are you there from the first call time to the last awards ceremony? (which for some events is almost around the clock!)

are you there only part of the time? for only the routines that you choreographed yourself?

Right now I'm doing it all, because I'm the only one who handles the competition team. Just curious what the rest of you do!

I arrive about 2 hours before our first routine. If I have a break in between, I go eat or read a book or something. I VERY SELDOM watch the rest of the competition. I think it clouds my judgement and I find myself saying things like "You know that pirouette? Make it a triple because everyone here is doing triples" and VERY, VERY STUPID stuff like that. My performers must be ready to dance an hour before the scheduled time and they are to stretch and practice. Not sitting and watching (or texting or boyfriends, or parents unless theyre little) for that hour. I usually hang with them a bit, or let them know where I'll be. We don't compete that many routines, though. Like, more than 10 and less than 20 each year. That probably makes a difference. I can be more personal with my teams in that regard. I am the SO and the choreographer and the teacher.

I do stay until the end, or until I can pick up my studio packet--most places let you get it after the awards for your last group, I think. Ours always do. I don't stay until the end of the whole shebang. Usually we've got AT LEAST a 3 hour drive to get home.

Either I or my assistant director gets there in time for my studio's first call time--if it's one of those butt-crack of dawn call times and it's one of her dancers, I'll wait until just before their performance time to show up, & I'll make sure my assistant director has the music with her. I do stay to watch all of my students dance, & I'm always the last one to leave, no matter how late it is.

I worked for over a decade as the main competition team chick for another studio whose director did not make it a priority to attend all of the kids' dances; sometimes she didn't even show up for her own soloists' or groups' dances. I was the one left to rehearse & encourage them, to make excuses for her, to try to convince her students that she really did care but was unavoidably detained (after several times, they didn't believe it), and to comfort them when she wasn't there to congratulate them when they came offstage. I was the one drying their tears when they said, "I can't believe I worked this hard and she didn't even care enough to watch me." I was the one who watched their exhilarated faces fall when they learned that she wasn't in the audience. I will never, ever do that to my students! They are the loves of my life, and I will always be there to share in their triumphs and to help them learn to handle their failures.

When we did dance comps, I got there first thing in the morning to make sure everything was on track, if there were any changes, scout out a practice area, etc. I'd watch the show up until my kids got there. I had them come 3-4 hrs before they're up, enough time to practice, watch a little, and get ready. Some comps I could scoot after our awards, others I had to wait for the whole thing to be over until I got our scoresheets.

With clogging comps, it's very different.

We are there beginning to end- and require the students to stay for awards unless we are really far and it's really late. The problem we have is with conventions because the competition is Saturday night and then they continue classes on Sunday and have scholarship awards which we may only have one girl even up for- should we require everyone stay?? Last time we left early because both SO's came down with the flu and got flack for it because most of the students left too on behalf of our example and the girl up for scholarship had only a few supporters with her in the end.

I'm similar to most. I arrive about 2 hours before our first number and students arrive 90 minutes before their first number. I usually have 1 teacher/choreographer there at all times. I stay until after awards or scoresheet pick up depending on the comp. I remain active with the girls - primarily as organizer and cheerleader (I'm not a choreographer). I rely on the teacher/choreographer to do warm-ups, run throughs, and last minute tweeks. I work the dressing area with 2 moms and backstage. The teacher/choreographer works the warm-up area and back stage.

We are a tiny team of 10 with 15 routines in junior through senior age groups. We encourage our girls to come support each other as much a possible. However, if I have someone dancing late Fri night I don't expect them to be there Sat 7AM for our juniors. Also, aside from the 2 moms who help with costumes, no other adults are allowed back in the dressing or warm-up area - particularly our junior moms. No one can suck the joy out of the day like a dance mom. I'm one myself and I make sure someone else is helping may daughter. She has here first solo this year and I won't be back stage with her - her teacher will.

I require dancers be at the event an hour before they are scheduled, hair and makeup done. However I consistantly have kids arriving right on that mark without anything ready. It stresses everyone out, including me so I'm thinking I'm going to start requiring them to be an hour and a half or two hours early. Because of course they always have studios or dancers they want to watch or moms think it's someone elses job to help put their child's eyelashes on etc etc.

I also, as the studio owner, always make sure I get to run through ALL routines with the dancers. Last minute reminders and just a chance to hear the music before stepping backstage seems to always calm nerves. I'll never forget, one year at a regionals while I was practicing with a small group, there was a large junior group running through their routine beside us with their teacher no where to be found. When they struggled with a section of choreography, they started arguing with one another and one of them THREATENED to go ask their teacher to which another dancer said "Miss So&So said not to bother her and to figure it out ourselves!" I couldn't believe it! Later on I was actually in the audience while that group took the stage and they completely fell apart. My heart broke.