Crossing The Finish Line

Ah, competition season.  We dance moms definitely have a love-hate relationship with those seemingly endless months of conventions, rehearsals, competitions, and other dance events.  While most of us are happy and proud to see our kids up on that stage, those of us that have been through the wringer know it can cost us dearly (and not just financially).

The Cycle

Dance competition season really does not have a beginning or end (here’s a visual, in case you need it). Our team competes at the World Dance Championships at the end of July/beginning of August.  Right after that, our kids begin to learn the choreography for next year’s routines.  And so, the cycle begins anew…

After the initial rough patch of school starting back up, things in our dance world settle fairly quickly.  This is the closest thing we have to downtime during our year, so we try to enjoy it while it lasts.  No matter how busy we are during the fall, we know that the chaos of competition season will be upon us before we know it.

Nonstop

After the holidays, things really begin gearing up.  Starting with our studio’s “Caboodle Check” in January, events start coming at us faster than you can say “Abby Lee Miller.”  Our first convention is at the end of January, rehearsals typically start the next weekend, and it’s full speed ahead from that point until the end of April or so.  Not only do we contend with the events themselves, but we run countless errands and deal with unexpected snafus (sprinkled in for good measure).  I’ve spent many a late night at the seamstress’s house because of a costume sizing or embellishment issue.  I swear, sometimes I felt like my eyeballs were bleeding from fatigue.

In all honesty, we actually endure just a handful of months that carry this shocking level of insanity.  But when you have other responsibilities (a job, being a single parent, multiple kids, or all of the above), competition season definitely takes a toll.  Our minds, bodies, and very souls are exhausted.

Bittersweet

After the last regional competition, we dance families slowly begin to realize how little time we have left until the last moment the team is intact.  Seniors will graduate and move on with their lives, and the emotional, bittersweet goodbyes give us an appreciation for the time we did get to spend with each other. So even though we’re exhausted down to our bones, most of us are sorry to see it all come to an end.

Plus, after living through the disappointment that was 2020, we as a community now have a greater appreciation for those long months of competition season.  Even though it’s a really rough time, most of us would jump at the chance to do it all over again.  

So we will take a deep breath, dust ourselves off, and get back to work.  But there’s no harm in taking a quick nap first…

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle

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