This is my daughter's senior year and we made the big decision to change dance schools. The new school is more expensive than the last. They go to more competitions and conventions. I need a sponsor for her. She would like to pursue dance as a career so she will still need to keep training and we just can't afford it. I am unable to work and can not go out and do a bunch of fundraisers (such as carwashes) Does anyone have any suggestions?

Yes...some dance schools can be quite expensive! Keep in mind that competitions are good for stage experience, etc. but they are not mandatory for a dancer's career. Your daughter can pursue her dance career at a school where they attend less competions or none at all, but offer excellent training. Also, she can train at such a school, which will be less expensive, and audition for dance projects outside the school to gain stage and professional experience.

Both my daughter and I are dancers, yet we received excellent training without once going to competition. Do a bit of research around your area to find such schools that concentrate more on the training aspect as opposed to the competition aspect to save money (remember that, no matter what school she attends, you will still have to pay for costumes as well).

Also, make sure that this new school (if you decide to stay there) is worthy of what its charging for classes, as not all schools that are expensive can rise to the professional expectations of their students. In other words, just because it's expensive doesn't mean that it is good.

katcar wrote:

This is my daughter's senior year and we made the big decision to change dance schools. The new school is more expensive than the last. They go to more competitions and conventions. I need a sponsor for her. She would like to pursue dance as a career so she will still need to keep training and we just can't afford it. I am unable to work and can not go out and do a bunch of fundraisers (such as carwashes) Does anyone have any suggestions?

It sounds like good advice that Vibrations is giving you. (perhaps s/he could give you even better advice, if you shared more).

My daughter is also a senior. We are from So. Cal., but she found a sponsor, and is now training in Miami. On the same lines as Vibrations, if your daughter is a senior, she should already "be there" as a dancer, and should be focusing on her career. I don't think a different school will make that much difference at this point.

My daughter is focusing on the partnered dances for a specific career goal, so, I don't think I could give you the kind of advice that Vibrations could offer you. (Specific to your daughter's dance genre. I assume it's ballet, jazz, hiphop and other "jazz comp" dances.) However, many contemporary dancers aspiring to be pro dancers, soon discover that they lack the partnering skills that will help them in their career. In this area, I have a great deal of tips I can offer.
Feel free to pm me (P.S., my daughter is also a solo "contemporary" (see above) dancer.)
Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Oh my god, barrefly, you're absolutely right! Partnering is SO very much important, yet not too many places offer it. My daughter attends college as a dance major and there's absolutely no partnering offered. We've been looking at other schools and far and few actually offer it. All schools offering dance as a major should include partnering classes, as well as classes for men, especially for ballet. That, of course, is my humble opinion

P.S. Vibrations is a female

Missy was thinking about going to Juilliard until she found out they offer no partnered dances.

I just met a visiting SO at "The Edge" in L.A. this last weekend. (She brought her students on a field trip) She owns a comp studio (excuse the term), and I almost fainted when she told me that her studio also offers latin ballroom. Her studio is called "Emotions", and is from Utah.
(Hi S.O. of Emotions, if you're reading this.)

It's quite surprising about Juilliard. One would think such a prestigious school would be the first to offer partnering. Go figure.