The Dance Mom Thread

[jwsqrdplus2]

undercovermom, that is totally awesome!! Our studio was featured on a local access show in the fall, and it was quite fun. I hope the dancers have a great time!

missypie, fantastic results for the competition. Sorry to hear about the drill team results. It is heartbreaking to see good dancers not make the team!

We have our schedule for this weekend (Celebrity). I can't decide if it is better of worse that the Encore schedule from 3 weeks ago. I suppose at least the girls dances don't overlap this time. DD2 will finish her dances before DD1 starts. But here is my schedule for this weekend:

Sat: DD2 jazz, 7:15am; DD2 tap, 8:27am; DD1 HH, 9:06am; DD1 tap, 9:39am; DD1 jazz, 10:48am; DD1 HH (different dance), 11:42am.

Sun: DD1 duo, 7:33am; DD1 trio, 9:45am.

We will be driving up Fri afternoon since we have such an early start on Sat. And, a couple of dances may get moved. Somehow they put DD1's duo in the wrong age category, and once that is straightened out, that dance may get pushed back by an hour or so which would be very nice! And one of the other trio moms recently aquired a job that requires Sunday work, so she has asked that the trio (and her DD's solo) be moved to Fri or Sat. We'll see what happens. And DH is out of town; not that it really matters since he can't do anything except sit in the audience! Although he makes a great pack mule when we are trying to get everything in and out of the venue!

Anyone else competing this weekend?

 

[missypie]

Anyone else competing this weekend?

All of our companies except for hip hop are done until recital. That gives them a lot of time to perfect everything before nationals.

This weekend we debuted our lyrical to the national anthem. No one stood-one older lady at the side started to stand, but she was the only one. It felt very weird to not stand during the national anthem. I think that before nationals I'll ask the company director if it's okay if we company parents do stand.

It was very well received. I actually think it did better than it should have, given that they started work on it only 5 weeks ago. It has the potential to be very moving. At the very end of the dance, the girls line up at the VERY front of the stage and stand still and put their hands over their heart. It looked so cool because the girls looked so spent and were breathing heavily...it somehow seemed appropriate.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Wow! How great for the performers this weekend!

I think I mentioned that we are suddenly moving. A check of the new middle school's website revealed that it has a dance team. My DD was so thrilled, I think she was ready to ditch her friends and WALK to New Hampshire! I pointed out that she'll have to audition, no guarantees, but she just said, "If I don't make it, I'll just take more dance classes." Spoken like a true dancer!

 

[undercovermom]

Wow! How great for the performers this weekend!

I think I mentioned that we are suddenly moving. A check of the new middle school's website revealed that it has a dance team. My DD was so thrilled, I think she was ready to ditch her friends and WALK to New Hampshire! I pointed out that she'll have to audition, no guarantees, but she just said, "If I don't make it, I'll just take more dance classes." Spoken like a true dancer!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

OMG, this in unbelievable! The dance team coach posted on the team website...the team is going to be featured on a local news show in a couple fo weeks.

Oh that is awesome! Congrats!

Okay, time to brag-I feel like I'm entitled since it has not been a great season so far for DD's company. They competed at Showstoppers in Ft. Worth this weekend. They competed 5 dances and got 3 Platinums and 2 Double Platinums. One dance didn't place in the Overall, but the others placed 7th, 6th, 4th and FIRST overall! My daughter has never been in a dance that won first overall at a competiton before, so she was thrilled.

They ended up being the highest scoring teen dance of the weekend, so they will be on the website. Our junior company also had the highest scoring junior dance of the weekend, so they will be on the website, too. Lots of other great results. The owner of the studio said its the best our company has ever done at a competition.

Funny thing-the dance that did so well hasn't done much of anything the rest of the season-has never even placed in the overalls. Go figure. With the junior company, their tap has been getting 1st or 2nd overall all season-this time it came in 4th and their Jazz got 1st overall. Again, go figure.

I admit that the competition was not fierce this weekend. But I think it was fair. At some of the competitions we encounter the studios that rehearse more than twice as many hours as our girls do-it's hard for them to take when they don't do well against them, but I'd rather them do pretty well at the competitons and rehearse 8 hours a week than to win every competition and rehearse 15-20 hours a week. Different strokes.

