competitive dance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my neighborhood most of the kids go to one place and we go to there too so my daughter has friends.

I’m fine with most kids getting selected for the teams. I think it’s inclusive. Some kids get larger roles and front and center.

Yes, this. Competitive dance can get crazy, but it doesn't have to. I'd ask around to gauge which studios spend $$$$ to compete, and which keep it a bit more casual. Our local one does only a limited number of competitions, recycles costumes when possible. They keep it down to earth. Staying local and having friends is our vibe.

[Anonymous]

I would strongly suggest looking into a dance studio that doesn't do competitive dance. My DD goes to a studio that focuses on ballet but also does tap and jazz. They do a recital in the spring and the classes are engaging with great teachers. She has made friends through the studio and looks forward to all her classes.

At no point do I think to myself "you know this is great but wouldn't it be better if we were required to commit to 10-15 hours of dance every week, traveling to competitions where we sit around for hours and hours indoors on a Saturday waiting for her turn?" I don't even understand what that is for. What is the added benefit? You can't even delude yourself into thinking your kid will be recruited for college because they did "competition dance," the way travel sport parents do. It seems like such an odd thing to do to your own family when it's not at all necessary for your child to learn to dance and get a social benefit out of the activity.

[Anonymous]

What studio are you at?!



This right here. The benefit is social and emotional for my kid. We are stuck in a subpar studio. It’s a complete money grab and my daughter has stalled and not developed as a dancer. The owners are hostile if you question them. Choose wisely!

[Anonymous]

Dance competitions are for people that don't know any better. Those that know send their kids to performance based schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Competitions are a joke and money grab. Everyone gets first place.

Just find a good dance studio that teaches well, perhaps that puts on very good productions in your own community.

Is the everyone gets first place actually true or only feels true?

[Anonymous]

What about high school competitive dance teams, not teams from dance studios? Are those just as toxic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do it. That is my best advice.

+1
They lure you in with the claim of no experience necessary—and they select accordingly. But the next thing you know they are yelling at the kids and making them cry! And be forewarned that it won’t be long before they pressure you into adding 2-3 more classes….. an additional class for ballet fundamentals, another class for conditioning and strength, another for stretch and flexibility……in addition to the team practice she already goes to twice a week. They’ll remind you that you signed on to a “competitive team” and your daughter needs to demonstrate her commitment and develop her skills so she can catch up and stay on the squad.

Dance moms, do I have that right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Auditions at our studio is to determine placement in routines.

I agree with picking one close if possible. We were there 5-6 days a week last month and it was exhausting and we aren’t even that far away.

Make sure you go to a studio that emphasizes technique over rehearsing dances to death. Competition dance can be toxic if you end up at the wrong studio. Chat with parents in competition dance if possible. They will be able to give you the jist on each studio. There’s some in our area that are amazingly talented, but we’d never go there because the environment is so toxic.

No they won’t.
The parents at our studio have to sign a contract agreeing not to speak negatively in any way about the studio, coaches, staff, management, or it is cause for your dancer to be dismissed.
I get the idea behind why you would want to avoid parents spreading negativity. But if you get to the point where you have to threaten parents not to speak negatively, it miiiiiiight be time to evaluate why a contract is more important than FIXING the problems they complain about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Competitive dance" like in Cuties?

Soccer is "competitive" too, and everyone gets into a team, but it's not because it's a money grab, it's because it's a sport and competition is fun.

For dance, you can join a class and perform at a recital, or audition for a group that gets paid gigs.

No, not like cuties.
Like Velocity, Adrenaline, Dynamic, Born 2 Dance, PowerWorx, etc. and they work on skills and technique once a week and then practice a routine that incorporates a bunch of choreographed dance skills and practice the same routine all season and perform it on stage for dance judges in competition against other dance teams. Winners get a bid to national competition$…..and then they do it all over again the next year.

Not sure it trains anyone for a career in dance (other than NFL cheer/dance teams or maybe background dancer in a video in LA), but it’s a team like any sport and great way to keep fit and have a tight group of friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make sure you understand the commitment required. DD’s bff is in competitive dance and it’s really harmed her social life outside of dance. Evidently she’s only allowed to miss two practices PER YEAR for dance company classes. So that means she has to miss birthday parties and movie nights and Girl Scout activities and family events. That’s an unreasonable commitment for a 10 year old, in my mind.
I have no idea if it’s just her studio or if that’s standRd, but I’d want to be very very clear about that first.

