dancingmama Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Thanks for the links. Here the boys can wear either the tights and shirt or a leo and tights. Ds would prefer the leo and tights so that's what we'll do. I know what you guys mean about the costumes. Also in a new studio and I was really nervous. DD is very conservative in her dress compared to other girls so I knew that not only would I have issues with a skimpy issues but she would and would refuse to wear it. Luckily the costumes she will be wearing are all appropriate. The more risque is actually the one for her duet. Speaking of which, she broke into tears at rehearsal last week. I'm not sure what to do about it. She didn't like the choreography, or so she said, however, minutes later she loved it...after she was done crying. I think it's partly that the moves are a little harder than what she is used to, coming from another school that isn't so technique oriented, but how the heck do I teach her that she has to at least try before saying that something is "weird" which I think is her code word for "harder than I expected". None of the moves were actually hard for her. She took a minute and then could do it. But they were new and different. Not sure how to support her. I also have this issue with her with schoolwork. Things have gone easy for her most of her life and in the last year there have been many changes; we moved, she changed dance schools, her brother is at school so all my homeschool attention is on her, we changed curriculum, hormones are raging. I know she has a lot more pressure on her but it's not anything she can't handle. Once she takes a moment, she's got it. But her first response seems to be tears. Not sure how to handle it. She has to get over this. Crying over every little change isn't good. Any thoughts or suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 My dd had a feis today (Irish Dance competition), and got four firsts and one second! She was pumped! One more competition next weekend, then I think we'll be done for awhile. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 My dd had a feis today (Irish Dance competition), and got four firsts and one second! She was pumped! Congrats to your dd! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 My dd had a feis today (Irish Dance competition), and got four firsts and one second! She was pumped! One more competition next weekend, then I think we'll be done for awhile. That's awesome! Yay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 My dd had a feis today (Irish Dance competition), and got four firsts and one second! She was pumped! One more competition next weekend, then I think we'll be done for awhile. Congratulations! My DD has her first feis this weekend, she is nervous but I think she will do great. She'll only be competing at the beginner level, after all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Congratulations! My DD has her first feis this weekend, she is nervous but I think she will do great. She'll only be competing at the beginner level, after all. If it happens to be the one in Charlotte, pm me and let's try to meet up. Good luck to your daughter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Congratulations! My DD has her first feis this weekend, she is nervous but I think she will do great. She'll only be competing at the beginner level, after all. She'll have a lot of fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 How did Nutcracker go for those of you whose children participated? DS did very well. There were six boys and they all got along. He did well on his parts and enjoyed having a "stage mom" as he was a party boy. It probably helped that she was young (only 23!) and beautiful. :) Ah, 11 yr old boys. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 How did Nutcracker go for those of you whose children participated? DS did very well. There were six boys and they all got along. He did well on his parts and enjoyed having a "stage mom" as he was a party boy. It probably helped that she was young (only 23!) and beautiful. :) Ah, 11 yr old boys. I was thinking about coming here and asking the same thing! :) I love the comraderie of dance boys- I think that may be one of my favorite things about having a son who dances. Our Nutcracker was amazing. DS just shone in his role as the Nutcracker Prince- he really proved that he deserved the part, and he's hopeful that he won't grow too much and get another shot at it next year. He really enjoyed dancing with his Clara too- the girl who was partnered with him is on a different competition team this year so they don't get to dance together much anymore. She may be a possibilty for a duet partner next year for him. DD was also amazing. I didn't realize that her role of a Peppermint Swirl was actually the role of Marzipan. Her and her best friend were actually "Marzipan Twins" and were absolutely beautiful. She also was a beautiful snow dancer and Spanish dancer. Next year we're hoping there will be more parts en pointe, as this year they kept it to just a few pointe dancers, and none of those were DD's parts. We did just the Nutcracker Suite this year- the other half of our show was upbeat Christmas music dances with all the other styles of dance. I thought I'd miss the party scene and the battle scenes, but I have to say, this was a spectacular way to do the Nutcracker while also enjoying other styles of dance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Nut was great, but Nut is over! I am giddy about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Our Nutcracker went remarkably well for a brand-new low-budget production! The community was very supportive and all the shows were sold out. My angel was glad to be done, she's decided ballet isn't her thing. My ginger snap is already hoping to be a lamb next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Our studio just does excerpts from Nutcracker, but my dd was a party girl this year and had a blast! The smaller girls were in and out of the numbers a bunch this year and it turned out really nicely. :) My son is into theater and is doing a little dance and floor acrobatics (he can do back handsprings, etc), but wants to up his dance in the new year. He will never be a "dancer" and is a very natural theater kid, singer, clown. But I think more dance will be very good for him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Awwww, I'm having Nutcracker nostalgia flashbacks . . . My son is no longer at a dance school that does Nutcracker, but he did the show for six years, in various roles from party kid through candy cane page and Fritz's friend on up to Fritz. For some reason, I really missed it this year. His studio did do a few performances at community events. And for the first time this year, they did a winter showcase (recital), which went really well. My son is riding high this holiday season, because he won his first state-wide title in November. It was the first year his studio was eligible to compete in that event, and they entered two students: my son and the girl who is his tap duet partner. Both won their age/gender categories, and the studio owners are over the moon. So, the two kids are getting featured at every performance this season, just so the owners can announce the wins one more time. But, truth be told, I still kind of miss his Nutcracker days. I'm glad everyone had a good Nutcracker this year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 No Nutcracker in our family. But the second weekend in December was the Regional competition, and I am so excited with how well our school did. I've mentioned that we brought a new teacher over from England a year and a half ago. Well, this year, we took 15 people to Regionals, 12 did solos, all recalled, 8 placed, and 7 qualified for Nationals and/or Worlds. We've been doing ceili (group) dancing for a year, and all 5 of our ceili teams placed. One third place (world-qualified), three fourth place, and one tenth place. My daughter didn't go this year because I don't think she was ready, but she'll be going next year and I'm already excited! Also, our school is going to have its own studio space for the first time on January 2. My husband and some other parents are putting down the dance floor yesterday. I haven't seen the studio yet, but dh says it's really nice. Question for all of you who have serious dancers. How many hours a week do you allow them to dance? I've read that to prevent serious overuse injuries, they should not exercise in the same sport more hours per week than their age. Based on dd's new level and the school's new hours, she can dance in class 12.5 hours per week, which happens to be her age, but she will also practice at home pretty much daily and have performances and competitions 1-2/month. My real concern is that class time includes 4.5 hours on Saturdays and 2.5 hours on Sunday, and I'm hesitant to let her dance that much two days in a row. If she goes Sat, Tues, Thurs and skips Sunday, she'll have 10 hours of class time with a rest day between each class. With practice and performances, her weekly dance time will be about right. A co-worker's daughter is in a ballet company and dances 20+ hours a week, but she also had fractures in her back last summer at age 12! I know my daughter could slip and get injured any time, but I really want to prevent stress injuries because I think they're mostly unnecessary and preventable. So anyway, for those of you with more experience than I, would you be comfortable with the Sat/Sun classes, or would you skip Sunday? One more question, do you know of any sports nutrition books geared for teens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 My dd has been doing Nutcracker performances since Thanksgiving. She finishes with the matinee today. Although the ballet will continue to perform through New Year's, but she's on vacation. Yay! I only saw one performance when she was dancing Plum...and after a million years as the mom of a dance student, one was enough. I've seen enough Nutcrackers to last ten lifetimes. LOL They have an exciting line-up for the rest of their season, starting with Sleeping Beauty, and then some contemporary productions. I can't wait for those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 No Nutcracker in our family. But the second weekend in December was the Regional competition, and I am so excited with how well our school did. I've mentioned that we brought a new teacher over from England a year and a half ago. Well, this year, we took 15 people to Regionals, 12 did solos, all recalled, 8 placed, and 7 qualified for Nationals and/or Worlds. We've been doing ceili (group) dancing for a year, and all 5 of our ceili teams placed. One third place (world-qualified), three fourth place, and one tenth place. My daughter didn't go this year because I don't think she was ready, but she'll be going next year and I'm already excited! Also, our school is going to have its own studio space for the first time on January 2. My husband and some other parents are putting down the dance floor yesterday. I haven't seen the studio yet, but dh says it's really nice. Question for all of you who have serious dancers. How many hours a week do you allow them to dance? I've read that to prevent serious overuse injuries, they should not exercise in the same sport more hours per week than their age. Based on dd's new level and the school's new hours, she can dance in class 12.5 hours per week, which happens to be her age, but she will also practice at home pretty much daily and have performances and competitions 1-2/month. My real concern is that class time includes 4.5 hours on Saturdays and 2.5 hours on Sunday, and I'm hesitant to let her dance that much two days in a row. If she goes Sat, Tues, Thurs and skips Sunday, she'll have 10 hours of class time with a rest day between each class. With practice and performances, her weekly dance time will be about right. A co-worker's daughter is in a ballet company and dances 20+ hours a week, but she also had fractures in her back last summer at age 12! I know my daughter could slip and get injured any time, but I really want to prevent stress injuries because I think they're mostly unnecessary and preventable. So anyway, for those of you with more experience than I, would you be comfortable with the Sat/Sun classes, or would you skip Sunday? One more question, do you know of any sports nutrition books geared for teens? My dd danced from 11:30AM - 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday at her pre-professional ballet school from age 12-17. Rehearsals for performances were in addition to that. If you have decent instructors, access to physical therapists, massage therapists, and nutritionists, and they take Pilates classes (all were on site for my dd, and available whenever she needed them), there are very few injuries. All of the dancers did PT at least once a week for any tender spots or weak areas, and they all had full body massages weekly as well. The Pilates instructor was amazing, and really taught the dancers the importance of a strong core. Compensating with incorrect muscles because of a weak core can lead to a ridiculous amount of injuries. Dancers who did not attend the full-day program did off-site massage therapy and PT when they needed it. My dd also had an orthopedic surgeon that we saw whenever there was a hint of a problem. He was amazing and really loved working with her to keep her healthy and dancing. It is very important that you find professionals who understand the needs of dancers. My dd's PT is a former ballerina, and she knows the demands on a dancer's body. If you are unsure of who to see, call your local professional ballet company. The doctors and therapists they use are well acquainted with the demands of dance and know how to treat dancers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 My dd danced from 11:30AM - 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday at her pre-professional ballet school from age 12-17. Rehearsals for performances were in addition to that. If you have decent instructors, access to physical therapists, massage therapists, and nutritionists, and they take Pilates classes (all were on site for my dd, and available whenever she needed them), there are very few injuries. All of the dancers did PT at least once a week for any tender spots or weak areas, and they all had full body massages weekly as well. The Pilates instructor was amazing, and really taught the dancers the importance of a strong core. Compensating with incorrect muscles because of a weak core can lead to a ridiculous amount of injuries. Dancers who did not attend the full-day program did off-site massage therapy and PT when they needed it. My dd also had an orthopedic surgeon that we saw whenever there was a hint of a problem. He was amazing and really loved working with her to keep her healthy and dancing. It is very important that you find professionals who understand the needs of dancers. My dd's PT is a former ballerina, and she knows the demands on a dancer's body. If you are unsure of who to see, call your local professional ballet company. The doctors and therapists they use are well acquainted with the demands of dance and know how to treat dancers. Wow, I can't even imagine 35 hours a week. That's some serious dancing. My daughter really does need a consistent exercise routine besides her dancing to build up her core and other muscles. She has resources (a routine from her teacher, yoga DVDs, etc), it's just a matter of taking the time to implement them consistently. She had motor delays and it's been a long road to build her strength, and there's still more work to do on that. She's so thin (5'2" and 75 lbs), and it takes forever for her to build muscle even though she eats A LOT. She has seen a sports doctor for a foot