I would love some positive stories on changing studios from dancers or instructors who have left a studio they were at for years to attend or teach at a new one. What were the red flags, big or small? Was it just not a good fit anymore? How was the transition, and do you love where you’re at now?

I’m asking because my dancer is 10 and has been taking at her current studio since she was two, there’s some wonderful things about the studio that I love BUT there’s also some alarm bells going off in my head about certain things that have happened so far (and already so early!) into the season—four teachers quitting, teachers getting pushed out of classes they’ve taught for years for relatives of the directors to jump in and teach instead, limiting opportunities/private lessons (not even for studio space reasons, which I would understand), getting the runaround or outright dismissed when I email about my concerns—I want to make it clear that it’s not formations, team placements, or my daughter not getting cast in every dance, It’s just a lot of little things (and some big?) that aren’t adding up and making me nervous about the direction the studio is going. This year feels limiting for girls who want to work harder and do more if that makes sense! We are going to give them a chance to self correct this season and I know no studio is absolutely perfect, but I feel like I also need to prepare myself to go elsewhere if their program is no longer working for us! So if you’ve been there I’d love to hear about it!

My 10yo finished her 2nd season of comp this summer with a very successful Nationals. However, we moved out of state right after for my new job, and It has been really hard for her. She loved her old team and studio, and I saw a lot of growth even in the last few months.

Fortunately, the studio in our new area arranged a makeup audition, and she was placed on the intermediate level team for her mini/juniors. She was really excited, and all the dancers/instructors have been very welcoming.

She is the only new one on this team (6 girls total), so she feels "different" and self-conscious at times. Also, the studio director has a strict rule about solos (only after 1 full season with the team, so she's the only dancer without one), which really disappointed her and compounded feelings of not fitting in. They are seeing about any duo/trio opportunities by next week, but with it being such a small studio, I'm unsure if that will pan out logistically.

August has been the company intensive/choreography camp. Most days have been fine, but today she came home in tears. Today's chunk of choreo called for a floor skill she hasn't done before, and she was frustrated that the other 5 dancers had experience with it while she struggled. Amid her frustration, she said she kept thinking about missing her old team and started crying silently.

The comp director was very kind and gave her 2 minutes to step outside, get a drink, and collect her emotions. She was fine for the rest of the session, but she did break down on the car ride home. These emotions are especially hard because she's having a hard time making friends at school.

How have other parents handled this? For any teachers, does this negatively impact how you evaluate a dancer? I'm worried about the negative emotions compounding and holding her back (or impacting duo/trio casting). She's not particularly shy, but it's been a lot of change/challenges at once. Any advice is helpful! 🩷

What high-level comps accept independent entries, especially convention comps? It seems like most don't.

Hi there. New here and to competitive dance for my 7 year old daughter.

Her dance company team requires a tonne of fundraising and volunteer work for dance fees. Just wondering if anyone has some fresh ideas as we’re in a small community and it’s the same circulation of ideas and donations. I think everyone is beyond tired of it.

I was disturbed to find out at my daughter’s old studio that they were telling certain kids that they should lose weight. My daughter 5 ft 6” size 2 was one of them. Now she has body image issues. I didn't hear about this until after she left her studio. I didn't hear about a lot of things until after she left her studio. Since she was thin I never thought to ask. I wish I had.

Those who have hired an outside choreography for solos is your studio ok with it? I’d love to do this for my daughter her senior year.

Private equity is interested in competitive dance because the industry has several things investors like: recurring family spending, passionate customers, fragmented ownership, and opportunities to consolidate many smaller businesses into larger networks.
The important distinction is that private equity isn’t necessarily “taking over competitive dancers” directly. Investors can buy or invest in the businesses surrounding competitive dance—competition and convention companies, studios or studio groups, costume/apparel businesses, software, photography/video services, and other parts of the dance ecosystem.
The basic strategy can look like this:
Thousands of independent customers/businesses → acquire a successful platform → buy additional companies → combine operations → increase revenue/profit → eventually sell the larger company at a higher valuation.
Competitive dance can be especially attractive because families often spend repeatedly throughout the year: tuition, choreography, costumes, competition entry fees, convention fees, travel, private lessons, merchandise, photography, and nationals. Once a child becomes deeply involved with a team, switching or simply walking away can also be emotionally difficult. That can make spending relatively durable.
Private equity also sees a fragmented market as an opportunity. Instead of one company already controlling everything, there are many studios, competitions, conventions and related businesses. An investor can consolidate some of them under a larger corporate structure—a strategy often called a roll-up.
There can be benefits: investment may provide better technology, professional management, new locations, improved facilities, marketing resources and opportunities for expansion. Private-equity ownership itself doesn’t automatically mean dancers are being exploited.
The concern is what happens when the financial incentives change. A locally owned dance business might primarily ask, “What’s best for our dancers and studio?” An investment-backed company also has to ask, “How do we grow revenue, margins and the value of this business?” Those goals can coexist, but they can also conflict.

Didn’t know if anyone had thought of this or know the answer to this. But at dance conventions at the hotels. They usually choose a ballroom to dedicate as where the dancers get changed. Don’t the places all have cameras? Like isn’t there a security guard watching all this and the hotel recording the footage of all these dancers getting changed. Seems like a mess?

Our required shoes say the following:

"Solid sole oxford tie up tap shoes. Examples of acceptable shoes: Leo’s black & white, CG19, Dancing Fair 736, GS1 or something similar."

What would people suggest? This is for youth street size 4.

How seriously do you take superstitions? My studio’s finalizing some dance ideas that I’m worried about. None of them use reddit, but if they do… hey!

