Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / Changing Studios - When Is It The Right Time?

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Changing Studios - When Is It The Right Time? · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_05: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_05: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_05: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_05: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance, from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:25
SPEAKER_05: Dancers change studios for many reasons, from a family move, to a need for more or less rigorous training, to a desire to study a different style of dance.
0:33
SPEAKER_05: Today we hear from three perspectives: a studio owner, a dance parent, and a dancer about how to change studios and what to look for when making that decision.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: Hey everyone, welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I'm here, like always, with my co-host, Leslie Mueller.
0:54
SPEAKER_05: Hello, Courtney.
0:55
SPEAKER_05: I'm here with my co-host, Charlotte the Cat, who's always with us at Podcast Day.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: She is always, always here on Podcast Day.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: I love seeing her on my video, see just popping up behind you, walking around, giving cute little meows every now and then.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: Just trying to contribute to the conversation.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
1:13
SPEAKER_00: Well, hello, Leslie and Charlotte.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: I'm super pumped for this episode today.
1:18
SPEAKER_05: Me too.
1:19
SPEAKER_05: We uh have gotten a lot of requests for an episode like this because I think people change studios all the time for many reasons, and it's interesting to explore those reasons and maybe give some advice on uh how if you if you do choose to do that, how to do it in the best way that's gonna be the most helpful for you and your kid, your dancer.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to learn from our guests today, which are all brand new.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: But before we jump into our episode with our wonderful guests, we want to tell you some of our share with you some of our Making the Impact Award winners.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: As you have heard throughout this entire season and for the past two seasons of comp in the competition world, we are sponsoring an award called the Making the Impact Judges Choice Award.
2:02
SPEAKER_00: This is distributed at all IDA affiliated competition events with at least one IDA judge on that panel.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: And your IDA judges will select one dance from the entire weekend solo through production that they felt made an impact to them, whether it was through their technique, their performance, their execution.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: They want to recognize you.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: They just could not stop thinking about this dance by the end of the weekend.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: And all winners will receive a beautiful Making the Impact plaque.
2:29
SPEAKER_00: But also, you get a shout-out live on our podcast.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: So let's announce our very first winner.
2:35
SPEAKER_05: From Streets Dance Conventions event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, congrats to BDS Studio in Paradise, Utah for their duo trio remedy.
2:43
SPEAKER_00: From DECA Dance Competitions event in Meadowlands, New Jersey, congrats to Yolanda's Academy of Music and Dance from West New York, New Jersey for their production, Workin' Day and Night.
2:53
SPEAKER_05: And from Legend National Dance Competitions event in Ewing, New Jersey.
2:57
SPEAKER_05: Congrats to Starstruck Dance Academy from Ocean View, New Jersey for their large group, The Glass Ceiling.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: Congrats to all of our recent Making the Impact winners.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: If you're a winner of our award, don't forget to register your award by scanning the QR code on the back of your plaque, and we'll give you a shout-out on a future podcast episode.
3:14
SPEAKER_00: And now let's hear from our sponsors.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: Our season five premiere sponsor, Francisco Gullah Danceworks, is thrilled to introduce New Century Dance Project, a performance festival for the aspiring choreographers.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: Throughout the seven-day intensive, you will learn the craft of choreography from the perspective of not only the choreographer, but also for the dancers.
3:34
SPEAKER_00: New Century Dance Project hosts many components during their event, such as a choreography intensive, a prestigious choreography competition, concert performances, and community outreach events.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: The intensive starts each day with a technique class, followed by classes and seminars that will help you hone your choreographic skills, like compositional techniques, improv, music selection, lighting design, and so much more.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: Submit your work into the New Century Dance Project Choreography Competition, which offers three different age groups, high school, undergraduate, and emerging professional.
4:07
SPEAKER_00: The competition results in a critic's choice winner and a people's choice winner for each age division.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: If you're an aspiring choreographer 15 years or older and looking to advance your composition game, then head to the New Century Dance Project, happening this summer in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from July 29th through August 4th, 2024.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: And don't forget, if you want to save$75, use our exclusive podcast promo code, MAKING THE IMPACT in all caps when registering for the festival.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: Learn more on their website and register now at New Century Dance Project.org.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: Thank you to Francisco Gella Danceworks for being our season five premiere sponsor.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: Alright, Danceworld! We're jumping in to our episode this week.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: And this is a hot one.
4:53
SPEAKER_00: It's all about changing studios for your dancer.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've been at a studio that you've been contemplating.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: Should I continue my time here?
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Or should I look elsewhere and take my training somewhere else?
5:03
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you absolutely love your studio and you have no thought of changing ever because of all of the amazing training that you're getting, the friends that are had, all of the things.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of reasons why dancers might need to leave studios, even maybe a family move across the country to a different state.
5:20
SPEAKER_00: That's also another reason why changing studios might happen in your lifetime as a training dancer.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: And we have two, actually, ooh, three brand new guests who are joining us on this week's episode.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: The first guest that I can't wait to welcome to the podcast, I finally got her here, and I've just been waiting to have her on making the impact.
5:40
SPEAKER_00: She is one of my closest friends.
5:42
SPEAKER_00: I grew up dancing with her at our studio in Maryland.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: She's now a studio owner herself, and I'm so proud of her.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: And the fun fact about this guest is that they're a new IDA judge this season, and they're bringing the studio owner perspective as well as the personal dancer perspective because I met them when they changed studios to my studio when we were young growing up in Maryland.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to welcome my dear friend Emily Martin to the podcast.
6:09
SPEAKER_00: Welcome, Emily.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Hi, thank you.
6:10
SPEAKER_04: I'm excited to be here.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: Yay! I'm so excited for you to be here, Em, and I'm so proud of you being a studio owner.
6:18
SPEAKER_00: I've had the pleasure of teaching your dancers all over the summertime.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: And I'm just, you're just doing so many great things for the Maryland dance scene.
6:26
SPEAKER_04: Yay, thanks.
6:27
SPEAKER_04: I'm trying, you know, year 11 we're going on right now for the studio, which is crazy to say.
6:33
SPEAKER_04: But yeah, thanks.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: It's so crazy.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: And also a fun fact, Emily and I were roommates in New York City.
6:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:40
SPEAKER_00: My very first roommate in New York City.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: Like that, we go way back, y'all.
6:44
SPEAKER_00: So Emily, tell the world more about you.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, you you're in Maryland, where and that's where you grew up, but tell them about your early dance training, and then if you want to talk about New York and then how you got into studio ownership and what you're working on now.
6:58
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
6:59
SPEAKER_04: So obviously train with Courtney, change studios, so I have experience in different training atmospheres growing up and moving around to different studios and locations.
7:09
SPEAKER_04: Moved to New York, first roommate with Courtney, did some dancing for small contemporary companies there, decided to move back to Maryland and continue my training in more of Pilates focused while teaching dance here.
7:22
SPEAKER_04: Got my uh master's certification in Pilates.
7:24
SPEAKER_04: And I had the opportunity, I was teaching at a studio in Annapolis and had the opportunity to purchase it.
7:29
SPEAKER_04: And we did.
7:30
SPEAKER_04: And it's me and my mom ownership now.
7:32
SPEAKER_04: We have 11 years under us, which is again crazy to say.
7:37
SPEAKER_04: And just keep, we're just keeping going.
7:40
SPEAKER_04: We're trucking along.
7:41
SPEAKER_04: I think we finally, you know, as a studio owner perspective, I think it takes a solid six years to to get your method or your your reasoning across and out there.
7:51
SPEAKER_04: So we're kind of on this great journey right now where things are kind of lining up as far as my teachers and my faculty and my staff and and the way we're training our dancers, which is super exciting.
8:01
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
8:01
SPEAKER_04: And just judging a bit this season as well.
8:04
SPEAKER_04: And yeah.
8:05
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
8:06
SPEAKER_00: And uh do you want to tell the world what your studio?
8:09
SPEAKER_00: What the name of your studio is so they can be on the lookout?
8:11
SPEAKER_04: Level Dance Project, Annapolis, Maryland.
8:15
SPEAKER_04: Woo! Go, Maryland, be on the lookout, y'all.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: And I know y'all go all over the place.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: Like sometimes you'll pop up to Jersey, you'll go down to we go to Vegas, we'll Pittsburgh.
8:25
SPEAKER_04: We're all kind of all over the East Coast with the kids.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: So amazing.
8:28
SPEAKER_00: So be on the lookout for a Level Dance Project.
8:31
SPEAKER_00: All of our listeners, they're super fierce, and they always have some really great jazz dance happening and contemporary dance happening on the stage.
8:37
SPEAKER_00: So thanks for joining us on the pod.
8:40
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: All right, our next special guest.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: We have two guests.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: We started with one guest, and then before the episode started, our guest was like, Well, actually, my daughter's here as well.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: Should she join in on this?
8:53
SPEAKER_00: This kind of directly impacted her.
8:55
SPEAKER_00: This episode is about her.
