Each year, a group of our CDMS dancers join our competition team and dedicate extra time to learning routines, traveling, and representing our studio at different competitions. It can be a big leap for a dancer to transition from taking just their dance classes to adding on competition team classes - but it is very rewarding, too. Maci, one of our junior dancers and competition team members, loves competition "because it is like an adventure that will never end." Our competition team members are always facing a new adventure and gaining experience and knowledge that will help them become better dancers. In addition to gaining experience and knowledge, there are many more benefits to joining our competition team.
Building Reslience: Our dance teachers work with each student to support, encourage, and challenge them. Sometimes this can come as feedback that might be tough to hear. Being on our competition team helps our dancers become more comfortable and open to receiving feedback. Our competition dancers have learned to use this feedback to push them to work harder and bounce back when things are difficult.
More Performing Opportunities: Most dancers perform their class dances at our end of the year dance revue and have the best time! For our competition team dancers, they'll perform their competition routines in the revue, allowing them to have more performance time on stage. They will also perform at competitions throughout the season. This helps our dancers become more acclimated with being on stage and build confidence in front of audiences of all sizes.
Fun, Friendship, and Flexibility: Our competition team members spend lots of time together throughout the season. They build lifelong relationships with each other and their teammates become their best friends. By working so closely with their teammates, our competition dancers learn the importance of consistency, but also flexibility. Consistency is key when building strength and technique, but flexibility - in both senses of the word - is even more crucial. Being able to quickly adapt to a new style of dance or quick change in choreography is a skill that will help our dancers succeed both in and out of the dance studio.