So You Want to Be a Dance Mom?

Last year my daughter joined our dance studio's competition team. It was her first year to dance on the team, and boy was it an experience! In a good way of course!

The one thing I wish I had done was keep track of our expenses throughout the year. From eyelashes to tuition, it got to be expensive. I'm not complaining, I knew what we were getting in to, but I decided that I wanted to keep track this year and blog about our experiences.

Yep, even eyelashes get to be expensive!

My daughter had 4 years of recreational dance before she joined the competition team going in to her 5th year. Both of us felt she needed the challenge and discipline that the competition team would give her. She wants to improve her dance skills, and hopefully continues her dance career into college or beyond. She really has improved over her first year of competition dance and is still working to improve.

Fifth Year Dance Award

Our dance competition season started this year on July 6. It is a requirement in our studio that she takes 6 weeks of summer classes and take part in the summer intensive. Our intensives this year are at the end of summer classes. They hold auditions during this time period to be placed in the level you belong in. My daughter moved up to a different level after the first week of summer classes and I can guarantee that she'll stay with this group into the dance season as well.

Right now we are at the studio 4 days a week. I basically live my life at the dance studio and baseball fields because of my son. LOL Two days are for my daughter's regular competition dance classes, the third day is for a couple of extra classes our dance studio owner recommend she take in order to help improve her flexability, and the last day is an optional ballet class. This all will change come fall. I'm not sure how many days we'll be there, but I don't think it will be four. LOL

Our studio only competes group dances in two competitions (along with the solos, duets, and trios) during the season. They do offer optional competitions for those that do solos, duets, and trios, but because my daughter didn't compete her solo last year, we didn't go to them. She is competing her solo this year, so we might attend at least one optional one this year.

Tap, Jazz, Production 2, and Acro

Taking a break from her Science project to
get ready to go on stage.

She doesn't take Hip Hop but feels like
she qualifies to help out and coach.

We are already three weeks into summer classes. I received my first bill last week in our studio mailbox, but it had to be revised due to my daughter moving up a level. Plus, she added Pointe class to her schedule. I'm pretty sure I'll be receiving another one here shortly because I just bought her Lyrical shoes and ordered Pointe shoes. She's also talking about needing new Jazz and Tap shoes. Goodness we are already getting there with the expenses! 

We have always had a positive experience with dance. We have a great studio and the teachers and owners are fantastic! Looking forward to another year of fun!

ETA: This is just how our dance studio works and how much our expenses are. Some studios could be higher or lower. But, like I said above, we like our studio and choose to stay because of the people and quality of dance and technique my daughter receives.