8:57
SPEAKER_00: So I was like, yes, let's do it.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: Let's bring both of them onto the podcast.
9:02
SPEAKER_00: They are fans of the pod.
9:04
SPEAKER_00: They are longtime listeners, and Dance Mom Perspective and Dancer Perspective is joining us.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to welcome Roshana and Celia Sims to the podcast.
9:14
SPEAKER_00: Welcome, y'all.
9:15
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
9:17
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
9:18
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
9:18
SPEAKER_02: Well, my name is Celia.
9:21
SPEAKER_02: I'm 12 years old.
9:22
SPEAKER_02: I've been dancing since I was two, so 10 years.
9:26
SPEAKER_02: I've always loved dancing.
9:27
SPEAKER_02: I've been dancing in the living room wherever I could since I w came out the room practically.
9:33
SPEAKER_02: And I just love dancing.
9:34
SPEAKER_02: This is my mom.
9:38
SPEAKER_02: I think I I think I got some of my dance moves from her too.
9:41
SPEAKER_02: I have a lot of I have a lot of like energy and ideas.
9:43
SPEAKER_02: So I think I got it from her.
9:45
SPEAKER_02: I just really love dancing, and when I get older I might want to own a studio like Miss Emily.
9:51
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:51
SPEAKER_02: That's just one of my dreams.
9:53
SPEAKER_03: Very cool.
9:54
SPEAKER_03: Well, before I was Salia's mom and dance mom.
9:57
SPEAKER_03: Um fun fact is I'm actually originally originally from New York.
10:01
SPEAKER_03: And we actually have family in Maryland.
10:02
SPEAKER_03: So next time we're in Maryland, we might stop by and see Emily at the studio.
10:06
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
10:06
SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh, dopping.
10:08
SPEAKER_03: Professionally, yeah, that'd be great.
10:10
SPEAKER_03: And Celia loves learning from different people.
10:13
SPEAKER_03: So this is a great this is great for us and listening to us and kind of leading to some of the reasons why we did decide to switch studios.
10:20
SPEAKER_03: But before I was Salia's mom, that's my title now.
10:24
SPEAKER_03: I was a I'm a professional counselor in a mental health field.
10:27
SPEAKER_03: I've worked in the mental health field for about 20 plus years.
10:29
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I've owned my own practice.
10:32
SPEAKER_03: Now I'm since she started dancing, I gave up the practice because being a dance mom is a full-time another side career.
10:39
SPEAKER_03: But I'm just loving this journey.
10:41
SPEAKER_03: I love listening to you guys.
10:42
SPEAKER_03: I've learned so much because I have no dance background.
10:45
SPEAKER_03: I was a basketball player, so I have team sports background, but I don't have dance background.
10:50
SPEAKER_00: Got it.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: So cool.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
10:53
SPEAKER_02: Right.
10:53
SPEAKER_02: As of right now, since I switched Deas, I go to uh Powerhouse Dance Center in Kennesaw, Georgia.
10:58
SPEAKER_05: Wait, how did I not know y'all were from Kennesaw?
11:01
SPEAKER_05: I was in Georgia.
11:02
SPEAKER_05: My mom's studio is in Kennesaw.
11:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're in Georgia.
11:06
SPEAKER_03: We all know I didn't know.
11:09
SPEAKER_03: Dang, that's cool.
11:13
SPEAKER_03: We knew we knew about where you were from Georgia.
11:15
SPEAKER_03: We actually live in Powder Springs, but we go we go to Kennesaw on social media.
11:19
SPEAKER_05: Cool.
11:19
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, Powerhouse is a great studio.
11:21
SPEAKER_02: I feel like it's a great fit for me now, and I feel like I've grown a lot since Witching Studio.
11:27
SPEAKER_05: Awesome.
11:27
SPEAKER_05: Great.
11:28
SPEAKER_05: Well, we can't wait to hear more.
11:29
SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: This is gonna be a lot of fun.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: Well, let's jump into this chat.
11:33
SPEAKER_05: Yes, yes, yes.
11:34
SPEAKER_05: All right, cool.
11:35
SPEAKER_05: So we have so many different perspectives and a perspective we didn't expect to have from the student.
11:39
SPEAKER_05: So we will cover everything.
11:42
SPEAKER_05: So I guess so, Emily, speaking as a studio owner, what are some of the reasons that you've heard?
11:48
SPEAKER_05: I'm sure you've had students leave your studio for another space or come to you from another place.
11:54
SPEAKER_05: What are some of the reasons that you've heard from people that they're coming to you from another studio or have decided to leave your studio?
12:00
SPEAKER_04: From the perspective of coming to my studio, there's a there's a few different reasons.
12:05
SPEAKER_04: We are in a military town.
12:06
SPEAKER_04: We are very there's the Navy, Army, Coast Guard, everything is kind of stationed in Annapolis.
12:11
SPEAKER_04: So we get a lot of transient people that are moving to the area or leaving.
12:15
SPEAKER_04: So that's sometimes something that we run into.
12:18
SPEAKER_04: They'd want to stay, but I have to kind of guide them on way where they're forced to kind of move to and help guide them in finding a different studio there.
12:26
SPEAKER_04: Or they come and they move here because their their parent was stationed here.
12:30
SPEAKER_04: So that's sometimes a reason.
12:32
SPEAKER_04: Besides that, honestly, sadly, the biggest reason is bullying.
12:36
SPEAKER_04: Really?
12:37
SPEAKER_04: I've I mean, I hear it so much whether it's the teachers bullying the children or other children bullying the children.
12:43
SPEAKER_04: A lot of it is that perspective.
12:45
SPEAKER_04: That's our main, that's one of the main reasons.
12:48
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, sadly.
12:49
SPEAKER_00: That is sad.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: It's really sad to hear that.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: And of course, you're like, all right, well, I I you know what environment you create at your studio space where you can guarantee that there's like a no no tolerance for bullying, obviously.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: And uh and and I mean that's gotta be hard though, because I feel like kids sometimes you can't control what these kids are doing in between classes or social media, you know, on their phones.
13:13
SPEAKER_00: Right.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, on their phones.
13:15
SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm sure there's some type of contract that's being signed with all dancers on the team before the season starts, but there's still only so much you can do.
13:24
SPEAKER_00: And like even if the parents aren't even aware that bullying might be taking place on the dancer side, that's that's gotta be tough.
13:30
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
13:31
SPEAKER_04: And a lot of like my kids, for instance, go to the same public schools, so then they go to school and then they come to dance and they spend over I mean, they spend their entire day together.
13:40
SPEAKER_04: So if it's not happening in the studio, it may be happening in their in their school.
13:44
SPEAKER_05: Right.
13:44
SPEAKER_04: And on social media.
13:46
SPEAKER_05: Did was that a factor for y'all changing studios at all?
13:49
SPEAKER_02: I feel like bullying, it's it's happened everywhere.
13:53
SPEAKER_02: Like from school, because I know I have friends that I danced with, they go to the same schools.
13:57
SPEAKER_02: But also at my old studio, they s some kids still went to the same school and didn't even talk to each other at school.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: So it mainly could be happening at dance too.
14:07
SPEAKER_03: I would say that bullying wasn't Celia's experience, but we do have friends who left studios because of bullying and severe bullying to where a police had to be involved.
14:16
SPEAKER_03: Oof.
14:17
SPEAKER_03: Wow, y'all, let's just dance.
14:18
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
14:19
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: You know, like are we really dancing children?
14:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
14:23
SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
14:24
SPEAKER_05: That is wild.
14:25
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
14:26
SPEAKER_00: So, what was the reasoning for you both to decide?
14:29
SPEAKER_00: And I know Roshana, you mentioned that it was actually Celia who made the the decision.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: Is that true?
14:36
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
14:37
SPEAKER_02: I feel like I was I was in a good position where I was.
14:42
SPEAKER_02: But going to competitions, conventions, and seeing other kids my age and realizing I could be there.
14:49
SPEAKER_02: I'm just not no one's really focusing on me enough to help me put to push me to help me get there.
14:55
SPEAKER_02: And so I feel like that was a big decision that like helped me decide to move because I feel like I wasn't really being pushed enough.
15:05
SPEAKER_02: And I felt like the teacher, she saw it in me that I like had the ability to be pushed and just never really decided to do it.
15:13
SPEAKER_02: So, like after I took one class at my new studio, I felt like it was just like like they pushed me more.
15:19
SPEAKER_02: I just felt like it was the perfect fit.
15:21
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
15:22
SPEAKER_03: For me as a parent and listening to her and telling me she didn't feel challenged, she didn't feel like she was growing.
15:27
SPEAKER_03: Um, that was a deciding factor.
15:29
SPEAKER_03: But we did we did have some good teachers who did see some things in her.
15:32
SPEAKER_03: Um we have one of our teachers, Graham Dobbs.
15:35
SPEAKER_03: He was phenomenal.
15:37
SPEAKER_03: He fed into her, he he he encouraged her, he advocated for her, he advocated for her to dance up because he did see something in her, saw the potential in her and saw that she needed more growth.
