We’ve
entered March! This is when the
questions start about our dance competition team. “Do you think my child is ready?” “What are the financial and time commitments?” Well, you’re in luck. This blog will give you some more information!
My first recommendation if you are
interested in competition is to let them audition early. To be honest, it is easier to get on the team
the younger they are. If you enter our
beginner recreational class and our mini competition class, their abilities
seem to be about the same. However, as
they increase in age, you can start seeing a big difference in our older
recreational dancers and competition dancers.
They’ve simply trained more and have more stage experience. When they are young (5-8 years old), we are
looking at their flexibility, focus, and ability to pick up choreography. After these ages, we are looking for them to
keep up with our already established team.
For example, by the time they are 15, they need to have all their leaps
and be able to hit or close to completing triple pirouettes. That’s tough!
So, how do you know if this is right
for your child? Let me ask a few
questions:
· Do
they dance everywhere they go?
· Do
they love shows like World of Dance?
· Are
they usually excited about going to their dance classes?
The answers
to these questions are good indicators. My
next suggestion is to bring them to our Training Camp on April 6th. It is a laid-back class with me where we
cover what we access at auditions and how the audition process goes. We put this class on the lobby
television. Parents are usually able to
see if their child can keep up.
A good thing about our team is that
even if they make it, parents attend a meeting where all costs and time
requirements are laid out. Parents know
exactly what they are getting into before joining the team. For some approximate information, students
train about four hours per week. They
attend three competitions (with Mobile being the farthest away) and one
convention. A new competition student only
competes two group dances. Tuition
ranges from $95-$105 per month. There
are extra hip hop and tumbling classes that are optional. Costumes cost around $85 each as we add
custom elements to them. There is also a
four-day master class session in July at Soar they must attend. The competition team does not take over your
life. However, it is hard for students
to be very involved in other activities as they often conflict. For example, I would not recommend them playing
sports at the same time they do this.
That being said, we do have competition students who have molded art and
music lessons at Soar around their competition rehearsals.
If you are still unsure, set up a
time to talk to me. I would be happy to
give an honest assessment of your child’s strengths and where they could
improve. Last reminder, students must be
6-19 years old by December 31, 2019 to audition. Auditions are in early July at Soar. Visit our Facebook event to learn more
details about auditions. We also have a
page on our website devoted to information about the competition team.
Even though this blog was about
competition dance, this may not be right for your family. Our studio cares about our recreational
classes just as much. You just have to
find your fit!
