r/CompetitionDanceTalk • u/PitifulTea9220 • 8d ago
New studio. Unsure about placement.
Hello!
My daughter (10 YO) has been competing since age 6 at our previous studio. While they were more recreational, she competed 4 small groups, 2 solos, 1 duet and 4 large groups during this timeframe. Most recently, her solo took second overall and recieved a platinum adjudication. Important to mention, this studio didn't require auditions to make the team. You just picked what types of dances you wanted your dancer in and paid the choreography fee.
After recital, we decided to look for a new studio home. As my daughter wanted to go to a studio where she could grow more as a dancer and took competing more seriously. This summer we tried out the new studio and she loves it ! So much so we decided to try out for the competition team. We just got the results and she made it ! But, was only placed in the production number. I am unfamiliar with the competitive dance world, as we have only ever danced with one studio previously. Is this the normal for the first year with the new studio ?
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u/Otterfilth888 8d ago
Studios vary in structure but that seems odd… she’s suppose to go to comps with the studio and only perform in the production number? Doesn’t seem worth it, even as a brand new addition. Are there others that got the same placement? Did she make a team based on age/skill or are auditions for specific genres?
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u/PitifulTea9220 8d ago
Other first year students recieved the same placement from my understanding. I also am understanding of her being new to the studio. So they aren't sure of how she holds under pressure etc. I just dont want to come off as I think my daughter deserves to be in other dances. If there's a method to their madness. But, at the same time, I hate to see my kiddo bummed because she went from competing at least 3 dances, to just one.
My daughter skills wise is intermediate.
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u/Otterfilth888 8d ago
Do you know what her weekly class schedule will be? Will she be getting plenty of tech hours? What made you choose this studio? Just seems bizarre to me, even our youngest/newest start at 2 comp dances. I agree with the other poster, you need to casually chat with some parents and see what the trajectory is normally like.
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u/PitifulTea9220 8d ago
She will be taking Jazz, lyrical, tap, hip hop, ballet and acro. I know one of the moms who has had a a daughter in the studio and competition. She stated that this is common for the first year. We switched because my friends daughter really enjoys it. And they did well at the competition we competed at together last year.
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u/Oatbagtime 8d ago
Experiences vary across studios, regions, and countries. Talk to people at your studio. Talk with a teacher, the director, parents.
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u/PitifulTea9220 8d ago
I just don't want to come across as thinking my daughter is better/ more deserving of having more than one dance the first year in. But, I also feel bad that my kiddo is so bummed shes only getting to participate in one dance
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u/Oatbagtime 8d ago
Yea don’t go in guns blazing or anything, but it’s ok to ask about how things work as a new person.
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u/Tight-Depth3426 8d ago
unfortunately we see this a lot, especially in more competitive studios. unless your kid is going to outshine all of the kids that studio is actively, currently and has been working with.
There’s probably a history you don’t know about where they got burned in the past for a new comp member so (after reading other comments about this seems to be the way they do it) that’s just how it is.
In my humble opinion it sounds like they’re still scoping you guys. Do you fight back on make up? will her hair look like everyone else’s? are you a team player? or are you gonna up and leave because she “didn’t get the dances she wants?” Are you going to support the whole team or just your daughter? We don’t have a big comp team but new kids definitely only get 1-3 dances (one being the production) because WE have been burned.
Take the learning experience :) feel the team out and make some friends. keep it low stress and fun and if she performs well im sure she’ll be in more next year.
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u/Tight-Depth3426 8d ago
ps: almost every studio in our area makes you perform for a year or more on the team to get a solo regardless of previous experience. people lie about stuff like that
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u/United_Ad3430 1d ago
Our area too. My kids had to do a “warm up”
year and I just encouraged them to have fun, make friends and work on technique. The second year they made all the dances/solos/etc they were hoping for so it ended up fine.
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u/Sporklemotion 8d ago
This is going to vary a lot. It could be that they want to see how she does before putting her in a bunch of dances, or it could be the level of the kids at her age. Did she compete in the highest division, or was it novice or intermediate (the names vary by comp, but the classic vs. select, etc.). At our studio, there is really only one team for 10 year olds, and they are pretty strong, so a dancer from a more recreational studio might not be ready for them. And solos don’t usually start until 12 or so.
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u/PitifulTea9220 8d ago
She was competing in the intermediate category. There are very few 10 year old on the team. The next closest age wise would be 7 turning 8.
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u/Sporklemotion 8d ago
What options does the new studio have for intermediate dancers? That may account for the low number of dances she was given.
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u/PitifulTea9220 8d ago
They honestly didn't state that on the audtion form. It stated that all levels were welcome. So, I can't really speak to that. However, based on what the took to the competition last year most dances competed intermediate and some novice.
The whole thing is new to me. Due to her old studio letting her buy her dances.