15:49
SPEAKER_03: And that the station the the team the level that she was at, she wasn't getting that.
15:53
SPEAKER_03: And that was the five deciding factor to say, hey, we might need to look for somewhere else.
15:58
SPEAKER_03: Because she would talk to me all the time about how she wants to do this later on in her career, but she wasn't getting the training that she needed to pursue to pursue dance further.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: That's uh I mean, uh props to you at Celia for recognizing that at such a young age because I feel like you said you're 12, and I think that is like a really well what how old were you when you y'all switched?
16:18
SPEAKER_02: I switched to that.
16:19
SPEAKER_02: I was nine turning ten.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's like that's kind of a major uh turning point for a dancer, I think.
16:27
SPEAKER_00: Like those years are really crucial in a dancer's training to get that foundational cohesive training across the board consistently at a studio.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: So if you would have waited until now, like when you were 12, it actually would have been harder for you to kind of play catch up, where at 9, 10, that's like the perfect time where you love this, you knew you wanted to take this seriously, you wanted to be challenged more.
16:50
SPEAKER_00: Like it sounds like a very mature choice on your end at such a young age.
16:54
SPEAKER_00: And it sounds like that the new studio that you're at is giving you that push that you need.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: So good for you for making that decision and and good for mom also for recognizing that.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: Because that's that's hard too.
17:06
SPEAKER_00: It's probably a it could be a f financial, stronger financial burden for you.
17:11
SPEAKER_00: It definitely is a longer time commitment if you're uh commuting in further away to go to a different studio.
17:16
SPEAKER_00: I mean, all those factors come into play.
17:18
SPEAKER_03: I was saying the decision wasn't easy.
17:20
SPEAKER_03: It wasn't easy at all.
17:21
SPEAKER_03: There was a lot of tears because at our previous studio, she was there for nine years, and that's where she knew all her friends were.
17:29
SPEAKER_03: She was connected to the teachers, but she felt that the teachers weren't recognizing where she wanted to grow and w and where she needed to be pushed.
17:38
SPEAKER_03: And that was sad it was sad to me as a as a parent to hear her say that.
17:42
SPEAKER_03: And so we went to this new studio, she took one class, and just one class, she was like, Mommy, this is where I need to be.
17:48
SPEAKER_02: I feel like it was de it's definitely a scary decision because I have made so many friends there, so many connections with people who I've just known for all my life.
17:57
SPEAKER_02: But honestly, I feel like after changing, it was just even more of like a stronger connection.
18:03
SPEAKER_02: I felt like it was like an instant click between me and the other girls and all the other teachers and people I danced with.
18:10
SPEAKER_04: What were you gonna say, Emily?
18:11
SPEAKER_04: I was gonna say it's good for you guys to do that as well, and it's a hard step to take.
18:15
SPEAKER_04: I've heard I've had people come to the studio wanting to change studios, but not because they like being the best where they are.
18:22
SPEAKER_04: They are comfortable at being on top and they're not worried about training at a different caliber.
18:28
SPEAKER_04: So the fact that you want that is so amazing and admirable of you at such a young age.
18:33
SPEAKER_05: How did Roshana, how did the studio owners react?
18:36
SPEAKER_05: I mean, had y'all just sort of made the decision and did you consult them to say, do you think like was there ever a conversation like we want to be pushed more, she wants to be pushed more?
18:44
SPEAKER_05: What can you do?
18:45
SPEAKER_05: Or were y'all like, we just are gonna say goodbye and go?
18:49
SPEAKER_03: I'm going to be honest, and there were some decisions that were made going into the next season that really solidified that we need to leave.
18:57
SPEAKER_03: On the studio end.
18:58
SPEAKER_03: So for Celia, I know for a lot of kids.
19:01
SPEAKER_03: Yes, for I know for a lot of kids, getting a solo is the epitome of everything at the studio.
19:07
SPEAKER_03: For Celia, her solo meant that she was growing because she wasn't growing at the level of the team that she was on.
19:13
SPEAKER_03: And she was told that she was going to move up and she didn't move up.
19:17
SPEAKER_03: And for many years, she was allowed to split her time to stay with kids that were her age and also dance with older kids.
19:23
SPEAKER_03: So going into the new season, she didn't get a solo, she didn't move up, and then they took away the opportunity for her to grow to dance up a level.
19:32
SPEAKER_03: And so she felt stuck.
19:34
SPEAKER_03: And I didn't I didn't say anything to anyone, I didn't say anything to the studio owner.
19:39
SPEAKER_03: I had a conversation with my child, and she said, I'm I feel stuck.
19:44
SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna grow.
19:45
SPEAKER_03: From those other two experiences, whether it was my solo, whether it'd be an opportunity to dance up, I felt I was growing.
19:51
SPEAKER_03: And now that that's been taken away from me, it felt like I was being punished and I was in a box.
19:55
SPEAKER_03: And so I did I felt like for many years I had spoken to the studio owner about, you know, where does she need to grow?
20:02
SPEAKER_03: Where, you know, what else should we be doing?
20:04
SPEAKER_03: And I was always told it's just her age.
20:07
SPEAKER_03: So she was being pigeonholed because of her age.
20:10
SPEAKER_03: And because of that, I just decided we had a conversation.
20:13
SPEAKER_03: We said, Hey, do you want to go try something else?
20:15
SPEAKER_03: We went to and I I I had followed Powerhouse for many years, and I spoke to other parents who went there.
20:21
SPEAKER_03: I spoke to other teachers who knew about the studio, and I said, Hey, let's try this out, and she said, Okay.
20:26
SPEAKER_03: And we went took one class and she was like, Mommy, this is where I need to be.
20:30
SPEAKER_02: And when I was first making the decision to leave, and we had just found out like what how next year is gonna happen, like how it's gonna unfold.
20:38
SPEAKER_02: I was I I talked to the city owner directly.
20:41
SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah, she didn't.
20:42
SPEAKER_02: And the first thing she told me, it she was comparing my situation to other people's.
20:47
SPEAKER_02: She was telling me, Oh, so and so didn't get this either, so you're fine.
20:51
SPEAKER_02: That I'm not them.
20:52
SPEAKER_02: That's just they might be trying to grow at a different pace as me.
20:55
SPEAKER_02: I'm trying to get where I want to be with the right training that I need.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: And after she started like comparing my situation to other people, I just felt like that's it.
21:06
SPEAKER_02: That that's I don't want that happening anymore.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
21:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:13
SPEAKER_00: She felt it, she knew it was the right choice for her to make the move.
21:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm just so impressed by you.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: That is really, really, really awesome.
21:21
SPEAKER_00: And it is a hard decision.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: We're and and it's really interesting to hear like how young you are to make not only make that choice, but also experience that in your life at such a young age.
21:31
SPEAKER_00: I think that's going to make you so strong walking into adulthood.
21:34
SPEAKER_00: You already have experience in making a a tough life choice.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: And for the better or for the worse.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: In this case, it sounds like for the better, but we we all as human beings in our lifetime are gonna have to make those tough decisions.
21:49
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we never know what's on the other side, and it's a scary one to make.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: But I'm just really inspired by your choice.
21:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so great.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: So, M, I know.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: That you said that you have a lot of dancers that come in and out of your town of Annapolis, like you said, with the military families and things like that.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: So, how has it been if there have been dancers who tell you mid-season, we have to move next year?
22:16
SPEAKER_00: This is our last season, uh, we're so devastated to leave.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: How do you what do you look for in a studio when you're helping guide them and counsel them?
22:26
SPEAKER_00: Do you just let them pick, or are they coming to you saying, can you help us find training that's similar to what I'm getting at Level Dance Project?
22:32
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, m for the most part, I mean, it's it's always sad losing a student, especially just due to the fact that they their lives are getting uprooted and they have to move because that's what their job, what their parents' job assignment was.
22:44
SPEAKER_04: But always, I I I usually always have a conversation with them and guide them in a particular area where they're gonna live.
22:50
SPEAKER_04: I always look at the training and do my research, social media, websites, YouTube, and I try to give them a couple options of of what they're looking for.
22:58
SPEAKER_04: Some some people aren't looking for a very competitive studio.
23:01
SPEAKER_04: Some people are.
23:02
SPEAKER_04: Some people are just looking for a you know, a weekly program that they can do a recital at the end of the year, and that's where I'll guide them.
23:09
SPEAKER_04: And then the ones that want a little bit more, they want a competitive atmosphere, I'll guide them there as well.
23:14
SPEAKER_04: So I give them kind of a bunch of options.
23:21
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23:31
SPEAKER_00: New Century Dance Project focuses on teaching the craft of choreography and why it's important for both choreographers and the dancer.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: The festival components include a choreography intensive for dancers ages 15 to 24, a choreography competition, concert performances, and community outreach events.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: The seven-day intensive starts every day with a technique class.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: After that, participants will head into classes and seminars that aid in the choreographic process, such as compositional techniques, improv, use of prop, music selection, partnering, lighting and design, and so much more.
