Reply to Is competitive dance a scam?

Forum Index » Elementary School-Aged Kids

Reply to "Is competitive dance a scam?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=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. [/quote]

To piggy back off of this, you can have a down to earth studio like you describe AND be an elite studio that wins a lot. My DD is at one. Very supportive, no crazy class or routine requirements, 4 required comps. The class requirement is under 4 hours a week and the routine requirement is 1 dance. Now most do more (like my DD who is obsessed) but I know several that do the bare minimum or close to it. Now those kids are less likely to dance advanced and probably novice instead. But there’s room for all types of dancers. I’m also the PP that commented about diverse body types at her studio. It IS out there, you just have to really vet studios first. We never intended to do comp, only rec, but watching the comp program at our studio after one rec year, we changed our minds and DD has been thriving. [/quote]

If you are in the DMV can you share the name of the studio?[/quote]

I’m not, otherwise I totally would! But I’m sure there’s one in DMV, you may just have to drive longer than you’d like to. We drive past 3 studios on the way to DD’s studio. I feel like Goldilocks with studios - 1 we went there and it is a positive environment, but lacks technique training, 2 never went there, is an elite studio with your stereotypical elite studio issues, 3 we went there as a rec family and their rec program was a joke.

I wish the 1st one that’s literally 2 minutes from our house would’ve worked out for us, but it is what it is.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics