Is competitive dance a scam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. A million pay for play “competitions” with dubious awards for basically everyone. How is it possible that multiple of my friends’s kids have won the super diamond platinum award or whatever at “nationals”? lol. Pressure to be at the studio a minimum of [way too many] hours a week? The girls seem like fine dancers but it is absolutely a money-making enterprise with little concern about anything else.

I mean ... there's a lot of money to be made.

[Anonymous]

If the studio promised fame and fortune, them it’s a scam.

If it’s your typical pricey classes, costume, travel, then not a scam. You might see it as a waste of time and money, but that’s different than a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure what OP is getting at. Her gripes don't describe a scam.

The one way that competitive dance feels a little more scam-ish to me than travel sports is that the studios sort of inflate the competitiveness of "competitive" dance. Like, you try out, but all you are really competing for is where you will stand during the numbers. Or you go to these competitions and every team seems to be winning several awards of some sort. With sports there are more cuts and winners and losers.

This is the same as travel sports. Every club will happily put most any played on a travel team, they just have different levels based on talent. But they're not turning anyone away (I know this as a the parent of a very mediocre soccer player and every season the coach pushes us to join the more intense, year round, and expensive travel teams). Of course he wouldn't make the best travel team but they happily make a travel level for the mediocre players too

Dance studios are the same - they have different levels based on talent

Tournaments can be a great way to compete with people from different states and see where you are skillwise. They are essential in my DC’s sport. And our travel team has high standards. There are always the scammy competitions and teams, but that’s why you go with the reputable ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these activities (including travel soccer) are a scam if you are doing it for anything other than current enjoyment and building life skills. If you think there is some financial payoff or elite status at the end of this, then it is a total scam.

This is such a great perspective and a rare one on DCUM. There's usually one side screaming "kids are overscheduled" and another screaming "but your kid will never be a D1 recruit." This is the sensible middle ground - do it because your kid loves it and is learning life skills from it.

None of these activities are teaching time management skills or how to set appropriate priorities, that's for sure. Look at how many people in these activities are homeschooled because the activity is too intense to be compatible with 30+ hours of regular school per week. If you're looking at a competitive dance studio or travel team and half the kids are homeschooled in some fashion, run.

PP with a DD in comp dance and I disagree. She's 8 and has learned a ton of time management through dance. Mostly because I refuse to sit in the studio and make sure she gets to each class on time for multiple hours multiple days a week. I drop her off with a watch and her schedule and she either gets where she needs to be or is late and gets a consequence. But she's never late, so it must be working just fine.

She also is well aware that I will start removing dance classes the second school doesn't become a priority. For example, she's struggling in math a bit (not her FAULT per se) so she had to pick a class to remove so we could find a chunk of time for tutoring. She understands that's a requirement of mine. She can only take unlimited classes if she is not falling behind in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are a judgy b about the outfits and cheerleaders are athletes. You could not do 1 150th of what a cheerleader can do. Very different from dance.

A lot of studios, the clothes and the dances have input from the dancers. I've seen a very fun tap scene done with overalls and neckerchiefs, with non-revealing moves. There's going to be a mix. And dance is about seeing the human body. Stop making it into something shameful

Cheerleaders are not athletes. My daughter is ballet only. She got an injury and was out for half a year as a freshman. She joined the varsity football cheerleaders for freshman year and then went back to ballet in January. There was nothing athletic about the cheerleading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these activities (including travel soccer) are a scam if you are doing it for anything other than current enjoyment and building life skills. If you think there is some financial payoff or elite status at the end of this, then it is a total scam.

This is such a great perspective and a rare one on DCUM. There's usually one side screaming "kids are overscheduled" and another screaming "but your kid will never be a D1 recruit." This is the sensible middle ground - do it because your kid loves it and is learning life skills from it.