24:05
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24:11
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24:28
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24:33
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24:42
SPEAKER_00: Learn more on their website at New Century Dance Project.org.
24:51
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
24:51
SPEAKER_05: Do you do you utilize that says a lot like the dance teacher Facebook pages?
24:55
SPEAKER_05: I see so many times people are posting like, does anybody know I have this great family moving to X City?
25:00
SPEAKER_05: You know, do you utilize that option as well?
25:02
SPEAKER_04: I don't because I'm honestly awful at my social media.
25:07
SPEAKER_04: I am so bad at social media.
25:11
SPEAKER_04: So I don't, but I do go on there if I have if I have someone looking in a certain area.
25:15
SPEAKER_04: I'll I'll scroll back and do my research about different studios, especially in areas that I don't know.
25:20
SPEAKER_04: Like I don't know a bunch for the Midwest.
25:23
SPEAKER_04: But if it's East Coast, I'm like, okay, well, I can direct you.
25:25
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's important too, like the re uh the research that you're talking about.
25:30
SPEAKER_03: I can really respect that that what you do as far as researching.
25:33
SPEAKER_03: Because you know, just because your studio is not a fit for what another child, there might be something out there that better fits that child's need.
25:39
SPEAKER_03: So I can really respect you as a studio owner that would do something like that.
25:43
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
25:44
SPEAKER_04: I mean, we tell kids that even if they're not leaving the area for you know, those that reason, we tell kids we might not be your fit.
25:50
SPEAKER_04: And if not, we want to make sure you find your fit.
25:53
SPEAKER_04: I think that's really important because these are children at the end of the day, and we want to make sure that they have the best guidance that they can possibly get.
26:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: And I applaud you also for helping guide them in the right way.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: Because as we know, and even Roshana, you said you don't know anything about dance.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: Now you do, but you know, walking into this, you were you didn't know.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: You were a basketball player growing up.
26:15
SPEAKER_00: So a lot of a lot of dance moms are in the same situation where they're like, I found this great studio and now I'm forced to leave this this great studio.
26:23
SPEAKER_00: How do I find another great one?
26:25
SPEAKER_00: It might look great on social media, it might look good with what they're choosing to post to advertise them, but we as educated and experienced dance instructors and studio owners, we can see the training, if it's good or bad, from one video, from uh, you know, a montage clip of your studio, we can see, oh, that there's some flaws there.
26:48
SPEAKER_00: I'm not quite sure if the ballet training's up to the level that you expect that you have here with us right now.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: If you go to that other studio, it might not be the same caliber.
26:57
SPEAKER_00: Or, oh wow, well, if you want to focus on hip-hop, this is the I can tell that they have a really great hip-hop studio.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: Like, again, like Emily mentioned, there's gonna be like pros and cons to every studio that you go to, and some will have different levels of training.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: But RI, as teachers, can help guide you to making sure the quality of training is comparable in the research.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: You know, you're gonna probably narrow it down to, okay, I have XYZ studios, they do like I'm and even this could be a great question.
27:24
SPEAKER_00: Like, what are some of the the attributes of a dance studio that you're looking?
27:29
SPEAKER_00: What are some of the like pros of a dance studio?
27:32
SPEAKER_00: Is it location?
27:33
SPEAKER_00: Is it do they win at competition all the time?
27:35
SPEAKER_00: Is it actually the training schedule?
27:37
SPEAKER_00: Is it the budget and the file like financial expectation?
27:41
SPEAKER_00: Like, what are some of those things that come to mind when choosing studios?
27:45
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
27:46
SPEAKER_03: And Courtney, you said something about like just the the training and the classes.
27:50
SPEAKER_03: We went from one hour a week in ballet to three hours a week in ballet.
27:54
SPEAKER_03: And just those the change in the ballet, I saw the change in her technique.
27:59
SPEAKER_03: I saw how she was growing, I saw, you know, the her extensions were improving, her feet were improving, and it was such a great thing to see my kid happy that she was growing in the areas that she needed to grow in.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:11
SPEAKER_00: Training could be a big key part of it.
28:13
SPEAKER_05: Were were y'all worried and and did you experience this?
28:17
SPEAKER_05: Like, did they try to get you back?
28:19
SPEAKER_05: Were there any negative repercussions when you left?
28:21
SPEAKER_05: I mean, was there sort of like I mean, what was that experience like?
28:24
SPEAKER_05: Because I know that might be a fear that many people have of leaving a studio is like, well, this this could be really good, but what about the possible bad things?
28:32
SPEAKER_05: Did you have any negative experiences?
28:34
SPEAKER_05: Oh, yeah, we had a lot.
28:36
SPEAKER_03: And if the funny thing is, the reason why she is like, I try to prepare her as much as I can.
28:40
SPEAKER_03: And you you know, you tell told her that some of the things she's experienced is going to help her as she grows to be an adult.
28:46
SPEAKER_03: This is what this is my goal.
28:48
SPEAKER_03: And so when we left, we knew about other students who left and how they were treated, what they were called, they were called rejects, and that was a fear.
28:56
SPEAKER_03: So I wanted to prepare her for, you know, what everybody's journey is not the same.
29:01
SPEAKER_03: And when we left, we did experience we lost friendships, we experienced negative things said about her, negative things said about me.
29:08
SPEAKER_03: And honestly, I was actually shocked.
29:10
SPEAKER_03: I was shocked about you know the studio owner when we finally we finally made the decision.
29:15
SPEAKER_03: I did let her know.
29:16
SPEAKER_03: And the response was, okay, goodbye.
29:18
SPEAKER_03: And I was kind of shocked by that because my daughter spent nine years at this studio.
29:23
SPEAKER_03: You told her you loved her constantly, and when you love someone, whether they're still with you or they move on, you want the best for them.
29:30
SPEAKER_03: And you know, she eventually after the feeling settled, she eventually did ask me why.
29:35
SPEAKER_03: I told her everything why, and there was nothing.
29:38
SPEAKER_03: It was just silence.
29:39
SPEAKER_03: So we took that as this was this was a more of a reason why we should leave because there's no communication.
29:45
SPEAKER_02: And also, like, I was never tried to like they were ne never tried to get me back at the studio, but when first f first found out how the next year was gonna be, I was on the phone talking to the studio owner.
29:56
SPEAKER_02: Afterwards, she was comparing me to like other people, she started like just give saying stuff that she could give me, like, oh you can get this or you can get that, or you I cannot give you two solos, but like it was never really about the solo, it was just about my growth.
30:10
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:11
SPEAKER_02: And I don't I don't care about whether she gives me two solos or not, or one, or zero.
30:17
SPEAKER_02: I just want to know where I'm gonna be training, like how my growth is gonna be set for the year.
30:23
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I do I will say she did counter counteract the set here, you want this, and I told my daughter, and she was like, Well, let's hold off, let's go to the new studio, let me see how I feel there, let me interact with the teachers, and then I'll make a decision.
30:37
SPEAKER_03: But yeah, we were terribly shocked about the and the funny thing is I to the people that was our friends, I told them they're going to have to make a decision because this there was this underlying loyalty to the studio owner, loyalty to the um to the the studio.
30:52
SPEAKER_03: And when you look in a lot of these uh parent the dance chat groups, the thing is trust the studio.
30:58
SPEAKER_03: But I trust my child and I trust myself more than anything.
31:01
SPEAKER_03: And if she's saying this is not for her, then we need to move on and find something that is for her.
31:06
SPEAKER_00: Well, yeah, I mean you can you absolutely can trust the studio, but if it isn't maybe the studio is giving you what they can give you, but again, like if you're not getting the ballet training that you want, if you're not getting the XYZ, like then there's another studio that can do that.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: And we trusted you during this time in our life, and now we need more.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: Like, there's not there's no harm in that.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Like, you didn't not trust them during the nine years you were there.
31:32
SPEAKER_00: You absolutely did.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: It's just the fact that you kind of got yes, couldn't grow further, you know, you kind of were staying right where you were and you wanted more, and they couldn't give that to you, so you had to look elsewhere, and that's okay.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: I'd like it's no different than you know, dancers who want to pursue ballet and they're at a home studio, and then all of a sudden they decide at age 13, I want to be a professional ballet dancer.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: And the studio might be like, We're not, that's not what we're delivering here.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, thank you for growing up with us.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: We've gotten you to this point.
32:04
SPEAKER_00: We're happy that you love this.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: But we sometimes like studios might need to be okay with letting the dancer go elsewhere to achieve the goal that they want.
32:13
SPEAKER_00: And that would be when they would say, make sure you start like looking for a conservatory style ballet pre-professional program if that is your goal, and the studio can guide them in that right direction.
32:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm immediately thinking of the Kierov uh for us, Emily, where a lot of dancers would go if they were look going on that ballet track, you know, growing up.
32:32
SPEAKER_00: It's things like that.
