OK, I think we’re finally starting to get the hang of this dance team competition thing!
Things to expect include:
- A long day with lots of sitting around and waiting with short bursts of activity when it’s time for the little ladies to dance.
- Hauling around plenty of snacks, especially ones with protein for the moms.
- Putting together a list of the costume details. Spreadsheets and screenshots will be involved!
- Researching places to eat if you think you’ll be there for more than six hours.
- Researching the parking situation before I get there.
- Practicing hairstyles way ahead of time.
- Comfortable shoes you can run in because you might need to sprint from the stage to the dressing room; quick-changes are no joke!
I’m thinking that if she’s in it for the long haul, I’m eventually bringing camping gear. I’m serious! At the last competition I saw a pop-up tent for changing and a handful of lightweight travel chairs and thought, “Well, that mom is a genius.”
The girls did really well! They had two dances, and they placed at a high gold for tap and a platinum for hip hop. (I’ve been told this is a good thing.)
Can I just say, it’s a trip to see Connor evolve as a dancer. Her confidence seems to grow with every routine, and I think her teachers notice it, too.
My hope is that she keeps at it for a while because dance seems to make her feel special outside of school. I grew up in a strict family where grades were the barometer that defined your worthiness, so school was the only thing that mattered. The only sanctioned non-school activities were quiet ones that seemed to make you even more studious, like playing piano. Never mind if you hated it! Dance or sports were generally viewed as something that would get in the way of your studies.
I don’t really think that’s the case, though. I think activities outside of school teach discipline, how to work with a team, how to express yourself and process emotions, how to handle disagreements with others and how to manage expectations – life skills that come in handy down the road.
Anyway, I’m happy that Connor still likes it!
Oh, and so this post is somewhat makeup related, she still absolutely refuses to let me put any eyeshadow on her, sigh.
She likes bright pink blush and red lipstick. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
How cute are those pink outfits?! If you don’t mind sharing, do you feel like Dance is expensive? Just wondering as I will have 2 little girls doing sports/dance/activities and I want to know what to expect! I will fully support whatever activities they choose to do, I was never in any stuff like that past the 8th grade and I do feel like it made me more insecure and limited my friend group.
Hi Rachel,
I feel like all the activities in the Bay Area are expensive. LOL! I do think dance can be on the higher end depending on the studio. At Connor’s studio, there seems to be two different tracks you can take. If you’re a student who wants to dance as well as do other activities (like soccer or swim) throughout the school year, then you take a recreational class, which is onc class per week. It’s the more affordable option. If you want to do more intensive dance training, then you join the dance team, which is more hours, more days and more weekends for events — and much more tuition. There’s also travel (hotels, tickets and gas), costumes and competition fees to consider.
Maybe start by calling local studios and see if they have classes for littles. Connor started in the toddler class when she was two. 🙂 Some kids in her group clearly loved it, and others could tell right away that it wasn’t their thing.
Thanks for the response! I have the girls signed up for a toddler dance class at a ballet studio next month! We’ll see how they like it!
If Connor’s confidence is growing then she’s doing the right thing!
Love that lemon yellow outfit.
They did a tap dance in the yellow outfit called “Ain’t Nobody Hear But Us Chickens.” I love the costume but the feathers get all over the place!
I hear you on the parent front. My mother’s idea of activity was go sit on the porch and read a book. You want something to do? Go out and weed the 20 x 60ft vegetable garden or vacuum the house or do some ironing. Dear Daughter tried multiple things but the riding was the one that stuck with her.
Dance competitions sound a lot like what I did with Dear Daughter when she was riding. All weekend long it was hurry up and wait, then hurry and get on the horse and warm-up, then hurry up and wait at the gate for your turn. And in two minutes it was over. You either went fast enough without knocking rails down or you didn’t. One good thing her trainer taught her was never look back. You can’t pick up that rail, you can’t change the results, but you can think about what to do to improve your performance the next time in the arena.
I think you’re doing a wonderful job being a dance mom (and all around mom in general), encouraging her and supporting her.
Thank you for the nice compliment. 🙂
And riding sounds similar to dance competitions! There’s a ton of sitting around. I need to get a comfortable, portable chair with a cup holder ASAP!
It was so much fun being a dance mom! And since I’m, ahem, a tad controlling, I was the mom picking everyone up. My daughter started age 4, all the way to senior year in college (Penn State dance team).
It’s so nice that you started Connor at a young age, you have years of fun & great memories ahead. Congratulations to Connor for sticking with it.
Honestly I don’t mind being the mom that has to shuttle everyone around, either. It gives me a chance to listen in when the girls are interacting!
Exactly! It’s so amazing. After a while you’re invisible to them and you hear a lot of stuff.
I so enjoyed the photos! She really has become a young lady!
I really miss the dance days. Yes, it was a lot of work for the moms but it was so worth it!
My daughter talks about it often and she is nearly 30 now. She made lifetime friendships , developed poise and confidence and the exercise was great for her.
She also has a Phd now, so don’t worry about the education. If it’s meant to be, it will happen. I believe that dance gave her the confidence to go for what she wants. She was able to get a scholarship to St. Andrews in Scotland. It’s where future king William and Kate Middleton met! I’m so proud of her and wish you the best with your daughter❤️
Amazing, Marian! I’m so happy for you and your daughter and her accomplishments! 🙂 I hope dance can give Connor the same things.
When I was a kid, the only extra-curricular activity I got to do was Girl Scouts. I guess because I had three brothers, my mother thought I needed an activity that would allow me to socialize with other girls. I had no sisters (my mother had two sisters and 6 brothers). I was in it for three years – one as a Brownie, two as a Junior. We only went on one weekend camping trip in all that time. Girl Scouts really wasn’t as outdoorsy as you’d think it would be. I’m pretty sure my Austin, TX Scout leader was an alcoholic, or pill addict. Even as a 10-year-old I could tell something like that was wrong with her. So, on the whole, I wouldn’t recommend Scouting.