injury, but not a PT or massage therapist. There's a massage place nearby where you can buy a bundle of massages for a reduced price, so maybe I'll look into that. I'll call the Carolina Ballet to see who they like for PT. I just finished PT for back pain with a non-traditional PT who has written a couple of books and travels all over the country to teach his program to other PTs. Their focus is on teaching patients the tools to heal themselves so that you don't have to keep going back to PT, and I've taught dd some of what I learned, but again, it's been kind of random instead of building a consistent routine. My PT's partner just flew to Dallas to work with the Cowboys earlier this month, and one of the Cowboys was so impressed with how well their methods worked that he brought him back for a week to work one-on-one. All that to say, I could take her there and I think it would be good for her, even though they're not dance therapy specialists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Wow, I can't even imagine 35 hours a week. That's some serious dancing. My daughter really does need a consistent exercise routine besides her dancing to build up her core and other muscles. She has resources (a routine from her teacher, yoga DVDs, etc), it's just a matter of taking the time to implement them consistently. She had motor delays and it's been a long road to build her strength, and there's still more work to do on that. She's so thin (5'2" and 75 lbs), and it takes forever for her to build muscle even though she eats A LOT. She has seen a sports doctor for a foot injury, but not a PT or massage therapist. There's a massage place nearby where you can buy a bundle of massages for a reduced price, so maybe I'll look into that. I'll call the Carolina Ballet to see who they like for PT. I just finished PT for back pain with a non-traditional PT who has written a couple of books and travels all over the country to teach his program to other PTs. Their focus is on teaching patients the tools to heal themselves so that you don't have to keep going back to PT, and I've taught dd some of what I learned, but again, it's been kind of random instead of building a consistent routine. My PT's partner just flew to Dallas to work with the Cowboys earlier this month, and one of the Cowboys was so impressed with how well their methods worked that he brought him back for a week to work one-on-one. All that to say, I could take her there and I think it would be good for her, even though they're not dance therapy specialists. That all sounds great. Does she want to become a professional dancer? My dd now dances about 40-50 hours per week as a professional. She also takes Pilates classes and other dance classes on her own (unpaid) time. During summer, she teaches at summer intensives. Has your dd ever gone to one of those? They will dance between 6-8 hours a day at an intensive. It really builds their strength and stamina. You might look into some close to your home if you're not anxious for her to go to one in another city yet. My dd usually did two intensives per summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 That all sounds great. Does she want to become a professional dancer? My dd now dances about 40-50 hours per week as a professional. She also takes Pilates classes and other dance classes on her own (unpaid) time. During summer, she teaches at summer intensives. Has your dd ever gone to one of those? They will dance between 6-8 hours a day at an intensive. It really builds their strength and stamina. You might look into some close to your home if you're not anxious for her to go to one in another city yet. My dd usually did two intensives per summer. She wants to become a TCRG certified Irish dance teacher. Her teacher danced with Gaelforce, Rhythm of the Dance, and Riverdance, and needless to say, he's a huge inspiration to his students, but dd is leaning more toward teaching than professional dancing. She sometimes helps with the beginner class and really enjoys that. She went to dance camp last summer for 6 hrs/day, and it was the single biggest thing that improved her dancing drastically in a short time. I think they will do the camp every summer. In the Irish dance world, you can't go to another school's camp because the dances are all proprietary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracesteacher Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 My dd was the lead baker. She was an angel last year. She does this with the professional group who has open auditions. She has become bff with one of the professionals. She does recreational dance for an hr and a half once a week and 30 min of ballet with a professional ballerina. It is what she at 7 says she wants to do when she grows up. We will see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The Nutcracker at our studio is all youth except for the parents in the party scene, but all but a few of the dancers are 10 and up, so no Nut for us this year, but ds is dying to get an invite next year. But there are a lot of other boys, so I have no idea if he would be good enough. We went to see one of the performances and he was clearly watching the boys he knows with some envy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 No Nutcracker here either. Dd13 attends what I call a rogue competition school about 15 to 20 hours a week this time of year, more once competition season starts next month. She just finished a weekend at Pulse, another couple of weekends with guest choreographers and then last weekend a master class with Victor and Angel from Dance. Moms Miami. I got to chit chat with Victor's mom for awhile. You guys might remember her feisty tell-it-like-it-is sassiness on the show. I was pleased to discover she is just like that in real life and had lots of great dance stories to tell. Super lady! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Yes! Nutcracker is over! We don't live anywhere near a big city, so schools associated with a professional company are not possible. But we do have a local ballet school that is very good and has been sending one or two kids a year off to apprenticeships and companies. They put on a surprisingly good show. This year, my 11 yr old was cast in four roles: soldier, party girl, gumdrop, and Chinese corps. This is her fourth year as a party girl, and at 5'1, I think it's likely her last year. She's only been working on pointe for a year, but there's a good chance she could get a more advanced role next year as the school will have only a handful of older dancers and a ton of younger kids coming up behind her. So who knows... Without rehearsals, she takes 7 classes (5 technique, 1 pointe, 1 contemporary) which works out to 10.5 hrs/week. I think it's about right for her age and level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Question for all of you who have serious dancers. How many hours a week do you allow them to dance? My son is older, but I have to say that, as long as I was certain he was enrolled in a reputable program with competent teachers, I would allow him to dance as many hours as he could reasonably fit into his schedule. Currently, he's 15 and has class an average of about 15 hours per week, plus additional rehearsals as needed before performances and competitions. He would happily dance many more hours per week if his current studio offered more classes for him to take. This past summer, he did an intensive at a local college in which he danced six or seven hours a day, four days a week for four weeks, and he had a wonderful time doing it. (He also took a few evening classes at his regular studio concurrently, but those were low impact compared to the intensive.) Since he began his dance education at a pre-pro school associated with a local ballet company, we are well aware of the number of hours the kids in that program dance each week. By comparison, his schedule looks light. So, it never occurred to me to worry about it. (He'd be thrilled to dance more. He left the ballet school because he had decided classical ballet was not his path. But he would dearly love to find a more eclectic program that offered/required the same level of commitment.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Thank you to everyone who responded about the hours. ID schools are known for having more injuries than ballet schools because the teachers (and therefore students) tend to not be as well trained about prevention. My dh has commented on the number of injuries in our school and expressed some concern about K. moving up to the advanced levels and dancing so much more. I'm trying to become an informed parent, but I was never an athlete so I have no personal experience. K and I have talked about the necessity of icing her feet and rolling them on a golf ball consistently when she starts back to class in January. She has a competition in February, so I think we will try going to classes all 4 days that are available and see how she does. If she has too much pain and inflammation, we will drop the Sunday class until she builds up more strength. She is jumping from 6 hours of weekly class time to either 10 or 12.5 hours (depending on whether she goes 3 or 4 days/week), so we'll see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Okay Dance Moms, I have an alterations question for you. With our old studio, I did alterations on many, many costumes for the studio. This was done at the behest of the studio owners, and I was happy to do it. I did not personally receive compensation, however, our family received a lot of class discounts for many things we did for the studio- we danced for a nice discount because of it. Every once in a while someone would ask me personally to alter their costume and I always did so happily. I've received small gift cards and $5 gifts for doing so, though I did not request to be compensated. I kind of have the thought that not everyone is skilled with a needle and I'm happy to help. Now, with our new studio, alterations are a whole different ball of wax. They are completely up to the dancer (and their parents) to get done if they want them done. The owners have my permission to give out my number and e-mail to all the parents to inquire about having alterations done. And I've been warned that there are many and they will be calling. My question is that I have no idea what I should be charging for this service? 95% of them are quick alterations- a little seam adjusting here, a strap taken in there, a strap attached, etc. For the most part, they will all be done by hand vs. machine so they are easier to take out and re-adjust down the road if needed. What are fair prices for costume alterations? I have no clue- help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 This is the first year I have ever needed to do alterations so I'm not much help. The mom who did my daughter's alteration this year, taking in about two inches in the back, isn't charging us but is getting about $5/costume from the studio/costume company (the costumes were badly made with huge gaping backs on 90% of out littles. It was weird). I still have to find someone to adjust my daughter's other costume which requires more extensive alterations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 For alterations,,can you estimate your time when you look at it? I would set an hourly rate and charge a fraction of that. Lucky for me my mom can do our alterations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 My question is that I have no idea what I should be charging for this service? 95% of them are quick alterations- a little seam adjusting here, a strap taken in there, a strap attached, etc. For the most part, they will all be done by hand vs. machine so they are easier to take out and re-adjust down the road if needed. What are fair prices for costume alterations? I have no clue- help! Do any local tailors have a price list on the internet that you could use as a reference? I know that altering costumes is different, but you could use local prices as a starting point. (Based on my experience around here, regulars tailors charge by the service rather than their time. Some of them publish their price list and some don't.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 For those of us with kiddos in the "rogue" schools, competition season has officially started! I am now the queen of hotel bookings. I learned that calling a national reservation line always means a room is no longer available at a discount rate. Calling a front desk, demanding a manger, and acting like a royal pain gets the discounted rate. No wonder dance moms learn to be so difficult. LOL. We will be gone 8 weekends this season which is pretty tame compared to most. Enjoy the ride! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We're getting ready for competition season too! We had a dress rehearsal this weekend and it went well, but one of the dances still needs a lot of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyMommy Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Today was an exciting day at class for my daughter, the recital costumes came in and she is over the moon! I've never seen them come in this early (I danced competitively until I was 18) but apparently this one company is on the ball. DS's costume isn't in yet (although the girls costumes for his class did) but I can't wait to see it. I think the instructors did an amazing job choosing costumes. They're still little so I am soaking up the recital time, for now they just love ballet which is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 My head is spinning, I'm trying to figure out just what I have gotten myself into and whether I can really commit to the direction we seem to be going. As background, I am not really a competitive person. I have always looked a little askance at the families where kids devoted their entire life to one activity, not in a judgmental way (I have friends whose kids have accomplished some pretty amazing things and I am truly impressed) but in a "wow I wouldn't want to live that life" sort of way. I always said I didn't expect my kids to be top competitors or top performers in anything, I've seen the commitment in time and energy and family resources that takes and I just wasn't eager to jump into that. But I also said if one of my children developed a real passion for something I would try to support them. We've taken a fairly laid back approach both to our academics and our extracurricular activities--until now. Turns out this laid-back, easygoing mama produced a child who is almost my polar opposite. A year ago I signed my two girls up for Irish dance classes; I really knew nothing about ID except that it looked energetic and fun. I had no idea that there is a whole system of levels and competitions. I figured they would learn some fun dances and put on a performance or two. Pretty soon I started hearing words like "feis" and "oireachtas" and "worlds", and I realized there was a lot more to Irish dancing than putting on a performance here and there. But I didn't think we would be getting very involved with that--my kids had never competed in anything and I wasn't sure they would want to. Or that I would want them to. Fast forward a year, and our lives are looking quite different. My younger daughter dropped out of dance classes a few months ago, it's just not her thing at this point. But my ten year old-- well, turns out she not only wants to compete, she's developed such a passion for ID that she seems to eat, breathe, and sleep dance. She begs me to take her to every class she qualifies for, she gets up early in the morning to start practicing, when we plan a family trip she asks me to find out if there are any feiseanna in the cities we will be passing through, she asks for extra paid chores so she can save up for a solo dress. Her teachers have picked up on her drive and are offering her opportunities for extra practice and drill, and are talking about putting her on a team for this year's oireachtas competition. I don't think she has exceptional talent, but it is obvious to everyone that she has the will to work. I know she has her heart set on competing in the world championships. I sure hope she doesn't have her heart set on winning a world championship, I very much doubt that is within reach. On the one hand, it has been thrilling to watch her come alive this year in a way I have never seen before. Irish Dance is by far the best thing that has ever happened to her! On the other hand, I am worried--worried about whether our family can sustain the level of commitment it will take for dd to achieve her goals, worried about the impact on the rest of the family and how I can possibly balance one child's dedication to an activity with the needs of four other children. Worried that dd's dreams may not be within reach in spite of her best efforts... So...I'm opening my heart to a group of strangers hoping some of you have been down this road. Hoping you will tell me that the road I see ahead isn't as insanely intense as it looks from where I am standing--or at least, tell me the intensity will propel us forward and lift us up, not leave us exhausted and burnt out and sunk in regrets! We haven't walked far down the road yet; possibly it doesn't lead where I think it leads, it may be that dd's passion will be short-lived and that life will eventually settle back into something more familiar and comfortable. Maybe. But...my instincts tell me this is not a short term obsession, and that we will be invested in this endeavor for many years to come. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 It can be a long, difficult, time consuming and EXPENSIVE road. LOL My dd is now living her dream as a professional ballerina, but it was a roller coaster ride to get her there. If your dd is pursuing that type of dance life, then she will receive more time, attention and money than her siblings. Maybe more than all her other siblings put together. It's the nature of the beast. My dh and I are now spending our resources on our boys, but during her pre-teen and teen years, it all went to her. She was in an all-day pre-professional ballet school, M-F, for six years (with a merit scholarship, thank goodness). She also performed with her school's company, as well as a professional ballet company, whenever they cast roles for children. She attended two ballet summer intensives every year (fortunately she had scholarships for those as well), and that meant some travel time getting her to and from whatever state they were in. My dd only participated in one ballet competition a year (as ballet students generally don't compete, with the exception of YGPA), but that involved a trip to either Denver or San Francisco, and then New York City. We paid for choreographers and private lessons ($90 per hour) to prepare her for those. Was it worth it? Yes. She is living her dream, and she achieved the goal she set for herself at age 11. Fortunately, it was a realistic goal for her, given her natural talent and ability. We just needed to provide the means for her to achieve it, and it was a sacrifice at times. I often told her that the world will probably never see the best ballerina out there, because she was born into circumstances that did not allow her to pursue her talent and live her dream. My dd knows she is blessed and privileged to be where she is today, and she is very grateful. She is also an incredibly dedicated dancer and hard worker. There is also a mental component to dance that often destroys the best dancers. It can get very vicious as they get older, and they are always in competition with their best friends. My dd knew that every time she was taking class, she was being judged and potentially cast for whatever production was coming up. She regularly auditioned with her best friend, and you have to have the right mindset to be able to remain friends, no matter what. You also have to be willing to withstand the abuse that seems to be inherent in the dance world. Artistic directors are cut from the cloth of crazy...and you really need a thick skin. Teachers can also be very demanding and often rude as dancers get to be teens. It doesn't happen so much when the dancer is a professional, but those years between 14 and 18 are rough. My dd loved participating in her ballet competition, and especially loved receiving the scoring and feedback sheets from the judges. Again, you need a thick skin for that. My dd looked forward to corrections, because she said it helped her to know what to focus on and how to improve. But not everyone is kind in their evaluations, and your dd needs to be prepared for the harsh reality of the competitive world. Will she be okay if she never advances beyond a certain point? Is she okay with nasty comments from other dancers? Can she handle pressure well? Can you afford to give her all the material advantages (dresses, shoes, private coaching) that she'll need to do well in this endeavor? All of these things come into play when you are pursuing the world of serious dance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I have no idea what the actual costs are per year. I am afraid to add it all up. But, I am sure it is well over $10,000 per year. We had to spend over $300 last week just for team makeup. I do not know if Irish dancing is as expensive as other dancing, however. One family I know has 3 competition dancers. I cannot imagine how they have money left to eat. The time commitment will get better once your DD is drop off age. Hopefully, classes will be near your home. For DD13, my only time commitment is about 1 hour a day for driving. Weekends during competition season get tough because we are out of town from Friday to Sunday night. But, it is only from the end of January to June. Afterwards, your life can go back to "normal". Hopefully, your other kiddos can find a passion, too. At least encourage them to do some kind of sport recreationally so they can feel special, too. Make sure you devote just as much mommy passion to their lives,too. The kiddos left out have a rough time, or at least a few extra life obstacles, if mom is only mentally involved with one kiddo. Good luck. We have enjoyed raising a performance kiddo. I would not change the experience at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Honestly, the ID world competitors I've seen have had family lives that revolve around ID. To qualify for Worlds she'll need to place well at Oireachtas and/or Nationals; to qualify for Oireachtas she'll need to place well at feiseanna; to place well at feiseanna she'll probably need to compete in several each year. All of the competitions involve travel and hotels. Plus, of course, the dresses and wigs and makeup. How often you'll need to buy dresses will depend on how quickly she grows. And, of course, Worlds is over Easter, and Nationals is over July 4th. That puts a crimp on family holidays. Our region's Oireachtas is over Thanksgiving, which is great for not having to take days off work for travel, but really awful for traditional family holidays. On the other hand, one girl in our school had a life dream of going to Worlds. Honestly, she wasn't that great of a dancer. BUT, she got on the choreography team. And an anonymous donor (who possibly knew about this dream) paid the airfare for the entire team plus one adult each to fly to the U.K. and compete at Worlds. So ALL the girls got to go to Worlds! Which was very exciting. Except, of course, it was still wicked expensive for everyone -- all the new wigs and shoes and makeup, hotels, all the extra practices, plus the entire team also went to Disney World to dance (which is when my daughter dropped off the team -- she decided she'd had enough) and other major competitions. Is the school you attend