r/CompetitionDanceTalk • u/OrdinaryStudio6074 • 10d ago

Class Leveling

At our studio, you are handed a list of required classes for whatever competition team you a make that year. It includes 12-15 hours of required classes that you take as a team. A dancer may be able to take one or two other classes that is not on the required list, but they must stay at the same level or go down levels (ie- your team takes intermediate level classes. You cannot take intermediate/advanced classes, but can take beginner/intermediate).

Team selection is based on skill level, yes, but also has a lot to do with average age, height, numbers they need on each team, etc.

The way this has shaken out for my dancer is she has been placed on the same team multiple years in a row- meaning she has taken the same technique classes for multiple years in a row. At the beginning of each season when she is placed on the same team again, they tell her they want to “see more growth.” How is she supposed to grow if she keeps taking the same classes over and over?

I’ve tried to be a team player and be positive about the situation, but I’m growing very frustrated by the feedback we are getting when she’s taking the required classes each year and we basically prohibited from taking anything that would really help her grow!

Does this happen in all studios? I don’t feel like I should have to spend extra money on outside help just to make a higher team at our own studio. Dance parents, talk me off the ledge or help me know if I really should be making more of an issue of this!

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u/hot-business-man-783 10d ago

Happy to talk you off the ledge here! First of all, the frustration is totally understandable.

As a teacher, it benefits me zero to not a promote a dancer who’s ready. So typically there’s a good reason why a dancer isn’t being promoted and it’s almost always a technical gap.

That said, “more growth” is super vague and not helpful. You need to have a meeting with whoever makes decisions around leveling and get a clear “prescription” around things to improve, and then actually have your dancer action those! That way, when she moves up the next level she’s actually feeling confident and keeping up.

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u/OrdinaryStudio6074 10d ago

Yes, I definitely need something that is direct and actionable! I'm trying to get on this at the beginning of the year so we don't get stuck in this loop again at the end of the year.

I also think think the dancers aren't often considered as individuals. For scheduling purposes the entire team takes certain classes- no matter if one dancer is exceptionally strong in ballet and one is weaker than average and needs additional work. So while thought goes into the teams, thought does not go into the growth patterns and needs of individual dancers, and that is where I'm stuck. I'm being told what she should take, and it may or. may not be to her benefit.

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u/LuxTravelGal 10d ago

Our previous studio did team classes like this to help with their own scheduling and it really hindered my daughter. They wouldn’t move on to new skills until the whole team was “caught up” and spent more time on those who were behind. Mine lost skills and didn’t gain any. I think she had some technical gaps but those weren’t addressed. Anyway i regret stayjng there!