We know children can be difficult when it comes to sports, hobbies and interests. We mostly see parents hesitating when discussing competitions as we all know participating can get expensive and the main question many parents are concerned about is WHAT WILL MY CHILD GAIN? WHAT IF SHE ONLY DOES IT FOR A YEAR? IS THIS REALLY SOMETHING I WANT TO INVEST IN?
These are all valid concerns and as coach and mother I would like to provide you with the much needed information.
In this blog I will discuss the following:
- What to expect when participating at a competition?
- What benefits performing has for dancers?
- Why performance and competitions is a good investment for your little talented dancer.
What to expect when participating at a dance competition.
In South Africa we have so many dance competitions out there and each studio decides which competition to participate in. Your coach will advice on the best opportunities for your child depending on their level and capabilities.
When commiting to be a competitor dancer it is expected that the dancer will attend all classes and if needed extra classes scheduled by the coach. Class is very important as group routines can only be practiced when all dancers are present.
There are seperate fees that apply when competing as listed:
- Competition registration (If applicaple, not all competitions have a registration fee).
- Competition entry fees (These fees are paid to the organisation for the dancer to be able to perform and be judged).
- Club contribution fees (These fees are allocated towards the clubs expenses).
- Costume rent (Some studio’s don’t rent out any costumes and parents are required to buy the costume).
Competitions and dance festivals mostly work the same and this is what you can expect when arriving at the competition:
- Arriving at the venue, and meeting your coach as arranged.
- Dropping of the dancer – Coach will be taking them backstage and prep them for the performance at the program times given by the organisation.
- Be shook by your childs performance as they always shine on stage.
- Most competitions have prize givings after each section.
- Most competitions has professional photographers for photos and videos.
Performance and the benefits it has for dancers.
Performance can be defined as: An act of performing something in our case dancing. Performance consists of musicality, dance technique, personality, stage performance and much more.
In a previous post we discussed the main benefits of Acro dance which is not limited to the points mentioned. To gain better and bigger results, seeing your child grow not only physically as a dancer but develop mentally as well, participation at competitions and allowing a dancer to perform shows the results.
Here is our list of benefits for dancers that participate:
- Self-confidence BOOST – I mean BOOST as we dancers douting theirselves and after getting on that stage we see a major boost in their self-confidence.
- Self-esteem BOOST
- Independency – This may sound strange but dancers get on a stage and know that coach trained me and I will give my best without any help. They feel this is something I did on my own and are mostly proud of themselves for it.
- Excitement – One of the main contributors to motivation and inspiration is the excitement of knowing you will be performing your FAV dance routine in an amazing costume all dressed up.
- It teaches children from a young age to be able to work and perform under pressure.
In 2024 we see alot of bullying in schools, alot of children that does not believe in themselves because of society and the expectations the world has set for our children. We all know this world can get stressfull and sometimes the pressure is too much. Well dancing is one of the sports we use as therapy – In a sense dancers dance with their emotions in the palm of their hand, making it easier to cope in todays society.
I have had alot of dancers in my class that was bullied and still is, my main objective is not to create professional dancers but first shaping the dancer to first glow with self-confidence. We have seen these dancers transform from a child that could not speak to others and now helping and learning new dancers.
Why invest?
Yes dance competitions and dance festivals can be expensive, some parents are wondering is it really worth it?
If the above benefits did not give you the answer already I will give my opinion and will soon add testimonies from parents as well (I will add good and Bad)
At my studio my aim is not always to make a living and getting an income from the Acro dance I teach – My goals are set to see the dancers grow into strong, independent, confident adults, shocking the world with their amazing personalities.
Competitions is one of the ways we help our dancers grow and overcome stress caused by todays society. This leaves us with one qustion:
IS MY CHILDS DEVELOPMENT PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY A GOOD INVESTMENT?