It’s the way A dance studio works.
Love it or leave it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure you understand the commitment required. DD’s bff is in competitive dance and it’s really harmed her social life outside of dance. Evidently she’s only allowed to miss two practices PER YEAR for dance company classes. So that means she has to miss birthday parties and movie nights and Girl Scout activities and family events. That’s an unreasonable commitment for a 10 year old, in my mind.
I have no idea if it’s just her studio or if that’s standRd, but I’d want to be very very clear about that first.

It’s the way A dance studio works.
Love it or leave it.

Missing 2 is 2 too many unless the lid has the flu or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Competitive dance" like in Cuties?

Soccer is "competitive" too, and everyone gets into a team, but it's not because it's a money grab, it's because it's a sport and competition is fun.

For dance, you can join a class and perform at a recital, or audition for a group that gets paid gigs.

No, not like cuties.
Like Velocity, Adrenaline, Dynamic, Born 2 Dance, PowerWorx, etc. and they work on skills and technique once a week and then practice a routine that incorporates a bunch of choreographed dance skills and practice the same routine all season and perform it on stage for dance judges in competition against other dance teams. Winners get a bid to national competition$…..and then they do it all over again the next year.

Not sure it trains anyone for a career in dance (other than NFL cheer/dance teams or maybe background dancer in a video in LA), but it’s a team like any sport and great way to keep fit and have a tight group of friends.

My daughter dances competitively for one of the studios PP mentions and loves it. It's a big time and $ commitment though. Probably no more than other competitive sports though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Competitions are a joke and money grab. Everyone gets first place.

Just find a good dance studio that teaches well, perhaps that puts on very good productions in your own community.

Is the everyone gets first place actually true or only feels true?

No it isn’t true.
It only starts to feel true when you realize that by the end of the season, there are very few groups who do not “earn a bid” to the national competition. (For some it happens sooner in the season and for very few it doesn’t happen at all——but the national competition doesn’t work if they don’t have teams to go there! So a LOT of teams are “invited”) Still, they don’t just give first place to everyone. And NOVA has a couple of dominant teams.
You will know if Winning is important if they advertise and emphasize competition and commitment like one of the PPs said.
Don’t try to join a “dance family” with the intention of half-assing the commitment or you will be miserable because they want ALL of your time. The “two missed rehearsals MAX” is real! And don’t even think about not showing up to competition day. There are no conflicts that are okay to miss for ! Maaaaaybe death if an immediate family member, but not a wedding or a bday event or a vacation!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure you understand the commitment required. DD’s bff is in competitive dance and it’s really harmed her social life outside of dance. Evidently she’s only allowed to miss two practices PER YEAR for dance company classes. So that means she has to miss birthday parties and movie nights and Girl Scout activities and family events. That’s an unreasonable commitment for a 10 year old, in my mind.
I have no idea if it’s just her studio or if that’s standRd, but I’d want to be very very clear about that first.

It’s the way A dance studio works.
Love it or leave it.

Missing 2 is 2 too many unless the lid has the flu or something.

And even then, you know the owner is telling the girl she better just show up anyway. She can puke in the hotel room
later. #truestory

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi - Can you share which ones are toxic?

Anonymous wrote:Auditions at our studio is to determine placement in routines.

I agree with picking one close if possible. We were there 5-6 days a week last month and it was exhausting and we aren’t even that far away.

Make sure you go to a studio that emphasizes technique over rehearsing dances to death. Competition dance can be toxic if you end up at the wrong studio. Chat with parents in competition dance if possible. They will be able to give you the jist on each studio. There’s some in our area that are amazingly talented, but we’d never go there because the environment is so toxic.

That’s the problem, PP……no one really wants to share which ones are “toxic” because the owner of the most toxic one in our area 100% stalks this board. But she also has a loyal band of DCUM moms. They know who they are. The place has a lot of competitive teams that do very well. But it doesn’t mean they foster a healthy atmosphere for young dancers.