32:33
SPEAKER_03: Oh, and I was gonna say, and that exactly was my conversation with Celia, that you should not be angry.
32:39
SPEAKER_03: I know it's sad moving on, but this is where you learned your foundation.
32:43
SPEAKER_03: This is where you learned that you love dance.
32:45
SPEAKER_03: This is where you learned that you wanted to pursue dance in a further career.
32:49
SPEAKER_03: And you could, you know, be happy for people this year, because we still had friends there that we cared about.
32:54
SPEAKER_03: We wanted them to be successful.
32:56
SPEAKER_03: But I think it was hurtful when we saw them in the competition world at competitions or conventions, and they didn't speak or they acted like she didn't exist.
33:04
SPEAKER_04: Oh, that's sad.
33:06
SPEAKER_04: I don't like that.
33:07
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.
33:08
SPEAKER_04: Like, I think from a studio owner perspective, and I even tell my dancers, it's hard because our with our job, we do love and care and grow really close with the dancers and their families.
33:18
SPEAKER_04: Like we some I get parents that tell me all the time, you see my kid more than I do.
33:22
SPEAKER_04: How are they?
33:24
SPEAKER_04: So we develop these really close bonds, but like I keep saying, at the end of the day, they're just children and we just want to guide them to grow up to be successful adults in whatever journey they do.
33:34
SPEAKER_04: And when students leave, I always keep the door open.
33:37
SPEAKER_04: I always say, Hey, come take a class.
33:39
SPEAKER_04: You are more than welcome back at any time.
33:41
SPEAKER_04: I've had high schoolers kind of just pursue dance in their school system and not and not continue at the studio.
33:47
SPEAKER_04: And they still come to every recital, they still come to competitions sometimes and watch.
33:51
SPEAKER_04: They're like, hey, I'm just coming to watch.
33:53
SPEAKER_04: I miss it.
33:53
SPEAKER_04: But they don't want to come back.
33:54
SPEAKER_04: And I never pressure them to come back.
33:56
SPEAKER_04: I'm like, it's lovely to see you.
33:57
SPEAKER_04: Our doors always open.
33:59
SPEAKER_04: And it should be like that.
34:00
SPEAKER_04: And you don't want to have that animosity because you know this is a small world.
34:03
SPEAKER_04: I mean, you might not see them until you're 18, but you move to New York, you're gonna see someone you grew up dancing with at a competition.
34:09
SPEAKER_04: So if you ever want to shut those doors.
34:11
SPEAKER_00: And that's a great segue into my next question, Em, which it sounds like well, has this happened to you as a studio owner?
34:19
SPEAKER_00: Has a dancer or a family cho decided to leave your studio for a year or a season or two, but then end up back at your studio.
34:29
SPEAKER_04: Has that ever happened before?
34:31
SPEAKER_04: Sometimes, I mean, it's it's not not to the full extent of like fully coming back.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
34:36
SPEAKER_04: I've mainly had, you know, when they reach that high school age and they start to, you know, get into relationships in high school and realize like, oh, I love being social on a Friday night instead of having to wake up early and go to ballet class Saturday morning.
34:49
SPEAKER_04: They get that, they kind of start to disconnect from the serious training at studios, which is why they kind of branch off and just do the dancing more at school.
34:58
SPEAKER_04: But I have had kids come back and just train.
35:01
SPEAKER_04: Like they're like, we don't want to compete or we don't want to take on as much as we used to, but I just want to train.
35:07
SPEAKER_04: And I'm like, hey, you are more than welcome.
35:09
SPEAKER_04: We will make, I always make programs, my program is designed for the child, not for the whole team.
35:15
SPEAKER_04: So to be able to design per child is really important to me.
35:20
SPEAKER_04: Because no, like you said, you are not this person or that person or this person, you should not be compared to them.
35:25
SPEAKER_04: You are your own person and on your own journey.
35:27
SPEAKER_04: So if I can help them in any way, we do that.
35:30
SPEAKER_05: Roshana and Celia, I'm curious, and I want to hear from Emily's perspective too.
35:34
SPEAKER_05: So you changed studios and you went somewhere where you felt like you were gonna be pushed.
35:39
SPEAKER_05: Did you feel like there were any gaps in your training that you had to catch up on, or were you far ahead of somebody or far ahead of the ability level of the class you were put into?
35:47
SPEAKER_05: Like, or did you feel like you slotted right in and you were like, Yep, I'm capable, this is great.
35:52
SPEAKER_05: It's a good one.
35:53
SPEAKER_02: Honestly, I do feel like my ballet training, like for throughout my dance career so far, it's always been that I need to work on my feet.
36:01
SPEAKER_02: And I've actually improved a lot in my feet, but like when I first came to the studio, they were like teaching me choreography, stuff like that.
36:08
SPEAKER_02: I I I could do it instantly.
36:10
SPEAKER_02: I like slid right in.
36:12
SPEAKER_02: But there were still like certain things that I never got to work on before that I needed to work on then, like my feet, like jumps and stuff like that.
36:21
SPEAKER_02: But it never really hindered, like it was never really an issue, but I could still work on it there.
36:27
SPEAKER_03: Now I and I did have this conversation with her.
36:29
SPEAKER_03: I I felt that at the age she was cut becoming, she was now going into the end of her junior, starting to enter into teens.
36:36
SPEAKER_03: There was things that she needed to grow in, things that she needed to prove uh improve on.
36:39
SPEAKER_03: And we had that conversation, like take your time, don't get frustrated, you can't do anything.
36:44
SPEAKER_03: This is a a learning lesson from you, and you're you're gonna grow.
36:48
SPEAKER_03: And like she said, at the other studio, her extensions and her feet were her big issue.
36:53
SPEAKER_03: Like when we would get feedback, that would be all the feedback we would get from the judges to work on your feet, work, get more ballet, work on your extensions, stretch all the way through your legs.
37:02
SPEAKER_03: And now a year of about going into two years being at the studios, we do not, she does not get that feedback.
37:07
SPEAKER_01: I did not get that correction.
37:08
SPEAKER_03: And she was super excited about that.
37:10
SPEAKER_03: Like, none of her corrections say anything about her feet, none of the uh corrections said anything about stretching, stretching, stretching all the way through her limbs and her hands, and it was it's just it was just made, it solidifies that that was the best decision for her.
37:24
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, wow.
37:25
SPEAKER_03: The first time she took a class there, that was the first thing that a teacher said.
37:29
SPEAKER_03: She actually came out to me and she said, Are you Celia's mom?
37:32
SPEAKER_03: And I said, Yes.
37:33
SPEAKER_03: She was like, her work ethic is phenomenal because that's what Celia works on.
37:37
SPEAKER_03: She works on improving herself.
37:39
SPEAKER_03: She doesn't compare herself to anybody else.
37:41
SPEAKER_03: She understands that everybody's journey is different, but she wants to be able to say, Hey, this is where you need to grow and this is what you need to work on and get to it.
37:50
SPEAKER_03: That's a great way to be.
37:51
SPEAKER_03: That's great.
37:52
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
37:52
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
37:53
SPEAKER_05: And Emily, when you receive students from other studios, do you I mean, it I think it would probably be interesting to hear, you know, are you having to play catch up with some of them?
38:02
SPEAKER_05: Like if they're nine and they're supposed to be in your nine-year-old classes, we do these things, but that child can't do it because they've been in a studio that wasn't training to that level.
38:10
SPEAKER_05: How do you how do you handle that?
38:11
SPEAKER_00: And um, Emily's nine-year-old fear, so you know they you know, it might be walking in, it might be tough for them to be, you know.
38:19
SPEAKER_04: Thanks.
38:21
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I always say we always prefer, like we say when those when we get a new student, it takes about a year to understand and kind of adapt to our program.
38:31
SPEAKER_04: Always, no matter what age.
38:32
SPEAKER_04: I had a I had a dancer come to me this year and she was 15 and you know, and another dancer come at a couple of 13-year-olds and 14-year-olds, and it takes about a year to get it under their belt.
38:42
SPEAKER_04: I always recommend, but when they come, do a couple sessions one-on-one with teachers.
38:47
SPEAKER_04: Understand that teacher and that class and the style that we're working on a little bit more.
38:52
SPEAKER_04: You know, my my nine-year-olds, for instance, have to take the three ballet classes as well versus one.
38:57
SPEAKER_04: So a lot of the times it's an adjustment of just the scale of the amount of classes they're taking.
39:03
SPEAKER_04: And yeah, I'd say the first couple months are rough.
39:05
SPEAKER_04: It's constant check-ins, but that's what you have to do.
39:07
SPEAKER_04: You just have to communicate.
39:08
SPEAKER_04: And I love, I always tell them, please communicate with me, I'll communicate with you.
39:12
SPEAKER_04: What class are you struggling with?
39:13
SPEAKER_04: Let's dive into that.
39:15
SPEAKER_04: Let's work together one-on-one for a second and and work through that.
39:18
SPEAKER_04: But I think as long as communication is open, it usually ends up pretty successful.
