
The ADA website is a great resource for parents. Here is an excerpt from their website that explains the importance of physical activity:

"Being active at an early age can lead to a lifelong habit of physical activity and promote a healthy weight throughout adolescence and adulthood. Children who participate in exercise can develop a variety of physical, mental and social skills in fun, playful ways like team sports, bike riding or just playing tag.
Children and teenagers should be physically active for 60 minutes every day, or most days. Parents can help teach these skills and reinforce the importance of the physical activity part of the equation by being good role models. According to a study by the American Dietetic Association Foundation, children chose parents — not celebrities or sports figures — as their number one role model, regardless of the child's age. Parents can model healthy habits by finding ways to be active in their daily routines and making activity a household priority."

Let's Boogie Inside Look

Creating a CD is such a major project, but we thought we would share some of the fun behind the scenes details!

So Sarah and I write all of the lyrics to the songs which is such a funny process!!! For a children's CD there really are no rules and your lyrics can be off the walls silly and in fact that normally appeals more to the kids!! So whether it is a song about dreaming of blue bunnies or a song about ants in my pants, we know the kids will love it!
We spend 1 to 2 months creating the lyrics and helping each other fine tune them, then the most excruciating part comes next (at least for me)! We have to record ourselves singing the song as we have written it and then send that to Joey Davila the music producer! I can only imagine the belly laughs Joey gets as he sits there listening to my horrifying singing (I won't throw Sarah under the bus too, but let's just say singing doesn't run in our family)!!
Then Joey creates all the music, beats, etc to go with the CD. We have a friend Leslie Fiscus who comes in to the studio for 3-5 days and whips out her incredible pipes which make the songs come alive!
And just like that we have a CD!!!
Then comes the CD case design! Sarah and I decide what type of jewel case to use for the CD.  We receive samples of several different types and then choose!  The Tippi Toes Lets Boogie CD cover was a breeze for us because we had the talented Kate McElroy design the entire jacket which took her only about a week!!! When you see the cover you will be amazed she created it in only a week!
The final step is sending the music and artwork off to be mastered and duplicated. After 4-12 weeks, the day the delivery arrives with our CDs is better than Christmas! We open the box with such excitement and a sense of pride for everyone involved in the creative process! Then we cannot wait to get it in the hands of our dancers and supporters!

Now wasn't that just like watching a Sesame Street special about how to make crayons :)

Tippi Toes Let's Boogie CD
Available from your local Tippi Toes Franchise Owner,
our Tippi Toes Boutique or on iTunes

Profile: Andrea Dangel Franchise Owner Cincinnati - the first franchise owner!

My name is Andrea Dangel and I am the franchise owner of Tippi Toes in Cincinnati, Ohio.  From ages 4-18, I was enrolled in dance classes such as ballet, tap, and jazz.  After graduating college, I became a high school teacher and coached cheerleading in my free time. 

After having 4 beautiful children with my husband and being a teacher for 20 years, I started realizing I missed dancing and performing.  I was surfing the Internet and came across Tippi Toes Dance Company.  I fell in love with the franchisor’s philosophy of teaching dance to children and so wanted to be a part of this team.

In the spring of May 2009, I became a proud franchise owner of Tippi Toes.  I have never been happier in my life because I am providing the joy of dance to my students and running a successful business.

The best part of my day at Tippi Toes is when I see the beautiful smiles of our dance students before, during, and after class.