Great results! And of course you can brag anytime you feel like it. Thats what I love about this thread. If I mention how well my daughter is doing anywhere else they think I'm a typical bragging stage mom but here you all understand how we are just so proud of all the hard work they do!!!

Anyone else competing this weekend?

We will be doing No Limit up here. Since its a new studio she picked competitions this year that were the same week as the larger ones to avoid some of the larger studios. We only have 19 girls in company this year. I still dont think that is too bad for a mid year start up. I think we have about 150 total at the studio. most left other studos to come to this one so I think it will be huge next year.

Celebrity might be on our list for next year. It was so much more extensive I dont remember! It will be fun to be at the same events though.

All of our companies except for hip hop are done until recital. That gives them a lot of time to perfect everything before nationals.

This weekend we debuted our lyrical to the national anthem. No one stood-one older lady at the side started to stand, but she was the only one. It felt very weird to not stand during the national anthem. I think that before nationals I'll ask the company director if it's okay if we company parents do stand.

It was very well received. I actually think it did better than it should have, given that they started work on it only 5 weeks ago. It has the potential to be very moving. At the very end of the dance, the girls line up at the VERY front of the stage and stand still and put their hands over their heart. It looked so cool because the girls looked so spent and were breathing heavily...it somehow seemed appropriate.

I bet this was really interesting to see. Sounds beautiful. I think asking the director if you should stand sounds like a great idea.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

So like i had said we are doing a small competition on Saturday. Well, a couple larger studios in the East Valley of Phoenix will be there so it wont be all small studios. We range in times from 8am til 4:43 i believe. Everything is spread out though.

This will be dd's 1st competition and she is really excited. Luckily she has done a community performance at the same venue so it wont be totally foreign to her. I cant wait.

 

[undercovermom]

So like i had said we are doing a small competition on Saturday. Well, a couple larger studios in the East Valley of Phoenix will be there so it wont be all small studios. We range in times from 8am til 4:43 i believe. Everything is spread out though.

This will be dd's 1st competition and she is really excited. Luckily she has done a community performance at the same venue so it wont be totally foreign to her. I cant wait.

good luck to her!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

We are putting together her clothes rack for this weeks competition. We normally have a hanging makeup organizer to put extra rubber bands, hair pins, hair nets, tights etc in. The studio wants us to get a clear pocket sleeve that the paper with the order of dances can go in and tie a ribbon to it to hang on the rack. She also wants us to get a mirrior so the girls have their own. I thought that was a great idea. We've never had that.

If you use the clothing racks for performances backstage what all do you put on yours or how do you organize yours? I'm looking for ideas to improve ours.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

We are putting together her clothes rack for this weeks competition. We normally have a hanging makeup organizer to put extra rubber bands, hair pins, hair nets, tights etc in. The studio wants us to get a clear pocket sleeve that the paper with the order of dances can go in and tie a ribbon to it to hang on the rack. She also wants us to get a mirrior so the girls have their own. I thought that was a great idea. We've never had that.

If you use the clothing racks for performances backstage what all do you put on yours or how do you organize yours? I'm looking for ideas to improve ours.

DISCLAIMER: I am a Type A, anal-retentive planner/organizer! This is what I do:

Each costume has its own clear suit bag. The costume hangs on a hanger, and all the accesories for the costume are in a large Ziploc which I poke holes in so it can also hang on the hanger. On each suit bag is a sheet protecter into which I slide a piece of paper that has the dancer's name, the dance's name, costume description, accesories, and hairstyle. Font is very large and easy to read.

The costumes are then hung in order on the rack from left to right as I am looking at it. I also have a portable shoe rack that I hang on the rack at the far left that has all the shoes and extra tights in it. I will share my rack with others (although that is getting harder as my girls are in more dances; 8 total in this weekend's competition), but everyone knows to put their costumes on one side or the other of mine!

Make up "kit" is a fishing tackle box which holds all make up, extra hair pins, extra hair nets, pony tail holders (clear and brown), safety pins, jewelry, kleenex, baby wipes, make up remover wipes, brush, comb, hairspray, Purell, neosporin, bandaids, scissors, and duct tape.