39:22
SPEAKER_04: But it does take about a year to adapt to the studio.
39:26
SPEAKER_00: That's a great point.
39:27
SPEAKER_00: And that's a great question, too.
39:29
SPEAKER_00: I think I think that, and this will lead into my next question, but I I think that a lot of people don't realize that when you're at different studios, you're really getting different training.
39:37
SPEAKER_00: If you're looking at it across the board, are you taking, even if it was an identical training schedule that you had with the amount of ballet classes, the amount of jazz classes, and the same types of classes you're taking on the weekly, you're still getting different training, no matter what.
39:53
SPEAKER_00: And it is not going to be identical.
39:55
SPEAKER_00: You it's going to be hard to walk into a new space as a training dancer in particular.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: So I do, and I know I've seen it.
40:04
SPEAKER_00: And even if I've like, if I go in for guest choreography at a studio who I've worked with for many years, and they are like, oh, these are new dancers.
40:12
SPEAKER_00: I know the the dancers I've worked with, but then the the dancers who are new are are some oftentimes just kind of still learning the ropes and trying to keep up and figure it out, which is totally okay.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: And like you said, Emily, it takes time.
40:26
SPEAKER_00: It might take about a year.
40:27
SPEAKER_00: And then when I go back the next year, they're blending right in, like it's like I would never even know that they were a brand new dancer the year before.
40:34
SPEAKER_00: And it just, it just takes time.
40:36
SPEAKER_00: And it is probably due to their work ethic, like we talked about, and also just the dedication to the teachers at this at the new studio who are putting in that extra time and extra level of attention to detail to get those dancers on the same page to blend with everyone else.
40:52
SPEAKER_00: Because that's the main goal.
40:53
SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's always going to be different levels of dancers, but consistently as a judge, especially, I should see consistency in the training, the foundational training from every dancer.
41:03
SPEAKER_00: It shouldn't be like a hodgepodge of just like a bunch of different dancers put together and we have this working for this one and this working for this one.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: And you're just like, are y'all taking the same technique classes or like what's going on?
41:13
SPEAKER_00: You know, like sometimes I think that as a judge, it should it shouldn't feel that way.
41:17
SPEAKER_00: It should be consistent in studio training.
41:19
SPEAKER_05: So uh props to all the the teachers out there who are putting that extra work in, and props to all the dancers who are putting the time and work in as well, because that's the only way that you see the change is that work ethic, like we Well, and the realization that Celia, you mentioned at the beginning of the conversation that, you know, I would go to conventions and see other kids my age doing all these other things that I can't do and are I'm not being taught how to do.
41:43
SPEAKER_05: That's a huge thing at such a young age to be able to have that self-reflection and realize, oh, well, they're doing triple pirouettes and I'm only doing a single.
41:53
SPEAKER_05: What like that's a really interesting observation because maybe you could be doing a triple somewhere else.
42:01
SPEAKER_02: And at some point it really like when I was younger, I would really try to focus on like what the teacher was teaching me.
42:07
SPEAKER_02: But as I got older at the old studio, uh honestly I had to start doing things outside of class, trying to teach myself new things, trying to learn new things.
42:16
SPEAKER_02: But at the point, there's only so much you can do by yourself without a teacher teaching you properly.
42:20
SPEAKER_02: And I wasn't getting that, so I knew I had to do it.
42:24
SPEAKER_00: Now I have a question, and this is like a hot topic, but we hear a lot of times in the dance world about d dancers who and even dance parents who just hop around a different dance.
42:37
SPEAKER_00: Studio hoppers.
42:39
SPEAKER_00: The studio hoppers in the dance industry.
42:42
SPEAKER_00: What are our thoughts on the studio hoppers?
42:45
SPEAKER_00: Do we are we here for it?
42:47
SPEAKER_00: Do we think they should settle down and find the good fit?
42:50
SPEAKER_00: Why are they hopping so frequently?
42:53
SPEAKER_00: Like what are our thoughts?
42:56
SPEAKER_02: I honestly I feel like I feel like it depends the reason why you're switching studios.
43:03
SPEAKER_02: Cause I've met countless people that like will just move when you're not no longer the center of attention, when you're no longer like there's a difference between being like between being like in the middle, like everyone's always focused on you, and just having focus on you.
43:19
SPEAKER_02: Because like if you're moving every three seconds when a teacher focuses on another child that's not you, I don't I don't agree with that.
43:26
SPEAKER_02: I feel like you could settle in.
43:28
SPEAKER_02: But if they're just like not thinking about you at all, not trying to help you in your dance career, I feel like that's the point where you should move.
43:36
SPEAKER_04: I feel like they're doing their disservice at the end of at the end of the journey.
43:41
SPEAKER_04: If they're hopping around, it usually is due to attention.
43:44
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
43:44
SPEAKER_04: Being being the f up in the front line, front and center, and all the group dances, getting those two or three solos, getting that reward, as they would probably think.
43:54
SPEAKER_04: But I feel like at the end of the day, they're doing themselves a disservice.
43:57
SPEAKER_04: Those are the kids that I have seen that have.
44:00
SPEAKER_04: A lack of foundational training.
44:02
SPEAKER_04: They're missing the foundation because they're not consistent with a teacher or a class or a regimen.
44:08
SPEAKER_04: So at the end of the day, yeah, they can they can nail that triple pirouette into an aerial front and center, but they can't do a tondu correctly.
44:16
SPEAKER_04: So they're for me, it they just miss so much foundation and then it ends up hurting their bodies in the long run.
44:22
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I agree with both Celia and Emily.
44:25
SPEAKER_03: If you're constantly hopping because you want uh the attention, that's a problem.
44:30
SPEAKER_03: You're not getting the the correct foundation, you're not getting a starting point of the technique you need to learn.
44:36
SPEAKER_03: And you're just going to studio, studio, hoping to be that the it person at the studio.
44:41
SPEAKER_03: And that's a problem.
44:42
unknown: Yep.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: And the other side of this too is not just about the dancer making that choice and saying, Mom, I want to be in the front center.
44:52
SPEAKER_00: Take me to a new studio.
44:53
SPEAKER_00: It may also be the parent that wants their child to be featured more or seen more or rewarded more.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: And the kid might be happy as can be in their class and happy as can be in second line and happy as can be with one solo and not four.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: But maybe stage mom might want it more than the dancer, which we did a whole episode on that this season when the parent wants it more than the dancer.
45:20
SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
45:21
SPEAKER_00: And that's, you know, I think that's the sad reality of it too.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: Like I think that there are a lot of parents who just want this so bad for their kid.
45:29
SPEAKER_00: And you just have to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: And it, and some of the reasons that we've talked about, I think are all very valid reasons.
45:37
SPEAKER_00: But that reason of my not my kids not in the front enough, and my kid's not getting this enough, and my kids not getting that, that's when I think we fall back on the like, make sure you trust your teachers and have those conversations and make sure you're not hopping around.
45:52
SPEAKER_00: If you, if you think it's time to move, do your research, like Roshana and Celia did.
45:57
SPEAKER_00: Do your research and find a studio that you know, take that trial class.
46:01
SPEAKER_00: That was a smart thing for you to do, not just hop over because they're Instagram famous or whatever it is, because I'm sure that's how parents probably look at studios these days is did they win?
46:11
SPEAKER_00: And are they do how many followers do they have on Instagram?
46:14
SPEAKER_00: Like, that might not be the right reason either to switch studios.
46:17
SPEAKER_00: So just do your research, take the trial class, see if it's the right fit.
46:21
SPEAKER_00: But hopping around, I agree.
46:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure if it's the right it's almost it's almost similar to like the whole independent dancer thing where like an independent dancer doesn't really have a place that they regularly call home or want to call home or whatever their situation is.
46:36
SPEAKER_00: There's those gaps in that training that that are really important.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: And like we talked about in those like years from nine to twelve, those are crucial years as a dancer.
46:46
SPEAKER_00: That's when you're really getting that those basics in in there.
46:50
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
46:50
SPEAKER_04: And I think then then at the end of the day, they also miss on having a team.
46:54
SPEAKER_04: They need to learn to work with other dancers.
46:56
SPEAKER_04: They need to learn to be in the third line, the second line, that whatever line you're in.
46:59
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, you need to be a team player in this world.
47:02
SPEAKER_04: So I think they miss that opportunity.
47:03
SPEAKER_04: And they're not team players if they're hopping around too.
47:06
SPEAKER_03: That's true.
47:06
SPEAKER_03: Super valid point.
47:08
SPEAKER_03: And I will say that's one of the things that we love about our new studio is that it's not the individual dancer, it's not this sub-team or that team.
47:17
SPEAKER_03: There's one team, and the team is the name of the studio.
47:20
SPEAKER_03: The powerhouse is the team.
47:21
SPEAKER_03: So that's how we represent as a team, and it's not one individual dancer.
47:25
SPEAKER_03: And you may have some dancers who are phenomenal, but it's not that focused on that one person, it's focused on the whole team as a whole.
