Competition Teams

Dance Etc. offers competition teams in ballet, pointe, lyrical, tap, jazz, hip-hop, acro-dance and occasionally others. Our studio began competing in 1998 with just two teams, and now we have 25 teams ranging in age from 4 to 18. Our competitors have consistently won top awards at both regional and national competitions.

Competition teams give dancers the opportunity to work toward excellence while learning important teamwork skills. The individuals on our teams become more than just teammates... they become like family! We believe in the following things to promote teamwork and commitment to the studio:

Technique and Versatility

Our focus is on proper technique. We are equally strong in many areas: ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical and tumbling. The strongest performers are those that have both acro and dance experience, so the dancers are encouraged to tumble, and the tumblers are encouraged to dance.

Professionalism

Our instructors are always at competition ready to help both parents and students. We always warm up and rehearse each routine before competition time and are present backstage before and after each routine whenever possible. In case of a last-minute problem, it's nice to know that your teacher(s) will be there to help find a solution.

Conservatism

Modesty is important to us. Our dancers do not wear risqué outfits. Routines, music and choreography are always age-appropriate. We believe that it is not necessary to "shake your stuff" to win a trophy. If certain competitions seem to reward such behavior, we will not attend it in the future.

Communication

We want parents to be involved and informed. Each team has a "team mom" (or team dad) who can be contacted any time. Every month, parents are encouraged to attend a team meeting. The meetings give parents an opportunity to receive important information as well as communicate any issues that arise. We also have a team coordinator, Ellen Marks, who acts as a liaison between team moms and Miss Anne, the studio owner.

Teamwork

We feel that teams should come first rather than solos, duets, or trios. That is why we have these rules:

• In order to do a tap solo, the competitor must be on the tap team; likewise, in order to do a hip-hop solo, the competitor must be on the hip-hop team also, and so on.
• Competitors must be on 3 dance teams to do a solo, duet, or trio (or a dance and a tumbling team in order to an acro solo, duet, or trio)
• We try to enter groups into different categories so that they are not competing against one another.
• We believe in clapping and cheering for everyone from our studio and consider a "win" by one of our groups or individuals a "win" for us all.

Fun

We constantly remind competitors that competing should be fun. We aren't concerned with how many trophies a student can bring home, but rather that they enjoyed themselves and are proud of their achievements. Coincidentally, when students have fun, it takes the stress away so they can perform much better! Dance Etc. is established as the "Fun Place to Learn." Laughter, fun, team parties, etc. are all encouraged. At the end of the year, we have a team party and cookout in which the teachers give a special award to each team member.

Pride

We are proud of our studio! We support and care for each other and what we stand for.

Winning vs. Excellence

Win; verb, To get possession of by effort or fortune
Excellent; adjective, The quality of being very good of its kind

Competition is a big part of life. At school we compete for grades; later in life we compete for jobs. We compete in sports. We even compete for the affection of boyfriends or girlfriends. Competition can be useful; it is a way of getting information about how well we are doing and what is possible. It can challenge us to try harder and to learn from our own experience and the experiences of others.

Competition can also be damaging. A common parent concern regarding having their child join competition teams is the fear that the focus will be only on "winning." This can quickly get out of control and take the fun out of competing, especially if the competitor falls short of winning the top prize. We all know of people who place an emphasis on winning awards, recognitions, and trophies. All of those have their place but are not lifelong motivators. The most reliable reward for our work is the feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing a task. We encourage our dancers to focus on the inner satisfaction of competing.

At Dance Etc. we prefer to focus on excellence rather than winning. There is never such a thing as a perfect performance, as in life there are often flaws. Even professional dancers make mistakes sometimes. We counsel dancers to expect this and instead of focusing on the negative, focus on the things they did well.

When our children know that working, learning and teamwork are more important to us than winning, they are likely to be ready to learn more and worry less. As they discover the satisfactions of overcoming difficulties and enjoying progress, they are likely to become productive adults.