Moms and dancers alike know that if you are looking for something to ask Jessica first. If she doesn't have it, no one does!

I don't hang the show order on my rack, but I might borrow that idea for competition. For recital, our studio does several shows instead of one long one, so I use a notebook organized that when it is open, the show order is on the left with my DDs' dances highlighted, and the costume/accessories for each dance is on the right.

Do I need to repeat my disclaimer??

 

[missypie]

Of course, when you're crammed in a dressing room with about 60 other girls, you start being resentful about how much room the hanging racks take up.

After almost every competiton we get emails from other company member, "I lost one sock" "I can't find one glove..." My husband gets so exasperated with how "irresponsible" the girls appear to be. I just wish that one time he could see how unbelievably (and I'm sure fire code violating) crowded those dressing rooms get....then he wouldn't be surprised that stuff ends up in the wrong bag.

Competing does teach the girls responsiblity and organization. When they're little, it's all Mom doing the organizing. Then the girl is reponsible for going through the costume checklist, with Mom always there. Now my daughter is in high school and I go backstage exactly once-there is one costume that they have to be pinned into every time. So I pin and leave. My daughter keeps track of all of the pieces herself. High school drill team was overwhelming for some of the girls-keeping track of costume pieces, schedules, etc. For the Company girls, it's all a piece of cake.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I'm actually taking notes, since it looks like there will be even more dance in the future for us. The only thing I would add to jwsqrdplus2's list is a needle and thread. I have clear thread. I pack all my stuff in a sewing basket. I also use a laundry basker at the recital, to hold all the shoes, hairspray, etc. DD12 is pretty used to taking care of herself, I'm better off just staying out of the way.

She has her big recital this weekend, then a smaller one next month (different studio). She's very excited even though she's leaving her studios due to our move. I don't know if I'd mentioned that her ballet technique was weak, so she enrolled in her first pre-pointe class last fall. Well, the teacher has given the go-ahead for her to try pointe, which I have mixed feelings about, but she's thrilled. I'll have to talk to her new instructors about it when we move.

My only question is, I thought the girls had to finish growing before they went en pointe? She hasn't had her period yet (although probably soon). Of course, her teacher probably doesn't know that.

 

[missypie]

There are lots of different views about when a girl is ready for pointe. You may want to research it yourself.

I was flipping channels and saw an old movie (prob. from the 40s or 50s) that revolved around the girls at what was supposed to be an exclusive dance academy. I didn't watch it long enough to get a lot of the plot, but I did watch a scene where these LITTLE (7-8 year old) girls were en pointe!

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

I'm actually taking notes, since it looks like there will be even more dance in the future for us. The only thing I would add to jwsqrdplus2's list is a needle and thread.

Actually I do have a sewing kit (that's what I get for trying to list everything from memory!), but no clear thread. That's a great idea.

As far as pointe goes, I can't help. Mine are younger than yours, and I don't think either one is interested in pointe right now.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

Jessica,

That is EXACTLY what I was looking for! THANKS! I had these grand ideas of organization from our past experiences but never having been to competition I didnt know what people did. Our director said to do the ziplock bag thing but with clips over the hangers. I like the poking holes better as I'm afraid clips would get lost!

And the clear thread idea is brilliant! I always take black and white thread but really none of her costumes are ever black OR white. I'm out to get clear thread tonight.

I bought a cheap 11X14 mirror from Wal-mart and luckily my mom owns a picture frame store so she is going to take the cheap black frame off of it and put a liner on it that can be painted in dd's studio colors (Teal and Brown) and secure a ribbon onto it so it can be put over the rack too. We are going to rhinestone the frame. What 7 year old doesnt want to rhinestone EVERYTHING!

I'm sure we wont have it completely organized by this Saturday but each time I hope to get things better. Thank you all! And good luck to those of you with kids who are performing this weekend!