Worlds oriented? That will make a difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 By the way, anyone doing auditions for dance intensives this summer? (I've flipped back to ballet in this post -- dd switched when she left ID, and has been advancing quite rapidly.) Dd did one for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was a unified audition for several programs. She wasn't planning on going to any out of town intensives, but it's been thrilling to get the acceptance letters and emails from various programs. And, looking ahead to future years, what dance intensives have you liked? What do you look for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Maize- From what I understand and here, Irish Dance is a whole different ball of wax than the competitive dance world I am involved in. A former dance-mate of my DS has a cousin who is in the ID world- she literally spent $1500 on a costume for a competition. The things I would hear from that mom made me so glad we did not go the route of Irish dancing! But, one thing I have learned, especially this year, is that you can say no. It doesn't have to be all or nothing for competitive dancing. You can pick and choose. Yes, you have to abide by the wishes of your studio, but after that, you can choose not to go to that weekend convention. You can choose not to participate in that extra group dance that one of the teachers thought up, things like that. You don't have to say yes to everything, and that's a conversation I would want to have with my child before saying yes to getting involved in competition. Yes, we'll try it out, but when it gets to the point where you have to say no, your child has to respect that. We've been told this year that our new studio is going easy on all us newbies for the upcoming competition season- and I just cannot imagine what that means. We have quite the traveling going on for our four required competitions, and then we have nationals after that. I've heard that next year, we can fully expect that we will need plane tickets to attend nationals... they like to travel, and I'm honestly not sure that is something that we'll be able to do. Competition really sucks up every spare penny we have. We spend (for two kids, and by the time we add everything up) probably between $7000-$9000 per year on competition. That includes class tuition, competition fees, costumes, accessories, shoes, extra weekend workshops, travel expenses, and recital tickets. I may have to say no next year if what I think is coming is coming. We do have a lower level of competition that doesn't travel as much or attend as many competitions that I could put my kids in. There's always something. There is a steep learning curve for parents, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We really do love it. We love everything about it, and beyond that, our dance family has become really special to us, so it's more than just something we do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 It can be a long, difficult, time consuming and EXPENSIVE road. LOL My dd is now living her dream as a professional ballerina, but it was a roller coaster ride to get her there. If your dd is pursuing that type of dance life, then she will receive more time, attention and money than her siblings. Maybe more than all her other siblings put together. It's the nature of the beast. My dh and I are now spending our resources on our boys, but during her pre-teen and teen years, it all went to her. She was in an all-day pre-professional ballet school, M-F, for six years (with a merit scholarship, thank goodness). She also performed with her school's company, as well as a professional ballet company, whenever they cast roles for children. She attended two ballet summer intensives every year (fortunately she had scholarships for those as well), and that meant some travel time getting her to and from whatever state they were in. My dd only participated in one ballet competition a year (as ballet students generally don't compete, with the exception of YGPA), but that involved a trip to either Denver or San Francisco, and then New York City. We paid for choreographers and private lessons ($90 per hour) to prepare her for those. Was it worth it? Yes. She is living her dream, and she achieved the goal she set for herself at age 11. Fortunately, it was a realistic goal for her, given her natural talent and ability. We just needed to provide the means for her to achieve it, and it was a sacrifice at times. I often told her that the world will probably never see the best ballerina out there, because she was born into circumstances that did not allow her to pursue her talent and live her dream. My dd knows she is blessed and privileged to be where she is today, and she is very grateful. She is also an incredibly dedicated dancer and hard worker. There is also a mental component to dance that often destroys the best dancers. It can get very vicious as they get older, and they are always in competition with their best friends. My dd knew that every time she was taking class, she was being judged and potentially cast for whatever production was coming up. She regularly auditioned with her best friend, and you have to have the right mindset to be able to remain friends, no matter what. You also have to be willing to withstand the abuse that seems to be inherent in the dance world. Artistic directors are cut from the cloth of crazy...and you really need a thick skin. Teachers can also be very demanding and often rude as dancers get to be teens. It doesn't happen so much when the dancer is a professional, but those years between 14 and 18 are rough. My dd loved participating in her ballet competition, and especially loved receiving the scoring and feedback sheets from the judges. Again, you need a thick skin for that. My dd looked forward to corrections, because she said it helped her to know what to focus on and how to improve. But not everyone is kind in their evaluations, and your dd needs to be prepared for the harsh reality of the competitive world. Will she be okay if she never advances beyond a certain point? Is she okay with nasty comments from other dancers? Can she handle pressure well? Can you afford to give her all the material advantages (dresses, shoes, private coaching) that she'll need to do well in this endeavor? All of these things come into play when you are pursuing the world of serious dance. Here's a little clip from a movie about the competition my dd took part in as a student to give you an idea of the type of pressure I'm referring to. If your dd watches something like this and thinks, "Wow, I want to do that!", then you're good. If she makes negative comments, then go more slowly and see how she does. Whatever path you decide to take...good luck! It's quite a ride. Thank you for sharing your experience Diane, it sounds like your daughter's commitment has paid off. I do worry about the competitive nature of the sport, I've always seen competition as a double edged sword--it can be motivating, but it can also be discouraging. I don't know what dd's long term dreams are or if she even knows enough about future options to form long term dreams. She has asked how one becomes an Irish Dance teacher, so that seems to be something she is thinking about. I think there may be less competition among friends in Irish Dance than in ballet, at least at the school level; there are not ballet-style productions in which some dancers get starring roles and others do not. There are lots of competitions, but they are age segregated so students in the same classes would only compete against each other if they are also the same age. We haven't done a lot of competitions yet but from what I have seen their are not usually a lot of students from one school in any given competition category. Once you move past the local level I would hope that everyone from a given school would be rooting for their classmates, though I imagine there are times when kids have to compete against friends for a coveted placement.There are several students from our school going to Worlds this year, and I know of only two who might be in competition with each other. So far dd has responded to disappointing feis results by increased determination to improve the skills for which she received negative feedback. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I have no idea what the actual costs are per year. I am afraid to add it all up. But, I am sure it is well over $10,000 per year. We had to spend over $300 last week just for team makeup. I do not know if Irish dancing is as expensive as other dancing, however. One family I know has 3 competition dancers. I cannot imagine how they have money left to eat. The time commitment will get better once your DD is drop off age. Hopefully, classes will be near your home. For DD13, my only time commitment is about 1 hour a day for driving. Weekends during competition season get tough because we are out of town from Friday to Sunday night. But, it is only from the end of January to June. Afterwards, your life can go back to "normal". Hopefully, your other kiddos can find a passion, too. At least encourage them to do some kind of sport recreationally so they can feel special, too. Make sure you devote just as much mommy passion to their lives,too. The kiddos left out have a rough time, or at least a few extra life obstacles, if mom is only mentally involved with one kiddo. Good luck. We have enjoyed raising a performance kiddo. I would not change the experience at all. I am already afraid to add up costs. We have recently gone from two classes a week to five...and just bought our first solo dress :ohmy: Location is a bit of a problem. When we started out the studio was three miles from home--which played a big role in the decision to sign up. Then a few months ago they moved to a new location in a different town. The studio where most of her classes are is now half an hour away, and the other studio belonging to the school (where she also has class once or sometimes twice a week) is closer to an hour away, depending on traffic. We're working on getting carpools set up. There's been some confusion over the past few weeks regarding exactly which classes the teachers wanted her at, and we're finally getting that sorted out so I can now figure out who else is in those particular classes who might live near us. The time commitment is huge. I can't imagine doing it if she were in traditional school. The other kids do have activities, but nowhere close to this level of time commitment. I'm not sure if I hope they develop and intensive passion someday or not--not sure I could handle more than one at a time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Honestly, the ID world competitors I've seen have had family lives that revolve around ID. To qualify for Worlds she'll need to place well at Oireachtas and/or Nationals; to qualify for Oireachtas she'll need to place well at feiseanna; to place well at feiseanna she'll probably need to compete in several each year. All of the competitions involve travel and hotels. Plus, of course, the dresses and wigs and makeup. How often you'll need to buy dresses will depend on how quickly she grows. And, of course, Worlds is over Easter, and Nationals is over July 4th. That puts a crimp on family holidays. Our region's Oireachtas is over Thanksgiving, which is great for not having to take days off work for travel, but really awful for traditional family holidays. On the other hand, one girl in our school had a life dream of going to Worlds. Honestly, she wasn't that great of a dancer. BUT, she got on the choreography team. And an anonymous donor (who possibly knew about this dream) paid the airfare for the entire team plus one adult each to fly to the U.K. and compete at Worlds. So ALL the girls got to go to Worlds! Which was very exciting. Except, of course, it was still wicked expensive for everyone -- all the new wigs and shoes and makeup, hotels, all the extra practices, plus the entire team also went to Disney World to dance (which is when my daughter dropped off the team -- she decided she'd had enough) and other major competitions. Is the school you attend Worlds oriented? That will make a difference. I hadn't thought about holidays. Actually, I didn't know the major competitions always fall on holidays. I have a lot to learn... We have spent most of our married life far from extended family, so we're mostly used to doing our own thing which may make this less of an issue. We could always celebrate at home a week early or late :) Yes, the school is Worlds oriented, I think there are six or seven students who qualified for worlds this year as soloists. The teachers are eager to work with those students who have the desire and drive to compete, and they know what it takes to get to the top. They do understand though that not everyone wants to compete at that level and dancers are not pushed if they don't want to be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Maize- From what I understand and here, Irish Dance is a whole different ball of wax than the competitive dance world I am involved in. A former dance-mate of my DS has a cousin who is in the ID world- she literally spent $1500 on a costume for a competition. The things I would hear from that mom made me so glad we did not go the route of Irish dancing! But, one thing I have learned, especially this year, is that you can say no. It doesn't have to be all or nothing for competitive dancing. You can pick and choose. Yes, you have to abide by the wishes of your studio, but after that, you can choose not to go to that weekend convention. You can choose not to participate in that extra group dance that one of the teachers thought up, things like that. You don't have to say yes to everything, and that's a conversation I would want to have with my child before saying yes to getting involved in competition. Yes, we'll try it out, but when it gets to the point where you have to say no, your child has to respect that. We've been told this year that our new studio is going easy on all us newbies for the upcoming competition season- and I just cannot imagine what that means. We have quite the traveling going on for our four required competitions, and then we have nationals after that. I've heard that next year, we can fully expect that we will need plane tickets to attend nationals... they like to travel, and I'm honestly not sure that is something that we'll be able to do. Competition really sucks up every spare penny we have. We spend (for two kids, and by the time we add everything up) probably between $7000-$9000 per year on competition. That includes class tuition, competition fees, costumes, accessories, shoes, extra weekend workshops, travel expenses, and recital tickets. I may have to say no next year if what I think is coming is coming. We do have a lower level of competition that doesn't travel as much or attend as many competitions that I could put my kids in. There's always something. There is a steep learning curve for parents, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We really do love it. We love everything about it, and beyond that, our dance family has become really special to us, so it's more than just something we do. Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, the dresses etc. are crazy expensive. We just bought a used dress, and even that cost several times what I have ever spent on an item of clothing before! I balked at first, but then I remembered that I spent $1000 for a cello for my son last year. A musician uses their instrument to perform, I suppose a dancer uses their costume to perform :) Though I've told dd maybe it's time she learn how to sew :tongue_smilie: DD is earning the money to pay for the dress. The studio won't push us beyond where we want to go, but for now it is dd doing all the pushing. She was furious with me on Thursday when she found out there was another class she could have attended after her regular class was over but I hadn't mentioned it because I thought she needed to go home and rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, the dresses etc. are crazy expensive. We just bought a used dress, and even that cost several times what I have ever spent on an item of clothing before! I balked at first, but then I remembered that I spent $1000 for a cello for my son last year. A musician uses their instrument to perform, I suppose a dancer uses their costume to perform :) Though I've told dd maybe it's time she learn how to sew :tongue_smilie: DD is earning the money to pay for the dress. The studio won't push us beyond where we want to go, but for now it is dd doing all the pushing. She was furious with me on Thursday when she found out there was another class she could have attended after her regular class was over but I hadn't mentioned it because I thought she needed to go home and rest. I have a 12 yo ID dancer who loves competing and performing. We got into it just for fun, and I would never have envisioned myself becoming a serious dance mom. But oh my gosh, it is just so much fun, and my dh and I both agree that ID has been good for our daughter. She is dyslexic with ADD and SPD, and really, ID is like therapy for her. She has developed confidence and a work ethic. Honestly, my older kids played around at ballet, gymnastics, horseback riding, basketball, and soccer, but if I had known the benefits of sticking with one activity long term, I would have made a greater effort at it with them. I have committed to my 12 yo that as long as she puts in the work, I will do everything possible to get her to the practices and competitions. But if she starts slacking, I'm not going to keep incurring the cost. Our studio also moved recently and we have a worlds-oriented teacher too. Some kids aren't interested in competing, but most of them get the bug if they stick with it very long. DD wants to go to worlds, and I'm convinced that if anyone can get her there, it's her teacher. We've had two kids go from novice to prelim (two levels) in a year, and our U10 ceili team was world-qualified the very first year we started ceili dances. He says that he wasn't a great dancer and didn't start winning at the high-level competitions until he was 15 yo, and he believes anyone can be a great dancer if they're willing to put in the work. That is exactly the kind of teacher my dd needs because she's had so much to overcome. But developmentally, a lot of things came together for her last summer, and her dancing has improved leaps and bounds. Just this past weekend, she had a competition and she was coming off an injury (sprained an ankle while practicing at home). The studio owner told us we should go into this competition with no expectations. I was a little insulted by that, and sure enough, K won 5 medals for 6 dances, including a 1st and a 2nd. We were fortunate to get her first solo dress for $200, and then we spent $300 to get it altered and replace the skirt. It's amazing that $500 feels like a steal for a dress that will probably fit her for less than a year. Keep in mind that you can resell the dresses at feisanna and online, so you'll recoup some of the cost. :-) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 The dance competition season is starting in my area. Is anybody else getting ready to compete? We have our first competition this weekend! Fortunately it is at a local venue because I'm sick with a terrible cold this week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 By the way, anyone doing auditions for dance intensives this summer? (I've flipped back to ballet in this post -- dd switched when she left ID, and has been advancing quite rapidly.) Dd did one for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was a unified audition for several programs. She wasn't planning on going to any out of town intensives, but it's been thrilling to get the acceptance letters and emails from various programs. And, looking ahead to future years, what dance intensives have you liked? What do you look for? My daughter is starting her competition season as well as auditioning for ballet summer intensives. She auditioned for several . She really would like to go to the one she is on the wait list for, but doesn't want to loose a spot in one of the other ones. Dad is still trying to figure out how to pay for her to go away this year. She hasn't ever been to one and is getting a little bit of a late start since she will have just turned 14 this summer. On the competition side she got a ballet scholarship a dance convention last weekend. That included a partial scholarship to a week long intensive this summer. I don't think she can go because airfare and hotel would likely cost as much as three weeks at the ballet summer intensive that is in our state, but she is considering it as an option. At the other dance convention that her team went to they placed 1st. She will compete a solo for the first time in a few weeks. She can't wait. I am a little nervous, but mostly I can't wait to watch her. Dance is her passion and she has really started to take off this year. I love watching her do what she loves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 12, 2014 Author Share Posted February 12, 2014 The dance competition season is starting in my area. Is anybody else getting ready to compete? We have our first competition this weekend! Fortunately it is at a local venue because I'm sick with a terrible cold this week. Yep. My son's studio will be heading to their first competition of the season in about a month. It's local. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 We do our "Showcase" this weekend. Competitions start next month. I'm nervous how my daughter will do with her first duet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Just finished Turn It Up in Orlando. Next competition in 2 weeks. The production team will debut then with 60 or so kiddos in one number. I have no clue how the teachers and studio owner survive competition season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 The dance competition season is starting in my area. Is anybody else getting ready to compete? We have our first competition this weekend! Fortunately it is at a local venue because I'm sick with a terrible cold this week. First weekend in March is our first. I'm getting a little nervous here as DS has no costumes yet... I hate scrambling at the last minute to find this and that. DD has all of her costumes. I need to order shoes yet. I just about passed out yesterday when I filled up my shopping carts on two different dance websites to get everything we need for both kids. I need them to try on a few to make sure of sizing. And fishnets! Who thought these were a good idea? So expensive, and from what I understand, we can expect to go through a pair per dance for every dance worn. Oy. No really, we're excited. All our competitions are 4+ hours away this year, so I'm not looking forward to that aspect, but I am excited to see these dances on stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Erika, do you have costume yet? My daughters's costume ended up needed a last minute fix seconds before going on stage. Ours took just minutes but we had two girls who hadn't had theirs taken in and one who got her dress stuck in her jacket zipper. Oh, and one girl whose top slid down onstage. That girl was amazing. She just kept dancing. Thankfully we had an awesome mom backstage who dealt with it all. She was amazing. I'm off to buy some double sided sticky tape for any more snafus. Our first competition of the season is in two weeks. I hope we are all better prepared. Glad we had this run through. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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