There is no middle ground in travel sports. It’s ruthlessly hyper competitive and you have to be all-in to “keep up”. It’s all been turned into a huge scam and nobody admits it’s a scam and they’re being hustled — until after their kid ages out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. A million pay for play “competitions” with dubious awards for basically everyone. How is it possible that multiple of my friends’s kids have won the super diamond platinum award or whatever at “nationals”? lol. Pressure to be at the studio a minimum of [way too many] hours a week? The girls seem like fine dancers but it is absolutely a money-making enterprise with little concern about anything else.

Exact same thing I’ve seem first hand in girls swimming and boys basketball. So many pay to play tournaments and so many tiers and levels, somehow every kid and every team places if not wins. It’s all such a farce. And all the parents swear their snowflake is a stud athlete when they’re just a dime a dozen above average player.

[Anonymous]

Yes, competitive dance is a scam.
-a professional dancer

[Anonymous]

No, not a scam, imo.

[Anonymous]

Why is it a scam? It’s not any different than travel sports, except it’s primarily joined by girls and travel sports are primarily boys at the younger ages. Seems sexist to say one is worth the money and the other is not. You can argue against the cost and time commitment but the argument applies to both. I’m sure most parents putting their sons in travel sports secretly hope it’s their ticket to D1 college sports scholarship, even though that’s unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Travel sports is definitely a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it a scam? It’s not any different than travel sports, except it’s primarily joined by girls and travel sports are primarily boys at the younger ages. Seems sexist to say one is worth the money and the other is not. You can argue against the cost and time commitment but the argument applies to both. I’m sure most parents putting their sons in travel sports secretly hope it’s their ticket to D1 college sports scholarship, even though that’s unlikely.

I think t's sexist to enroll your kid in comp dance. Dance for art and performance...sure. comp dance is degrading to the person, the art of dance, and the gullible consumer. Have you seen the ridiculous outfits these children are wearing? The overstressed overstretched? The lack of safe technique? The judges are brought in at crazy fees to tell the kids exactly what their teachers tell them, kids are given a meaningless award, and parents are shook down for every dollar the can possibly be extracted. When soccer kids start showing up in less that a bikini for a game, when boys start needing butt glue for their wrestling uniforms to keep their crotch covered we can start talking sexism.

[Anonymous]

Choose a studio that doesn’t have a competition team. Simple fix, OP.

[Anonymous]

It’s all a scam. Same with travel sports. Find things your child enjoys doing. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time and money. Your kid is going to be who they are going to be. Nothing will change that. 15 years from now your kid is still going to graduate from a middling college and work at job that sucks. Then they will figure out what they want to do with their life. Just enjoy the ride.

[Anonymous]

I have daughters in both comp dance and travel soccer (at the same time!) and here is my perspective: find the right team/studio.

Are there studios that make their girls take 5+ classes per week and travel to competitions 8 times a year with 8 dances each, with revealing costumes, crap technique and degrading instructors? Absolutely. But are there also studios where the weekly class requirements are manageable (2, maybe 3 days per week), less competitions with 1-3 numbers, age-appropriate costumes, and warm/engaging instructors who teach technique AS WELL AS self-discipline, confidence and a love of dance? ABSOLUTELY.

Are there travel teams that require several FAR AWAY tourneys per season, mediocre level of play with coaches that degrade/berate their players? You bet. But are there also teams that have a few tourneys per season, with an hour drive, who emphasize fun/respect for the game and never yell at their players? ABSOLUTELY.

If your daughters (or sons) are REALLY into dance/travel sports, then each of these things are worthwhile. If they're lukewarm on the activity, obviously find the more relaxed rec option and be done with it.

But for many, including my girls, they LOVE dancing and/or soccer. We've taken great care to find supportive programs, rather than simply join the "elite" studio with 100s of awards / super competitive soccer team that assumes soccer is the only sport your entire family needs to prioritize.

It's not scammy to us, because we're also not in it to win the most awards or trophies, or even scholarships. We just want the girls to learn a skill, be comfortable "performing" on the stage/game day, and have a ton of fun doing it.