• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Studio Guide

Tips for Teachers & Students

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Dancer Life: Putting Competitions in Perspective

Last updated on June 28, 2018 by Sozo Staff Leave a Comment

What’s your general take on dance competitions? This topic seems to be fairly polarizing among students and parents as well as studio owners and instructors. Whether you’re an enthusiastic proponent of competitions, a definite nay-sayer, or undecided, we think you’ll find this information helpful as you consider the best path for you, your daughter, or your students.

Appreciating the Benefits of Dance Competitions

For many dancers, dance competitions provide a productive aspect of their dance education and experience. For one thing, the stage offers them a venue for demonstrating their dance skills and passion for the art. For competitive types, these events can also prompt dancers toward greater levels of improvements and advancement to the next level of achievement within their studios.

Many cite the many positives that aren’t related directly to dance skills as well. The competition scenario uniquely allows dancers to learn how to win and lose gracefully. Dancers also learn how to network within the dance industry and connect in new ways with other dancers. As team members, dancers learn how to better support their teammates. And then, of course, there’s the excitement factor: can anything compare to the adrenaline rush of a competition?!

Evaluating the Negative Aspects of Dance Competitions

With all those positives in view, it may be hard for those who love competition to see how there could be a downside. But there is. Competitions can vie for dancers’ attention, distracting them from learning and mastering proper technique as they focus on memorizing routines instead. Since dance competitions account for more injuries than other dance-related events, they can put students further behind in their development.

Dancers who enjoy competitions can sometimes lose their focus, aiming for trophies instead of their best performance. The judging process can sometimes be tainted, causing discouragement and leading to less motivation to excel. For some dancers, competitions can squelch their love for the art or threaten their self-confidence. On a less significant note, dance competitions cost a lot — using valuable time and finances that could perhaps be better spent by dancers, their parents, and dance studios.

Taking a Position on Competition

We’re not trying to take a position for or against dance competitions here; our goal is rather to simply inform of both sides of the issue. As a dancer or parent, don’t worry: you don’t have to be wholeheartedly for or against competitions at all. Some people see the arguments of both sides and step away for a time but re-enter the competition world when their students have opportunities through those events to take classes with industry-leading teachers. But if you are decidedly on one side or the other, you’ll want to consider your preferences as you decide on a dance studio.

As a studio owner, you can opt to either create a pro-competition culture in your dance studio or forego any official connections with competitions. As an alternative, you could appeal to those in either camp by offering two types of instructional options: competitive and traditional.

From the Jackrabbit Dance blog:

• Dancers and Growth Spurts: Can You Help Them Through Them?/a>
•
6 Questions That Will Help You Make Your Dance Recital Amazing
•
Foot Care for Dancers

JackrabbitDance

JackrabbitDance.com is the leading dance studio software for more than a decade. More than 11,000 studios use Jackrabbit because the system saves them so much time, keeps them organized and simplifies communication with their customers. The beauty of Jackrabbit is the ability to grow and scale your business without outgrowing your software.

Filed Under: Dance

Additional Articles

Teaching Life Skills: Resilience, Part 3
Teaching Life Skills: Resilience, Part 2
boy learning how to martial arts kick
Teaching Life Skills: Resilience, Part 1
Dancers: What It Means When Your Body Snaps, Crackles & Pops, Part 2
Dancers: What It Means When Your Body Snaps, Crackles & Pops, Part 1
Dance Studio Tips: Keeping Staff Members Happy, Part 2

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

16 − nine =

Primary Sidebar

Jackrabbit Dance Software
Lyon Financial

Popular Articles

  • A Dancer’s Diet: 2 Ingredients to Avoid
  • Healthy Snacks for Dancers: Summer Edition
  • What Type of Dancewear Should I Buy?
  • Happy Feet for Dancers: Basic Foot Care
  • Happy Feet for Dancers: Avoiding Injuries
  • Dance Competition Planning: Find a Theme that Shines
  • Happy Feet for Dancers: Blister Care 101
  • Ballet Shoes for Beginners
  • A Dance Studio Owner’s Guide to Insurance
  • Dancer Life: What To Do When Bullying Happens To You
Jackrabbit Class Software

Recent Posts

  • Teaching Life Skills: Resilience, Part 3
  • Teaching Life Skills: Resilience, Part 2
  • Teaching Life Skills: Resilience, Part 1
  • How Old Should a Child Be to Begin Competitive Swimming? Part 2
  • How Old Should a Child Be to Begin Competitive Swimming? Part 1
  • Dancers: What It Means When Your Body Snaps, Crackles & Pops, Part 2
  • Dancers: What It Means When Your Body Snaps, Crackles & Pops, Part 1
  • Dance Studio Tips: Keeping Staff Members Happy, Part 2
  • Dance Studio Tips: Keeping Staff Members Happy, Part 1
  • Dance Studio Tips: Hiring Quality Staff Members
X10 Home Automation

Join the Conversation

  • caitlyn aldridge on Ballet Shoes for Beginners
  • caitlyn aldridge on Ballet Shoes for Beginners
  • The Studio Guide on Happy Feet for Dancers: Basic Foot Care
  • Worried on Happy Feet for Dancers: Basic Foot Care
  • Lila on Happy Feet for Dancers: Blister Care 101

Copyright © 2019 Sozo Firm Inc