I have my first group of "little" ones (age 5) going to competition this year, and want to make sure that the parents are well informed and prepared for it!...In the past I have only had the teens, so I have never had to deal with "uninformed" parents....... I would appreciate any helpful information that I can pass along to them to make sure they understand how different from recital it will be , and to make sure I have all bases covered!

Thanks!

Make sure they completely understand make up and costume requirements. Bring an extra pair of tights,& shoes just in case of an unexpected run on lost pair. Arrive at the venue in plenty of time before the dancers are called back stage. Make sure they understand the rules of that particular competition (No parents backstage etc.) Are they allowed to leave as soon as their dancer is done competing or required to stick around or be in attendance for the awards ceremony? I know there is more but I hope this helps! Good luck!! Most important!!! HAVE FUN PERFORMING!!!!

Make sure you create a list of "must haves"(you can find a ton of them by poking around here). Many parents don't think to bring the extra safety pins, a needle and thread, hair ties, hair product, extra tights, hairpins, hairnets, clear polish, bandaids(even a small first aid kit is nice), beverages and snacks to keep energy and hydrated,
This will give them a checklist to go off of, because they don't know what to expect you will want to give them as much information as possible.

Definately tell them not to go backstage or any restricted areas, tell them they can get points deducted or whatnot this way it sounds serious and no one will try to push the buttons. Have them put all of the costumes together beforehand-as in the night before, and double check in the morning to make sure they didn't forget anything.

You also need to make sure they are aware of the required behavior at the competition. Please let them know to be courteous to every studio and every dance that takes the stage. Clap for everyone, even if they are not from your studio(this applies to the parents too). If you want their hair and makeup a certain way, this should be done before they arrive at the venue. Also, they must arrive at least XX time in advance in order to reherse and fix any potential problems. They need to be on their best behavior-no talking backstage or in the backstage area, leave room for other dancers, and yes most importantly have fun!!!

If the parents and students are informed they will have a much better time-less stress = more fun! Good luck!

You may want to ask a parent from your teen team. That parent might be able to assist you in coming up with information for the new parents. I would encourage you to have a parent meeting and this could be where one or more parents from the other team could assist in answering questions or offering supportive info.

I see another person suggested a check-off sheet along with the competitions guidelines. I think the guidelines are always important to go over with parents.

You may want to ask a parent from your teen team. That parent might be able to assist you in coming up with information for the new parents. I would encourage you to have a parent meeting and this could be where one or more parents from the other team could assist in answering questions or offering supportive info.

I see another person suggested a check-off sheet along with the competitions guidelines. I think the guidelines are always important to go over with parents.

Hope this helps

Have a meeting, for all parents, to go over things (with the paper work), and have time for questions.

Also, have experienced parents "adopt" a new parent and an experienced team member "adopt" and new member. This was a great help as they were not calling me all of the time and the experienced parents made them feel good about things and talk about stuff that they may feel weird asking the staff.

I did tell them that they were always allowed to ask any question, just pop me an email or note, and I will make time, if needed, but really, once we had the adopting thing going on, they did great.

We also had lessons on how to do hair and make up. When costumes were ordered (most were custom made), we just ordered shoes and tights with them. It was included in the price.

Oh, and if you want, I can email you stuff I have. Just email me at nanajanet1954@aol.com and I will send you my stuff. I am retired now but saved it all, in case others wanted the info.