Currently, I have 10 members on my team. It is divided into three sections:

Petite- 2 members
Junior- 3 members
Senior- 5 members

They each come for their own hour of company classes and do their own seperate dance. Parents pay an additional $30 a month for unlimited company classes. Meaning, if they are in a solo, this time is included in their $30. This next year I plan for my team to have 15-20 members and am thinking of doing some re-vamping. I want to be fair to all of my students. I was thinking for next year of having an hour and a half class with the whole company. During this practice, they would learn 2 large group fun numbers. Then from there, for those that are ready, I would pull out sm. groups, trios, duets and solos. Obviously, some kids won't get pulled out. Possibly, because this is their 1st year of competition or their just not ready yet. This way isn't set in stone and I am really wanting to hear how your studios run competition classes. Please help! Thanks!

I have auditions in September for my groups and begin rehearsal in October. I know that there are a lot of studios that have their auditions in the spring and then have summer rehearsals to learn their dances, so you could take that route too.

The auditions are for everything. The students learn a jazz, tap, modern and lyrical combo one week and then return the next week to perform them. They only audition for the dances they want to be considered for. They know before hand what the large group and small group styles will be and what time those classes will be held. From there, I also cast solos duos and trios based on talent, student schedules and studio availability. I charge $12 per lesson for small and large groups, $15 per lesson for duos/trios and $20 per lesson for solos. They have a weekly time slot and are expected to be there. Again, I know some studios that teach their dances in the summer have time slots during the school year that students can rehearse in every other week. I like to be hands on every week. It takes more time and effort during the school year, but it gives the kids more of a summer. Hope that helps, and feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

Anyone else have some advice?

I require my students to take one ballet class a week as well as a tap & jazz technique class. In addition, each team has a one hour choreography class where they learn the dances. My studio is a recreational studio and we do the novice/recreational division at competitons.

This is Lakisha By The way... In case I get The anonymus thing..
I think it is just different for every studio. I was going though the same thing that you are last week. Trying to figure out how to make it all work. I posted on here and the response I got from everyone veried so much. What I am going to end up doing is having a 21/2 hour tech class on mondays and 1 hour rehearsal class and a 1 hour Jazz class on Wednesday. THis is what i do now with my jazz team and it has worked so I am not changing it, except I did add a 1/2 hour to tech. My Hip Hop Kids will have seperate classes. So my kids are required to do 4 1/2 hours, but if they want to compete tap or pom or solo they must take more.

Where I teach now, we have our girls dance 3 days a week, one ballet/Lyrical, one Technique/Stretch and One choreography class. They have the option of Pointe and Hip hop as well. I am opening my own studio in the fall and plan to do the same but reuire them to take 4 classes a week plus a choreography class and then they have the option of taking tap, hip hop and other verious classes like turn classes, etc. I think alot of studios do it differently, just depends on how many dance rooms you have and how much time you have to open up to your dancers.

Auditions:
We have our auditions over a weekend in April
Students must be currently enrolled to audition and are invited to audition based on an evaluation each teacher fills out for interested students in February: Criteria include: Attendance, over all work ethic, potential, technique, ability.
There is a separate audition for each level at the audition they:
Are taken through a warm up, given progressions across the floor, and are taught choreography in Jazz, Lyrical, Tap.....ballet is a separate audition so that we can see barre work and really focus at look at each students technique.
Each student must try out each year even if they were on the team in the prior year and each prior member is subject to being cut pending there evaluation and audition.

Once they make the company students who are in there first year are put on probation as apprentices: they are used as alternates in competitions and must travel, participate, and practice with the company but do not compete unless a regular member needs to miss for an emergency.
All other students are placed at there age/ability level which is subject to our disgression.

Practices:
We finish all of our choreography by October. Most dances are completed over the summer months in rehersals scheduled via the teacher.
Competition Classes are a flat fee that you pay once you make the company
Students are then placed via the teacher in dances to there level such as there are large groups with all of the advanced dancers but there are small groups of advanced A and B depending on how advanced and how good of a showman you are.
If you are chosen for a solo duo or trio you owe a fee of 200 dollars: This includes the price of the choreography from your teacher and 7 private lessons to learn choreo, and practices after that are subject to a fee.
Other then Choreography class in the summer there is one day a week *(friday) that they have rehersals its from 5-9. Only company comes in that day and we practice. This remains all year long and is included in that first fee. They also have technique classes all week long. They are separated from our recreational students. They must take at least 1 Ballet tech. class, 1 Jazz class, 1 lyrical class, 1 Tap class a week. All girls on pointe must also attend a pointe class as well.