Studio Politics

Dance studio politics can create some difficult social scenarios.  When the director's child is a student, people are promoted to higher levels based on seniority rather than ability, and donations can "buy" leading roles, dancers and their parents often feel confused and uncomfortable.  Sometimes things happen for good (though hard-to-understand) reasons, and sometimes such happenings are indicative of an overall bad atmosphere.  In this post, I'll provide a little guidance on some of the most common studio politics issues and some advice on when to let things go, when to push back, and when to find a new home studio.

1.       My child wasn't promoted to the next level even though he/she seems to have the required ability for promotion.

Some rules and decisions regarding age and advancement make sense, like requiring students to be a certain age before getting pointe shoes.  This is a safety concern, so even if a 9-year-old is a prodigy, she needs to wait until the studio's standard age of 11 before getting pointe shoes to ensure she has a safe and successful pointe experience.  Other rules that prevent students under a certain age from participating in advanced levels or strenuous programs are also usually for health and safety reasons.  It's never worth it to get upset about level placement when age and physical maturity is part of the issue.  In this case, let it go.

Similarly, when it's required for a student to spend a certain amount of time in a level (like a full school year), never expect your child to be promoted before the allotted time is up.  In this case, let it go.

If age and amount of time aren't part of the problem, it's a good idea to ask the director or teacher for more information.  Always be polite and lighthearted, and ask only about your child.  "Connie's been in level 2 for a year now; I was wondering when she'll be ready for level 3," is a good way to start.  Most teachers will give you some information (like, "She's strong at the barre, but needs to work on her balance and turnout in the center.  She might be ready next year.") that will help clarify things.  Don't expect a full run-down of the student's abilities or how the leveling system works.  Ask thoughtful questions if you're still confused, but don't make accusations that your student is being singled out.  The teacher or director should provide answers as long as the info you're asking for is about your child and not other students (this can be breaking confidentiality).  It's the mark of an inexperienced or poor teacher if he/she refuses to answer.

If it's clear that other students are being promoted for seemingly unfair reasons, like in exchange for donations to the studio, that's an indicator that something not quite right is going on.  Calmly ask a staff member you trust if your suspicions are correct.  It's possible that it's a coincidence, and speaking to someone on staff should help you figure it out.  If you're right and there is a corrupt system in place, it's time to find a new studio.

2.      A student was promoted to the next level, and he/she does not seem to have the required ability.

It can be tough to watch a class and see one student lagging behind.  What's going on is probably a compassion promotion or a seniority promotion.  When students are enthusiastic recreational dancers who lack natural talent, they can sometimes look behind other dancers despite similar amounts of training and experience.  It gets hard for studio directors when students don't progress according to expectations.  It may be possible to have a student repeat a year once, but it becomes humiliating for the dancer if she's told to repeat the same level again.
Studio directors must weigh the pros and cons of making the student (and parent) happy with a level promotion and keeping the student in a level consistent with his or her abilities.  Sometimes this results in a compassionate promotion.  Similarly, students are sometimes given additional promotions in big years, like the 5th grade or 12th grade years (when it may be reasonable to assume that this will be the student's last year dancing).

If you see this going on with another student, don't worry about it unless that student is significantly impacting the level of the whole class (this rarely happens).  If it is affecting your child, encourage your dancer to speak to the teacher and ask to receive more personal corrections.  It's best not to mention any other dancers.

If this is happening to your child, have frequent check-ins about whether your student is happy and feels appropriately challenged.  If dance is too hard or no longer fun, it may be time to switch studios or find another activity.  If your student is happy, leave things as they are.  It's not worth creating the upset to address the issue.

3.      The teacher/director's child is a student in my child's class, and the teacher/director's child is getting more attention and/or a better dance education.

Try not to be upset about the fact that the director's child attends the studio and is in class with your child.  How could the director not have her child attend the studio when she's doing her best to run an establishment that provides a strong dance education?  Really, a director sending her child to a different studio is a mark that she thinks that other studios provide better programs than hers!

It's common for dance studio directors to foster their children's dreams (or push their own dreams) of a professional dance career.  Therefore, directors' kids might get more attention, more corrections in class, and more guidance on the requirements for moving from student to professional.  If your child dances only recreationally, this might be annoying, but isn't really a problem as long as your child's needs are met.  If your child is interested in pursuing a professional dance career, make sure the studio staff knows this.

In this day and age, it's common for students and parents to complain of unfair treatment if students get too many corrections or are not praised enough.  When training for a professional dance career, it's important for dancers to learn to deal with criticism.  When parents teach their own kids, they often have a good idea of how much criticism their kid can take before they begin to break down.  Teachers do not have this information about students they don't know as well.  Therefore, they often feel comfortable pushing their own kids harder because they don't fear them getting upset, complaining, or writing a bad review of the studio.  Encourage your student to talk to the teacher about his or her dance education needs to ensure he or she is getting the right balance of corrections and praise.  Most good teachers can adjust how they teach and talk to students to ensure everyone's getting the right amount of criticism.  When talking to the teacher, your student should use I-statements ("I would like...," etc.) and avoid discussing other students including the teacher's child.

If you ask specifically for help getting your child the training needed to pursue a professional dance career, the director should provide you with everything his or her child is getting.  However, it will probably cost you extra cash.  It just doesn't make sense for a teacher to pay herself for her child's private lesson, but it does make sense to charge you for your child's one-on-one session.  Even though it might not seem fair, it really is.
If the director refuses to work with your child for anything but a legitimate reason (like your child is extremely disrespectful or has an injury that really prevents dance training), move on and find a new home studio.

4.      The same people get cast as the leads in every performance.

It can be difficult to see the same dancers in leading roles each year with no variety.  At first glance, it can seem that the director has favorites.  While this is possible, there are also a few other less controversial possibilities.

If the people frequently chosen for the leads come from a particular group within the studio, like the highest class level or the group of high school students, and there are not any new additions to that group each year, this may be the pool of candidates for leading roles.  Unfortunately it takes 5 or more years to see if this is a pattern, but watch for new dancers joining this group and see how they are cast.  If these new people eventually get leading parts too, then this is the case.  This is not a problem, and there's nothing you can do to change it.  If you're younger or in a lower level, stick with your training and eventually you will get there.

Depending on the choreography for the shows being performed, there may only be a few dancers capable of performing it.  Many female ballet leads have to do multiple consecutive fouette turns en pointe.  If not many dancers at the studio can do that, this limits the number of candidates for a role.  The same thing goes for male dancers and partnering.  If a dancer isn't strong enough (yet) to lift a partner, he probably isn't (yet) a candidate for a leading role.
Most of the time, it's better to pay attention to your own parts (or your child's parts).  If you are cast in roles that get consecutively more advanced as you advance in class level, everything's going well.  You are moving up, and one day you may be a candidate for a lead.

If you are in the highest level or among the top auditionees for a part, yet don't get a leading part for several performances in a row, try speaking to the director.  Never be accusatory or demanding, but ask what elements you could improve in order to earn a leading role in the future.  Most good directors will offer a few tips.

If this still doesn't help after few seasons or it becomes clear that the leading dancers receive their parts in exchange for payment or other unfair means, it's probably not a good situation.  It's time to find a new studio.