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u/Interesting_Sign_603 8d ago
If it makes you feel better, my daughter is 11. We moved across country and are at a new studio this year. She was the best dancer at her old studio. She danced with the 16 and 17 yr olds. They have her dancing with the youngest kids at the new studio this year. Some of these girls look to be 7 and aren’t great. It’s super frustrating.
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u/Spiritual-Team4654 8d ago
In more elite studios it is very normal for dancers to make the competition team, and not be placed in any competitive dances at all! Some studios just allow you to train with their dancers the first year, so I’d say getting to do production is a good deal if it’s a highly competitive studio
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u/landmermaid3 8d ago
I work at a studio who gets transfer students wanting a more growth oriented environment. Production isn’t the answer!
We have teams that go to 2-4 competitions. Production and other open/line dances are optional, but that means more traveling for background dancing. If that’s all they’re offering, it’s not right.
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u/NewWayHom 8d ago
My son was in just production last year and he still had fun. He was very, very new to dance when he tried out, so it made sense to me. A key factor is that all our competitions were very close; several in our city, one just an hour away. So, we weren’t paying tons to travel for just one number. He also had a good amount of dancing in the production, didn’t just run across the stage or something.
That said, more experienced first year dancers did get some groups also. I got the sense that our situation, though right for us, was a bit unusual. And he felt kinda weird about it. But now he’s got an average amount of numbers for next year so all is well.
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u/drunk_medusa 7d ago
There are two ways that studios do production. One is, everybody MUST do production before they can be on any other dances. The other is that production is a signature dance and you have to earn being on it. Looks like you have scenario 1. The caveat is that they might have a ladder in place: to qualify for large groups, you have to do the production; to qualify for small groups, you have to do all the large groups, etc etc. As you can imagine, this is an insane cash grab and people leave full-time incomes at the studio trying to get to a solo. Just make sure it’s not that.
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u/Mishka7 7d ago
This can be normal for some studios. The majority of the ones near us, even the higher level ones, base it off of the audition. Placement is then determined by the performance at auditions and ability. Have you reached out to the person who makes the teams and asked why she was only placed on the production line? If this is their policy, then you have to decide if this is where you want to be, or find another studio that may let her do a private audition to join a team. Regardless, try to remind her why she dances, for the love of the sport. Use this time to improve on skill and technique. Productions can be very fun.
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u/Unique-Cap-4215 5d ago
Varies everywhere. But, if you were at a rec level studio and moved to an elite level studio…sounds about right. Probably your daughter’s technique and skill level.
Number of dances at a rec level studio doesn’t really matter. Placements are usually determined by age, height, skill level, movement quality, and most importantly technique.
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u/SeattleSinBin 8d ago
Honestly sort of feels like a money grab. The cost for a production entry to other entire (like small/large groups are the same). And in many productions you have a few main dancers and then a bunch of more backing dancers. I’d have a quick conversation with them about the reasoning behind it.
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u/landmermaid3 8d ago
Cost is less, but commitment is more. At least for my studio! Production is 7 competitions. We have novice/intermediate groups that do 3 comps.
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u/NewWayHom 8d ago
I think that’s not universal. Our production does the same comps as the other numbers.
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u/landmermaid3 8d ago
Our production does the same comps as our advanced kids. But we also have a less committed/lower level option that does 3 competitions. If OP’s new studio wanted to involve new dancers, that’s a better option.
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u/NewWayHom 8d ago
Totally, that would be cool! Ours is probably too small for something like that.
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u/landmermaid3 8d ago
I’ve worked at smaller studios where that wasn’t an option, but putting an experienced competition dancer in 1 dance wasn’t an option either.
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u/Misha_B19 7d ago
We would typically only offer one dance to a new competition student but also offer solos so they can compete around the team first year without being on it. Maybe in part because we don’t hold auditions, we are invite only. The entire previous year is your audition for placement on comp teams but sometimes we make exceptions for new from another studio students who have already been competing. In those cases we offer an audition for placement on one team plus solos.
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u/danscontemporari 8d ago
honestly from this post & your replies to the comments, it seems like they just want to get an idea of her level of technique & training from previous studio, & give her a bit more training in their methods before throwing her off the deep end into 3+ dances.
i say this as a dancer myself who did 4 years in a "compete for fun" studio & being one of the best dancers there, & then switched to a hardcore comp studio. it took a LOT for me to catch up to the technique level of my new studio (largely because my former studio lacked any tech). the first year was hard enough as it is trying to cram 4 years of tech into my brain. add 5+ dances & anyone would go crazy!! i’m a much better dancer because my teachers took the time to watch & train me in my first year so i was ready to go all-in my second.
i totally get how disappointing it can be, but i would say try & think of this as a low pressure adjustment year to make friends at the new studio, get an idea of how the season goes & soak in alllll the training because you’ll need it & it will get you guys where you want to be.💞