Dance Competitions: What Your Students REALLY Remember
Competition season can bring out a lot in a dance studio owner. You're managing routines, costume changes, warm-ups, teachers, parents, schedules and dozens of excited dancers. You're probably trying to remember when you last ate something too. Then there are the results. When your teams place well, everyone is buzzing. But when they don't? It's easy for a studio owner or dance teacher to feel disappointed and assume the parents and students must feel the same. In this episode of the Dance Principals United Podcast, Amanda and Bec challenge that idea. Because the thing your dance families remember most about competition day probably isn't whether they came first, third or didn't place at all. They remember how your studio made them feel. Amanda shares what she's noticed now that she's experiencing competitions from the other side — as a dance mum. After sitting in an audience for hours and watching her daughters compete, one of the most memorable parts of the entire day happened after the dancing had finished. The teachers brought the students out together. They encouraged the parents to clap. They took team photos. They celebrated what the dancers had done well and told them how proud they were. It took about five minutes. The dancers hadn't won everything. That didn't matter. They walked away feeling like absolute rock stars. That's the opportunity we unpack in this episode: how studio owners can stop making competition days purely about results and intentionally create an experience that builds dance studio culture, student retention and a genuine sense of belonging. In this episode we discuss... Why competition results aren't what most students and parents remember How your teachers can make students feel successful without relying on trophies Why the five minutes after a routine can be one of the most valuable parts of competition day How assigning staff to specific age groups can improve the student experience Why someone should be responsible for looking after your parents too Simple ways to celebrate dancers after they perform How small traditions, gifts and rituals can become part of your dance studio culture Why team names can create a powerful sense of belonging How helping dance parents form friendships can support retention Why studio owners need to separate their own competitive feelings from the student experience One of our favourite ideas from this conversation is incredibly simple: "you don't personally have to be everywhere." If you've got several age groups competing at once, assign teachers or team leaders to specific groups. Their job isn't simply to get the dancers backstage and onto the stage. They're there to create the experience. Warm them up. Play games between routines. High-five them when they come off stage. Take the photo. Celebrate what went well. At Bec's studio, younger dancers receive a medal after they come off stage at their first competition, regardless of the official result. It gives every child a physical reminder of what they achieved. But it doesn't need to be expensive. A little certificate, lolly bag or small collectible can work. What makes it special isn't the price. It's the story and tradition you build around it. The same thinking applies to parents. Competition days can be confusing for a new dance parent. They don't know when their child is dancing, where they're supposed to sit, how long sections take or whether they've got time to grab a coffee without missing the routine. Having a staff member or trusted team parent helping your families can completely change that customer experience. They can gather parents together, explain what's happening, introduce new families and encourage everyone to cheer for the team. Those small moments build relationships. And relationships build retention. A child might forget whether their jazz routine received second or third place. They'll remember laughing backstage with their friends. They'll remember their teacher telling them they smashed the turn they'd been working on. They'll remember the team chant, the silly mascot and everyone cheering when they walked outside. Their parents remember it too. That's dance studio culture in action. If you're heading into competition season, listen to this episode and ask one simple question: **How do we want our students and parents to feel when they go home?** Then build your competition day around that answer. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the Dance Principals United Podcast so you don't miss the next one. We'd also love you to leave a rating or review and share this episode with another dance studio owner who might need the reminder that winning isn't the only measure of a successful competition day.