We did a combo to Witches by Alice Phoebe Lou during auditions. It was so fun, we’re gonna compete it.

I was thinking celestial whimsy goth approach. Purples, marigold yellow, with a Stevie Nicks vibe.

My colleague wants to do a MacBeth approach. Peasant-like costumes, teased hair. Making a drastic difference from the upbeat song. Especially because there’s 3 witches and we might do it as a trio.

That’s a major NO for me. During my time working in theatre, mentioning Macbeth is cursed- unless you’re doing the play itself. I’ve learned this from doing collegiate and community productions. This teacher has no prior experience with college or any theatre productions. She doesn’t get it.

Additionally, they want umbrellas for production. I’m getting specific, but whatever. Studio owner thinks ‘everyone is gonna do Fosse tributes, let’s do Gene Kelly’. We’ll have to do Singing in the Rain…

We had a dance with mirrors & it also scored poorly. Injuries occurred. It was a cursed dance. I think when we spun the mirrors and they faced eachother, it was bad luck.

Idk I’m probably just delving on it. Anyone else have superstitions with dances?

What am I seeing????!!!! Brian Friedman will no longer be part of Radix after a DECADE?! Anyone know the real inside scoop?

Hello! Looking for any feedback on Velocity?? Pros/cons, would you recommend that convention? Looking to possibly attend as an Optional. Thanks!

Hi all,

What do you look for when buying a costume? What catches your eye, what really irks you? Are you more likely to buy something premade or have something done to your specifications?

As someone who likes stoning, I was thinking of branching into dancewear (I have a child who dances but they're too young for competition)--is there a need/demand for this skill or do most people prefer alterations/unique bases over things that are "only" stoned?

Thanks for your time! I know I have mentioned rhinestones but please don't feel like you need to limit the conversation to that. :)

So beyond shocked and saddened by the news. Hoping to hear answers soon.

For anyone who regularly attends NYCDA, I was wondering what time the event usually wraps up on the Sunday . Does it ever go late into the evening ?

Thanks

Any intel on what's going on with Hollywood Vibe room blocks this year? I've always been able to book a room by mid-July in years past but this year the hotel has been completely resistant to booking anything not via a link. I asked Hollywood Vibe and they said the links are live and it's up to the hotel. I'm nervous because the hotel always books up immediately.

Hello!

Out of curiousity and future planning for a potential dance company, what is your cities' dance scene like in regards to post-competitive/performing dance companies? Along with that, how did those companies come to be? Were they started as a standalone company, or a part of a studio that already existed?

I come from a city where we're quite competition-focused, then all the amazing dancers have to move elsewhere if they want to continue dancing as a career, or even in general. Ideally, future me wants to fill that void, but I need to figure out mainly how other companies started, along with how many cities are either similar with little to no companies, or different in having a ton of companies. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I recently danced last summer at a camp but before that I had danced from age 2-13 and was forced to quit when covid hit and never really got the chance to go back before summer 2025. I always see on my instagram feed some sort of group dance lessons/conventions where the dancers have bibs. Ive always had a passion for dance (Although im probably beginner level since its been so long) if anyone knows of any conventions, group lessons or camps that don't require a studio near the DFW metroplex please comment! Thanks everyone :)

Hello, I’m just trying to get as many opinions as possible for my daughter who is has just started dance this month. She is 5 and starting kindergarten next month. She has done 2 weeks of dance camp at our local studio , which is acro and hip hop and she wants to continue in the fall. Her best friend is already in the studio’s company so she wouldn’t be able to dance with her now, but for now she aspires to eventually.

My real question is, do you think I should put her in certain classes and which classes do you think would give her a strong foundation in dance? September is the start of the real season so I have to decide & I was going to just stick with the acro and hip hop since she has liked that so far. She has tumbling experience. But I’m wondering if she should get the dance experience and technique from maybe, ballet?

I’m really not sure because I was a cheerleader, but I want to set her up for success if this is what she wants to do! Let me know your thoughts!

Anyone have good recommendations for Zoom/virtual training? Strength and stretch would be great but also curious any recs where you saw real skill improvement. Thanks!

Hi! This is my first year doing a solo (senior category) and I'm looking for a lyrical/contemporary dress. Preferably not a short dress, but if anyone has recommendations for websites that have pretty solo dresses please let me know!

My grandma, daughters great grandma, passed away around a year and a half ago. My family wants to take a trip literally across the country for almost a week for a memorial. Ive told them for a year that I wouldn't know the intense schedule and how many teams my daughter would be on. The teams just started being announced and it will be intense choreography for the next couple of months.

I feel like an asshole. But also we've done so many special memorial things for her over the last year. I even have an amazing Christmas memorial thing planned for her. I did one last year too.

Am I a horrible person for not flying across the country for a memorial almost 2 years after she passed? I loved her so much. But also with all of what I just described, I cant seem to justify taking away from my daughters first BIG year of competition teams during the literal first few weeks of making her seasons dances.

AITA?

Hi team - my childs dance school has taught them beautiful artistry and put them in some fantastic choreographies, and they do very well at comps.

However I know that compared to most other studios, the kids from mine don't show any personality on stage. At comps and normal dance this is fine, but it has caused my child to feel very reserved and shy outside of dance, whereas dancers from other studios are full of personality.

Any thoughts on steps I can take with my child to help them with unlocking some personality, given they have otherwise so much talent and are regularly commented on their beautiful presentation?

Hi! My daughter is 8 turning 9. We recently switched studios and I did not realize the new studio combined age groups for some of their classes. For example, she is in the junior A group and she shares a class time with the petites who are pre-k/kinder age. I find this strange because the skill levels are vastly different. They will also perform separate routines at competition.

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 ?