Dance Competitions: The positives and why we participate

The competition dance scene has a controversial reputation, particularly with the rise in popularity of reality TV shows. However, we want to talk about the positive side to dance competitions and how rewarding it can be for students.

At JOKSOD we only participate in two competitions each year and both are well-run beautiful experiences for our students with absolutely no pressure or negative competitiveness. We aim to foster that love of dance and performance with our students and participating in competitions is a great way to do this.

Here are the reasons we love dance competitions;

1.     Teaches our students about performing

Performance skills and artistry are transferable to many creative paths that children may want to pursue. With only one opportunity to be on stage a year this limits the possibilities for our students and so by providing more stage performances it helps to further build confidence, performance skills and artistry. Competitions provide a platform for students to showcase their skills on a wider scale and gain more exposure and performance experience. 

2.     How to work in a team and be a team player

The main opportunity for our students to perform in competitions is part of an age-related troupe. This is a group of students who are brought together to perform as a team and work hard to the benefit of that team – much like team sports. It’s a great way to reinforce the importance of commitment and how working together you can achieve success. All skills that are so important for children to grow up with.

3.     Increase skills in stage craft and creativity

Learning fresh choreography on a regular basis helps to keep student’s creative minds inspired and engaged. Creativity is such an important part of a child’s development and with the onset of the digital age it is becoming a skill that is tough to maintain. So many of our parents tell us how their children come away from dance and spend time at home creating their own choreography – this is just music to our ears. Inspiring creativity is just a wonderful part of performing.

4.     Builds resilience

Just like competitive sport within school or outside sporting clubs, children build resilience by understanding the elements of competition. At JOKSOD we don’t use any language around winning or getting ribbons, we focus on how commitment and hard work can be rewarding and if a prize is awarded then that is great to celebrate, but if nothing is won that’s ok too. Life doesn’t mean winning all the time, as long as we try our best then that is all we can do. We can all learn so much from these experiences.

5.     Builds friendship and long-lasting bonds

Competition environments are so exciting for students and the energy and enthusiasm they share brings them even closer together. Some students participate in solos and with that comes the support and encouragement of others. We LOVE how supportive our JOKSOD community is and whatever prizes are handed out everyone is always so happy for each other. These experiences create more intense bonds between the students, and we see the friendships flourishing throughout the year.

6. Learning opportunities for feedback

Competition environments provide a unique opportunity for students to receive constructive feedback on their development from industry professionals. This supports the long term growth of dancers and additional learning opportunities. We always encourage dancers to listen and or read the comments from adjudicators and to take this on board for the next experience. 

How to support your child in competitions

We want all our parents to know that there is no expectation from JOKSOD for any competition dances. All we ask is that every student shows a commitment, enjoyment and tries their hardest in all rehearsals and preparation for the day. 

Some children do get disappointed with the outcomes, which is understandable. However, we always talk to the students about the subjectivity of adjudication, particularly in creative arts and it is how you take on board the disappointment and use that energy to work even harder and keep improving on your dancing. All dancers have set backs, but we always want to work on our resilience and embrace the moments to stretch the boundaries of your potential. 

We are proud of every single student that gets on the stage to represent JOKSOD and know how hard they all work to get there.

We are not and will never be a ‘win at all costs’ studio, our focus is to celebrate the occasion and inspire the love of dance.

Find out more about our troupe work here.