 

[scrapquitler]

No Competition dance for us, but my 11 yo DD dances at a large studio (about 500 students). We had our recital a few weeks ag (5 shows!!). My DD doe tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, street tap and modern. She also does a private duo (street tap with Daddy this past year) and was in the openinng number and the mom/kids dance. DH dances, and did tap, jazz and the duo. I did the mom/kids dance and my5 yo DS did tap/ballet and the mom/kids dance. So we have a LOT of costumes, lots of quick changes (2 2 min numbers in between!).

I basically organize all my stuff the same way Jessica mentioned above. A clear garment bag for each costume, all the 'parts' go in the bottom of the bag for that costume. I write my DD name, the dance name and a listing of each costume piece and accesssory on a paper that I tape inside the bag. I place the bags in order, left to right on the rack for each show.

I have a looseleaf notebook with plastic page protectors in it. Each show is listed on a separate page in the notebook, and our dances are highlighted in the order (color coded for each dancer in the family). I also write a big number next to the highlighted line indicating how many dances in between we have to change.

In our studio, the school cafeteria serves as the dressing room for everyone except men/boys/seniors/adults. There is a 'quick change' room right off the wings for those dancers that hve 3 numbers or less in between dances, and you have to put your costumes in there before the show starts and let the quick change lady know your child's daces and they practice changing the kids ahead of time so that Moms don't have to deal with the quick change. The 3 ladies in there can change 15 7 year olds in about 2 1/2 minutes. They are pretty amazing.

I have most everything that anyone could possibly need backstage in an emergeny. I always have extra tights, etc. Sewing kit, scissors, glue gun, duct tape , ice packs, etc. After 9 years, I think I've got it pretty much down pat at this point.

 

[Sleepy]

She has her big recital this weekend, then a smaller one next month (different studio). She's very excited even though she's leaving her studios due to our move. I don't know if I'd mentioned that her ballet technique was weak, so she enrolled in her first pre-pointe class last fall. Well, the teacher has given the go-ahead for her to try pointe, which I have mixed feelings about, but she's thrilled. I'll have to talk to her new instructors about it when we move.

My only question is, I thought the girls had to finish growing before they went en pointe? She hasn't had her period yet (although probably soon). Of course, her teacher probably doesn't know that.

Although I don't have a girl, I do have a boy in ballet and think that qualifies me to give my 2 cents.

I have seen both sides of ballet......American and European/ Dolly Dinkle and Big Name school. First of all, a menstrual cycle has nothing to do with readiness for pointe work. Ultimately, the main focus is going to be strength. SInce you are working on strength, any technique class would prepare the student for pointe work. Naming a class "pre-pointe" sounds more like it is called that to make the kids feel special. Again, any technique class is adding the strength needed for pointe work. Boys also need that same leg/feet strength and they get it from a regular technique class taken with girls (just to add that my son's school requires the boys to take a pointe class for reasons not many would understand).

Since your daughter is 12, that seems to be the green light age for most American schools as long as the student has the STRENGTH. Within Europe, they tend to start younger.....around age 10. WHere the debate comes into play is the development of the bones of the feet and ankles. This is why the Americans tend to wait later for training. It is also to be understood that just because a child might be over the age of "the norm" for starting pointe work, it does not mean they are ready for it strength wise.

Please make sure the school she goes to is reputable. When she does get en pointe, ensure she does not wear those shoes outside of class. She needs supervision when wearing them. The girls at my son's school starts out in training shoes a few minutes a day at the barre only. WHen they graduate out of that level, they have 15 minutes at the end of class. It takes several years before they will be wearing them through the entire class. Oh, and at my son's school, the younger students take technique classes (only ballet) 5 days a week for 2 hours each day. My son goes 6 days a week, but he is now in a higher level. Hope this helps. I'm sure others with experience can give their advice.

Enjoy the performance. My son's is in a couple of weeks. I just hope the A/C is working in the theatre this year. We almost melted last year. Thankfully, the programmes are really thick and were able to withstand the double use as a fan.

 

[missypie]

Please describe the mom/kids dance. I'm intrigued.

We have a "Dad's Dance" for company girls and their Dads (or grandpa or brother or whatever). It is always extremely entertaining because we laugh at them. They'll do something like "Can't Touch That" or "Stayin' Alive" badly (not on purpose bad-they practice a lot) then the girls join them at the end. It's always terrific fun.

