Competition season is being developed for this year. My daughter is 8 and is supposed to be in 5 numbers this year.
The history: We did one solo tap number her first year. Fun. No real group/team feeling because she was the only one in her age range. Last year we did a tap solo and a tap duo. More fun because she had one other girl but still not part of the big competition team. This year I thought we may have 3 and that would be a challenge. Two was hard to manage to be honest last year. Rehearsals, costumes, weekend competitions, etc. She was offered 5 numbers thi year. She could do a solo if she wanted. Of course she does and she chose hip hop. (More thoughts on that choice later.) She is in a small group tap number. So cute. A little jazz trio. Adorable. A full company hip hop and full company musical theater tap number. I asked her which she wanted to not audition for. None. She wanted them all and loves them all. As a matter of fact, her solo is probably her least favorite number at this point and I think it's because she is alone. I am just getting it in my head that she wants people around her all the time.
The dilema: Is 5 numbers too many? 2 were difficult to manage. Let's not even factor in cost for this one. Just time and scheduling. 5 means the dance studio 7 days a week, every week.
Our studio learns competition numbers for a season and competes once a month for that season which is 6 months.
Competitions are the same as on "Dance Moms" TV show. Which brings me to my next thought... Is 5 numbers any worse of different than those girls learning new numbers every comepeition? It also gives an impression that they compete more frequently than monthly.
We are letting her try the 5. It is every day and we feel the pressure of the schedule already but I'll let you know how it goes.