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49:05
SPEAKER_00: Who decided to make the choice?
49:07
SPEAKER_00: Was that more of your mom's decision?
49:10
SPEAKER_00: Was that a choice for you as a dancer?
49:12
SPEAKER_00: Why did you choose my studio to come join me at?
49:15
SPEAKER_00: And also how did that directly connect to choices that you made into studio ownership and how you've handled um being a studio owner and handling dancers who come in?
49:25
SPEAKER_04: Um yeah.
49:26
SPEAKER_04: So I think my mom and I made that decision together.
49:28
SPEAKER_04: I think what I was like 13, changing studios.
49:32
SPEAKER_04: And I I had realized, kind of like Celia, like I've reached my capacity of where I was.
49:36
SPEAKER_04: Like I was one of the top dancers at a young age dancing with 18-year-olds and I was 12.
49:42
SPEAKER_04: So I had realized I wanted more.
49:44
SPEAKER_04: I'd realized I wanted to do this for a living.
49:47
SPEAKER_04: This was a goal of mine to achieve.
49:49
SPEAKER_04: And I had a teacher at that where me in court danced, I knew.
49:53
SPEAKER_04: So I went there, kind of based off of her to start, and then realized all the amazing faculty and dancers are already there.
50:00
SPEAKER_04: And I wasn't the best.
50:01
SPEAKER_04: And I loved that.
50:02
SPEAKER_04: I think it's so important to be humbled.
50:04
SPEAKER_04: And I was humbled immediately.
50:05
SPEAKER_04: And I'm like, this is it.
50:06
SPEAKER_04: This is the fit.
50:07
SPEAKER_04: I I'm not the best.
50:09
SPEAKER_04: I have so much to learn, and this is where I'm gonna grow the most.
50:12
SPEAKER_04: And you kind of realize that when you enter a studio and you feel and you feel that.
50:16
SPEAKER_04: I feel like that's really important.
50:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
50:19
SPEAKER_04: And then what was the other question?
50:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, like leading into studio ownership.
50:23
SPEAKER_00: Like, do you feel like any of the uh anything that you learned growing up as a dancer, changing studios, impacted how you chose to run the studio or things that you kept in mind when you would receive new dancers?
50:34
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is open communication.
50:37
SPEAKER_04: I don't think that's always offered or is a service anymore, especially now that everything can be done online.
50:44
SPEAKER_04: You don't have to talk to anyone, which is not how we run our business.
50:48
SPEAKER_04: We want you to come talk to us.
50:49
SPEAKER_04: We want you to come in and face to face and and meet us and experience that attention.
50:55
SPEAKER_04: I feel like it gets lost and it got lost for me growing up.
50:58
SPEAKER_04: I feel like the communication switching studios or even with teachers, there was no lines of communication.
51:04
SPEAKER_04: It was do not talk to me and I am unavailable for you.
51:08
SPEAKER_04: That's so that's a huge thing when people come in, new new students come in.
51:13
SPEAKER_04: I really try to make sure they understand that we are here for you.
51:17
SPEAKER_04: Our service is for you and your dancer, and we want to be able to communicate with them.
51:22
SPEAKER_04: I think that's the most important thing.
51:23
SPEAKER_05: When and now I'm curious because I think this is gonna lead into just knowledge for people.
51:28
SPEAKER_05: What when you left your old studio, how was that?
51:31
SPEAKER_05: Did did they fully recognize we can't give her what she needs to succeed anymore and wished you well and blessed you and said, go find what you need?
51:40
SPEAKER_05: Or were they like a little bit selfish and wanting to because you said you were the best one?
51:44
SPEAKER_05: And I feel like this happens a lot, is where like you just plateau and it has nothing to do with I don't love the studio, I don't love you people, I don't love there's just nothing else for me here.
51:53
SPEAKER_05: And there is a way to handle that as a studio owner with grace and to say, go with the dance gods and go where you need to go and blessings to you.
52:00
SPEAKER_05: Or there's a way to say, no, no, but we want to keep you because you are our best, and we what can we do?
52:04
SPEAKER_05: We can give you four solos, you know.
52:06
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I was pretty lucky at that time to and to have a great studio that I left from and a great studio that I was going to that also had great relationships already with each other.
52:16
SPEAKER_04: So I got really lucky, yeah.
52:18
SPEAKER_04: And I feel like there, you know, you have those studios in Maryland that have those connections, and the studios was still around, and I can still run into them to this day and give them a hug.
52:26
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's again, that's really important.
52:29
SPEAKER_04: Studio owners tend to get too in their feelings.
52:32
SPEAKER_04: We are artists sometimes.
52:34
SPEAKER_04: And it's not about them.
52:35
SPEAKER_04: Yes, we are artists.
52:37
SPEAKER_04: We feel so many feelings.
52:39
SPEAKER_04: But it's at the like I said, it's not about them.
52:41
SPEAKER_04: And like when when a studio owner can sit back and realize that, oh, it's not about me, actually.
52:46
SPEAKER_04: I think that's really important because like we've been saying this whole time, you're gonna keep those connections, you're gonna run into each other.
52:51
SPEAKER_04: This world is small, whether you run into them at the supermarket or at a dance competition or you know, at a spa.
52:58
SPEAKER_04: Doesn't matter, you're gonna run into them.
53:00
SPEAKER_04: So to be able to to always keep that connection.
53:02
SPEAKER_04: And luckily, when I left, I had I had good connections with with the studio I left from that remained.
53:08
SPEAKER_04: That's great to hear.
53:09
SPEAKER_00: That's always good.
53:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's what that's definitely what we want.
53:12
SPEAKER_02: Honestly, I kind of feel like Go ahead.
53:14
SPEAKER_02: I feel like some studio owners take it as like when somebody wants to leave, they no longer like them or like or like they feel like the person that's leaving just like now hates the whole studio and they don't want it to be.
53:30
SPEAKER_02: Depends on really why they're leaving.
53:32
SPEAKER_02: But if somebody feels like the studio is no longer a good fit for them and decides to leave, and the studio owner just feels like, oh, this person must hate me.
53:39
SPEAKER_02: This person must think my whole studio sucks.
53:43
SPEAKER_02: This person like might go on and tell other people about how bad my studio might be.
53:47
SPEAKER_02: If you feel like that, check yourself.
53:49
SPEAKER_02: Because no, because that's not okay.
53:52
SPEAKER_02: You shouldn't be feeling like that.
53:53
SPEAKER_02: You should like be able to realize that oh, this is just not a good fit for them, and I hope they go on to do amazing things.
54:00
SPEAKER_03: I will say, as a parent, I had to check my own feelings.
54:03
SPEAKER_03: I'm a dance mom, but I'm not a dance mom.
54:06
SPEAKER_03: And I had to take my feelings out of it.
54:08
SPEAKER_03: I laid down the facts for her, I laid down, you know, what she was look looking for, what her goals were, and where she get where those goals being accomplished where she was at.
54:17
SPEAKER_03: I really respect Emily when you said that you were at the top of your hot top of the game and where you're at, but you realize that you needed more.
54:24
SPEAKER_03: I feel like if you're at a studio where you're constantly coming in first place or constantly placing it all, constantly outdoing someone, then maybe you have you have plateaued and maybe need to be a little bit more challenged.
54:35
SPEAKER_03: And that's where Celia was fitting.
54:36
SPEAKER_03: She felt that she would need to be a little bit more challenged because she wasn't getting the challenge that she needed at the current studio.
54:43
SPEAKER_03: And for me as a parent, I I was hurt for her when you know she didn't get what she was expecting to get.
54:47
SPEAKER_03: So, but I took my feelings out of it.
54:49
SPEAKER_03: I told her this is not my decision, this is your decision.
54:52
SPEAKER_03: I'm just financially uh paying for your your future or paying for the dreams that you have.
54:57
SPEAKER_03: Now you go forth with all the information you had, and I told her to take her feelings out of it because it's not about whether you know you love you like this person or don't like this person, it's about the concrete evidence.
55:08
SPEAKER_03: Are you getting what you need to succeed where you want to go?
55:12
SPEAKER_03: And once she had all that information, she realized that it wasn't personal.
55:16
SPEAKER_03: She still cared about the people that that we left at the studio, she still had a lot of respect for the studio owner.
55:22
SPEAKER_03: And I think why when the behaviors act happened the way they happened when we left and the feeling things that people were saying, that's why it was hurtful because she had so much love and respect for these adults that were in her life for practically her whole her whole entire life since she was two years old.
55:36
SPEAKER_03: And now she's just made a decision to grow and move on, and they didn't accept that that was her her feelings.
55:43
SPEAKER_03: They didn't accept that she needed a new place, and it was just very hurtful towards her.
55:47
SPEAKER_05: Wow.
55:47
SPEAKER_05: Well, I, you know, Celia, you're lucky to have the mom that you have, you know, with her mental health background and counseling background because it's obviously translated to you and how you look at the world and how you approach difficult situations, because that ain't everybody.
