All sports · Sport guide
Dance, for the parent in it.
Every read, drill, calendar, pathway, rule, and recruiting note we have on dance. Use this as the front door.
15 pieces.
From The Drawer for dance
Cost
What does dance actually cost?
Pre-filled annual estimates by tier. Edit any line.
Pathway
Dance by age
What good looks like at 7, 10, 13, 15.
Calendar
The dance year
Competition dance studio with a year-end recital. Class registration in August, choreography sets in fall, competition season runs February through May, recital in June, summer intensives in July.
Reads
Dance articles
age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026
Dance Recital Packing List: Everything in the Bag
Multiple costumes, multiple shoe styles, multiple hair looks, and six hours of waiting. Here's the system that keeps it straight.
age all-ages · Jun 10, 2026
The Dance Competition Packing List
Costumes by number, shoes by dance, and the emergency kit that saves the day backstage.
age 11-12 · May 12, 2026
How to be the dance parent your kid wants in the lobby
The dance studio lobby is its own small community. Here is how to show up well in a space you will be in every week for years.
age 11-12 · May 12, 2026
Hip pain at 11: what dance injuries look like and what to do
Hip pops, hip clicks, hip pain. Common in young dancers, sometimes serious. Here is what to watch for and when to push for a specialist.
age 13-14 · May 12, 2026
Dance convention weekends explained
A dance convention is a 3-day intensive workshop with celebrity guest teachers. Different from a competition. Here is how they work and whether they are worth it.
age 8-10 · May 12, 2026
Tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop: helping your kid pick
Studios sell a lot of dance styles. Here is what each one teaches, how to pick a first or second style, and what they should not skip.
age 5-7 · May 12, 2026
Studio shopping: what to look for in your first dance studio
Every studio has a website. Every website looks great. Here is how to actually evaluate a dance studio before you sign a year-long contract.
age 11-12 · May 12, 2026
The first solo competition fee shock
Your daughter got offered a solo at the studio. Then the invoice came. Here is what you are actually paying for and whether it is worth it.
age 11-12 · May 12, 2026
When your daughter is bigger than the other girls in class
Dance is a sport where bodies are looked at. Here is how to handle the moments when your daughter notices she is built differently.
age 11-12 · Apr 29, 2026
Competition dance: the actual annual cost
The $3,000 costume. The $2,000 hotel. The $5,000 nationals fee. The real number nobody talks about.
age all-ages · Apr 25, 2026
Stage parents: the dance-mom dynamic and how to stay sane
The costume drama. The politics. The moms who run everything. How to be supportive without losing yourself.
age 5-7 · Apr 23, 2026
The recital meltdown at 5
They made it on stage, then froze. Or cried. Or refused to go. Why and what to do.