BUT...there is no moms' dance...I figure we moms would never be willing to suffer the humiliation of doing a dance badly and we don't have time to work on it long enough to get good.

 

[scrapquitler]

Well about 11 or 12 years ago, they decided to have some fun and do a Dad's dance. The Dads go starting in Jan, for one 45 min. class a week and learn a simple tap dance, line changes and everything. Normally there are about 75-80 Dads that sign up (they do separate classes, and the dads get divided up as to which shows they will perform in...we always had 4 shows until this year, this year we had 5). They usually dance to some sort of medley...one year they did Macho Man, Blues Brothers and Smart Dressed Man. And they always do a kick line and goof around a fair amount. Then after the Dads do their part, the kids come out and do a small dance along with their dads. Again, a super simple dance because the kids range from age 2 up to high school.

About 7 or 8 years ago, they decided that the Mom's should have a turn, so now they alternate, Moms one year, Dads the next. Moms always do jazz rather than tap. This year we didn't do a medley, we did all one song (Welcome to the 60s from Hairspray). Again, Moms dance is very popular and gets almsot as many signed up as Dad's dance. But the Moms don't goof around as much as the Dads do when it is their year. Oh, and the Dads class ALWAYS includes a post dance class visit to one of the local bars

One thing that has happened is that the Moms (and Dads) now understand a lot more what all is involved in being a student at the studio. And the enrollments in the adult classes in the studio have grown a lot. My DH started with the Dad's dance to humor our kid when she was about 5...and now he takes tap and jazz classes and even a duo ith her (he just finished his 6th year!).

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Ooh, I think the idea of the "Dad's dance" sounds like it's a lot of fun! A little silly, but in a good way, and I'm sure everyone has a good time.

A warning about the clear thread--it's a PITA to work with (it's like fishing line). But it's good to have. Another good choice is a few shades of gray--they blend in so they don't show. I usually have light, medium and dark.

Sleepy--As always, I appreciate your insights into the ballet world. Certainly, it's not my specialty, and I have my misgivings about my DD in it. I don't think she has the figure for it, by which I mean that she'll be curvy rather than stick thin. And her original instructor was quite weak in ballet, so DD is much stronger in tap and jazz. It was only this past year that she started working on ballet technique. I'm particularly concerned about her feet and ankles, as she's had some minor issues (probably growth plates) in cross country and track. So, I will definitely be doing research on her dance instructors. Good to know about the training shoes and not practicing pointe on her own--I no nothing about this, it's all new to me. I'm really thinking that if she makes the dance team, her focus will turn away from ballet and more to tap, jazz, and hip-hop, where I feel she's stronger anyway. But hey, I don't want to stop her from learning new skills and trying to better herself in her "weaker" areas.

 

[cabanafrau]

Older DD has just begun pointe training these past two months. Our studio requires a written & physical exam in which dancers demonstrate certain positions, movements, etc. Dancers are also evaluated for physical criteria, which includes evaluation of growth of feet & other body considerations & weight control. This does not mean a dancer must be stick thin/zero curves, rather that the dancer's strength is determined to be such that her weight will not put undue pressure upon feet, joints, tendons, etc. The menstruation issue typically comes into the equation because the onset of puberty generally correlates to development level and growth stages.

The girls started out w/ their pointe shoes on for 15 min. at the most, only in class, at the barre & under their teacher's direct supervision. I believe they sometimes go up to 30 min. now -- although not every girl. They were strongly warned that wearing the shoes outside of class could cause severe injuries which would remove them from dance or damage to the shoes -- which might cause parents to remove them from dance.

Pointe is my DD's #1 dance goal, so this is a very exciting & very cautious time for us.


Her team competed last weekend and earned a gold. They did a great job with the dance, the result just wasn't quite what they were hoping for. We were honestly a little surprised since it's the first time they've competed the number -- first time some of the team competed at all. They hit all the moves & had fantastic unison & performance quality, just needed a minor spacing adjustment & a slight centering issue for one segment. They were very frustrated when a number that actually had girls stop and look off stage for direction several times in their dance because they didn't know what to do next received high gold, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.

They had a fantastic time anyway & were thrilled to perform cleanly.