Competition Preparedness

Competition Preparedness

Competitions are an exciting experience, but competition preparedness is key. Because without it, they can be an incredibly stressful time. As a studio owner, staff member, or parent-volunteer, you have the responsibility to relay detailed information, expectations, and general reminders of preparedness to our parents and students to ensure a pleasant, positive, and organized experience […]

How Studio Owners Feel About Dance Competitions

dance survey - How Studio Owners Feel About Dance Competitions

Recently, we did a small dance survey and asked for your thoughts about trends on the competitive circuit. Instead of small concerns or observations, the responses were overall negative and centered around: Inappropriate Costuming & Movement Excessive Tricks Too Many Props An Abundance of Guest Choreographers Lack of Technique Level Confusion/ Inconsistency As I thought […]

Dance Teachers: Three Quick, Last Minute Convention Supplies

last minute convention supplies feat

We go to great lengths to be as prepared and organized as possible at every single event, but there are a few items we ALWAYS forget for conventions. As you’re packing up, make sure you include these last-minute convention supplies! Scissors Every time we arrive at a convention and are distributing wristbands, we always forget […]

Dance Competition Scoring: Giving Good Critiques And Sharing Scores

dance competition scoring

After we return from each competition, we take the scores and feedback, transcribe the information into a document, and distribute it to our studio families. Many times, the results of the dance competition scoring reiterate information we’ve been communicating, and it serves as reinforcement for areas of improvement. From the perspective of a teacher/competition judge, […]

Kindness at Competition Starts with Your Dance Team

competition kindness and dance team

Bullying seems so senseless and unnecessary. And yet, it still occurs in seemingly all environments. It happens at school, extracurricular activities, via social media, and, yes, even from members of the dance team at competitions. Social media outlets has removed accountability and personal connectivity from today’s youth, allowing them an impersonal way of criticizing and […]

10 Dance Convention Tips!

dance convention tips

The dance convention environment is an important component in building strong, confident, adaptable, and resilient dancers. The experience is unique, challenging, and, when approached (and presented) correctly, highly effective and beneficial as a supplemental training opportunity. Here are 10 Tips for making each dance convention a successful experience for your dancers! 1. Dress to Flatter Yes, […]

Host a Hair and Makeup Seminar for Competitive Dancers at Your Studio

hair and makeup

The hair and make-up process for dancers, especially competitive dancers, can be daunting. To help parents and dancers understand the process of creating a particular hair and make-up “look”, host a hair and makeup seminar where parents and children can go through the process. That way, they can go through the motions step-by-step, in a […]

Dance Competition Team Guide for Studios

Many dance studios choose to have a performance or competition team of some variety. Having a competition team allows students with a greater interest in dance or the performing arts an opportunity to explore their passion in a variety of performance and educational settings. If your studio is considering starting a competition team, TutuTix and […]

10 Ways to Improve Your Dance Routine

dance routine

The choreography is prepared, your technique is strong, and you have been rehearsing in preparation for your upcoming performance/competition. Go through this checklist and make sure you are applying the following ways to improve your dance routine(s). Dance Routine Checklist Perform! Have a backstory, and use your movement to convey a story. Let your energy […]

Pre-Performance Dance Warm Up Exercises

dance warm up exercises

Prior to competing or performing, dancers should understand the importance of fully warming up their bodies. We spend a lot of time discussing this with our dancers, and we provide a checklist of proper pre-performance dance warm up exercises (FYI, sitting in a straddle is not a proper warm-up!). This way, if we are busy […]

Are Dance Competitions Worth It? Three Questions to Ask Yourself

Are Dance Competitions Worth It? Three Questions to Ask Yourself

There’s plenty to consider when asking the question “Are dance competitions worth it?” for your studio—-the endless hours of preparation, the cost to attend and the time it takes to travel. And yet the results for your students can far outweigh the headaches if competition opportunities are an important part of your studio goals. If […]

Sparkly Dance Costumes: How to Keep Glitter on Costumes

sparkly dance costumes

Sparkly dance costumes look fantastic on stage! But it’s not so fantastic when you start noticing glitter anywhere and everywhere the costume has been. If your dancer has a particularly sparkly dance costume for recital or competition, how can you keep that glitter where it belongs: on the costume? Check out this quick solution to […]

Add a Little Magic with Dance Studio Mascots

dance studio mascots

Last year, we decided to adopt a “Studio Mascot” for our studio and competitive team. Since we were attending Nationals in New Orleans, we selected a fun-looking alligator, named her Louise, and dressed her in dance-like attire (yes, we actually went shopping for a stuffed alligator). We introduced Louise to the studio with the following […]

5 Things to Consider When Preparing Solo Dance Choreography

solo dance choreography

In competitive dance, performing a solo is a significant investment- it requires a lot of time and financial support for choreography, costuming, and private lessons. As teachers and choreographers, it is our responsibility to provide the appropriate framework for the right routine for the right dancer. Ask yourself the following to see if you are […]

Dance Competition Dates: Developing a Competitive Schedule

dance competition dates

If your studio competes, you have likely encountered the dilemma of determining what competitions/conventions your studio will attend in any given season. With new competitions and conventions arriving on the scene fairly regularly, there are many choices. As a Studio Owner or Competition Team Director, it is important you choose a well-rounded, seasonal experience that […]