56:01
SPEAKER_05: Some of us, some of our parents don't have those skills, and that's a skill.
56:04
SPEAKER_05: So I think that's going to be great for you to move, you know, move forward in life to be able to look, look at a situation that is emotional, that can be emotional, and take the emotions out of it and really look at the concrete evidence, like you said, Roshanna, because that's that's what you have to look at to make that decision correctly.
56:21
SPEAKER_00: I totally agree.
56:22
SPEAKER_00: And this was such a uh informative chat.
56:25
SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot as well because I've never changed studios.
56:29
SPEAKER_00: I was at my home studio for my entire life, except for when I was at my rec program at my elementary school growing up, you know, the most convenient, accessible, down the street option until someone supposedly, my mom tells this story often, but like supposedly one of the teachers told the mom there that I needed to escape and was like, we can't help her here.
56:53
SPEAKER_00: She needs, she's talented, she's dancing with one level up, she's five years old.
56:59
SPEAKER_00: Go find a better studio for her.
57:00
SPEAKER_00: We can't help her grow.
57:02
SPEAKER_00: And like, that's an example of knowing when to let the dancers fly.
57:06
SPEAKER_00: There's only so much that each studio can give that they can offer.
57:10
SPEAKER_00: And when you see potential in a dancer that might surpass what you are able to provide them, you have to be there to help them get to those goals, like we've talked about.
57:20
SPEAKER_00: So I guess thank you to whoever that random teacher was in my life at five years old who told my mom to take me to my now studio.
57:29
SPEAKER_00: And then I'm thankful for my cousin who recommended this studio to my mom because that's where I ended up.
57:35
SPEAKER_00: And I got some amazing training.
57:37
SPEAKER_00: And and that also, you know, that's also something you have to kind of figure out too, is knowing when when to move, if it was just like a hobby versus when you need to excel, because you might just go to the most convenient studio that's down the street just because it's there and it's easy.
57:54
SPEAKER_00: It's five minutes away.
57:55
SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's on Google, let's go.
57:58
SPEAKER_00: But it might not be what you need.
58:00
SPEAKER_00: You might need more than that.
58:01
SPEAKER_00: And that might mean a longer drive.
58:03
SPEAKER_00: And even in Emily's case, when she moved to my studio, it was like a 45-minute hour commute for Emily to come to the studio to get the training at my studio.
58:11
SPEAKER_00: And but she knew that's what she needed, and that's what she wanted.
58:14
SPEAKER_00: So, like all of those sacrifices that parents are making to let their kids live their dream.
58:21
SPEAKER_00: We see you out there and we love you, dance parents.
58:23
SPEAKER_00: We're making that possible.
58:25
SPEAKER_00: And like, props to the dancers for making those smart choices as well, even in Emily's side.
58:30
SPEAKER_00: Like, I know you made it collectively, but it's really refreshing to hear that dancers are helping in these decisions that are being made for studio changing.
58:39
SPEAKER_00: And we also heard that on our uh few another episode of our veteran dance parents.
58:44
SPEAKER_00: They said the same thing, Leslie, with some of their dancers.
58:47
SPEAKER_05: So yeah, it's been a great chat.
58:49
SPEAKER_05: I loved learning from y'all.
58:50
SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
58:51
SPEAKER_05: And so glad to have a third voice.
58:52
SPEAKER_05: That was a refreshing, you know, different perspective that we don't normally get to hear.
58:56
SPEAKER_05: So thank you, Celia, for having spring break and having a day here with us.
59:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
59:03
SPEAKER_02: You're so welcome.
59:05
SPEAKER_00: And how we always have our guests on making the impact, as y'all know, lead us out, is with just one final thought on the topic today.
59:13
SPEAKER_00: So we can have all three, each individual, if you all want to speak to whoever you want.
59:17
SPEAKER_00: Maybe if Celia wants to talk to other dancers out there, maybe if Rashana wants to talk to the parents out there, and maybe Emily, if you want to talk to the other studio owners out there, on tips for changing studios for competitive dancers.
59:30
SPEAKER_02: Sure.
59:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
59:32
SPEAKER_02: I'll start.
59:32
SPEAKER_02: I'll talk to all the dancers out there.
59:35
SPEAKER_02: Don't be scared.
59:36
SPEAKER_02: I know you may have like many friends that you made, but if you leave on a good note, you probably still have those friends until the end of your dance career.
59:44
SPEAKER_02: Uh, don't leave with any animosity.
59:47
SPEAKER_02: Just know that this is the end of at this certain studio, and you're gonna reach a new point that you never thought you could reach before.
59:55
SPEAKER_02: Maybe do some research before you leave.
59:58
SPEAKER_02: Just really get down to like the main point of whether you're growing or not, and just think whether you are being pushed where you are, and if you can be pushed even further past the limit that you think you're at.
1:00:11
SPEAKER_02: So just don't be scared and do what your gut tells you.
1:00:15
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes your heart might be you want to stay there.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes your heart might just be you want to be with the friends you love, friends you make.
1:00:22
SPEAKER_02: But if your gut is telling you something else, follow your gut, because your gut is gonna lead you to many things that you never thought you could have found.
1:00:28
SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
1:00:29
SPEAKER_03: Well, I don't know if I could talk that.
1:00:31
SPEAKER_03: Um, but from a parent from a parent perspective, I would say take your feelings and your emotions out of it.
1:00:38
SPEAKER_03: This is about your dancer.
1:00:40
SPEAKER_03: If your dancer comes to you and tells you, hey, I want to consider moving, be open to that.
1:00:46
SPEAKER_03: Listen to what your dancers are saying.
1:00:48
SPEAKER_03: If it's a case of bullying, listen to your gut.
1:00:50
SPEAKER_03: Because we did have an incident of bullying with Celia, and I didn't listen to my gut.
1:00:55
SPEAKER_03: I stay, I stuck with it, you know, stuck with the friends that we we made, I stuck with the studio.
1:00:59
SPEAKER_03: But listen to your gut.
1:01:01
SPEAKER_03: Talk to the studio owner.
1:01:02
SPEAKER_03: If you feel that you're not getting what you need, then maybe it might be a time to move on.
1:01:06
SPEAKER_03: And I know you might have feelings as well because we spend a whole lot of time at the studio.
1:01:11
SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, our vocations sometimes are planned around dance, around what the studio is doing.
1:01:16
SPEAKER_03: And we need to make conscious decisions that don't involve your emotions because you can make a temporary decision on temporary uh a quick decision on temporary uh emotions.
1:01:26
SPEAKER_03: But be concrete in your thoughts, be concrete in your plan, do your research, do your research past that, speak to other dancers, other dancers at the studio, speak to other parents, speak to a trusted teacher that you admire and and understand their perspective.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_03: We've we have pe dances, our teachers who dance in the public world, the real world of dance, and we spoke to that person.
1:01:47
SPEAKER_03: We stole told him what Celia's goals were, we told him what she was looking for, how she wanted to be challenged, and he gave us a real life experience of what she needed to work on and where she needed to go.
1:01:57
SPEAKER_03: And that will help you leave the decision to make the best decision for your dancer.
1:02:01
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I think for me the biggest takeaway is taking the emotion out of it for parents and dancers.
1:02:06
SPEAKER_04: Take your emotions out of it and really look at why you're making this decision or why you're thinking about making this decision.
1:02:13
SPEAKER_04: And from a studio owner perspective, I always say my goal is for them to surpass my training.
1:02:20
SPEAKER_04: I want the art to stay alive.
1:02:22
SPEAKER_04: I want them to thrive in dance.
1:02:24
SPEAKER_04: So they should surpass me.
1:02:26
SPEAKER_04: Our goal is to let them go at 18.
1:02:28
SPEAKER_04: It might be earlier than that.
1:02:30
SPEAKER_04: But if that's what they need to dance and make it in this world, I hope you do.
1:02:35
SPEAKER_04: Like I have I'm always the biggest supporter of that.
1:02:37
SPEAKER_04: So again, take the emotions away.
1:02:40
SPEAKER_04: It's about the dancers.
1:02:41
SPEAKER_04: Let them thrive where they need to.
1:02:46
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode, all about changing studios.
1:02:50
SPEAKER_00: Special shout out to our guests, Emily, Roshana, and Celia, for joining us on this chat.
1:02:55
SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to follow them on social media.
1:02:57
SPEAKER_00: You can find Emily at MJ Martin and Celia at Celia Janae.
1:03:03
SPEAKER_00: Also follow Emily Studio at Level Dance Project.
1:03:06
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1:03:13
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1:03:20
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1:03:28
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1:03:35
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1:03:43
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1:03:46
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1:03:52
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1:03:58
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1:04:09
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1:04:19
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1:04:28
SPEAKER_05: Season five of Making the Impact still has a few more episodes coming your way, including an episode all about ballet, transitioning from competitive dancer to professional dancer, and our fifth studio spotlight of the season.
1:04:40
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for tuning in.