| | | Some schools put a lot of emphasis on performances and competition. While some children thrive on the challenge, other children do not enjoy the extra pressure. Both performances and competition have benefits and disadvantages that should be taken into consideration before enrolling your child into either program.
Benefits
 | Provides an exciting and rewarding experience |
| Encourages students to excel at what they do and try to be their best. |
| Instils a sense of responsibility. |
| Rewards children, through recognition or prizes, for their effort and dedication. |
| Creates long lasting memories. (Don’t forget your camera.) |
| An important experience for a child that wants to pursue dance further. |
Disadvantages
| Can create a lot of pressure that may be difficult for some children to deal with. |
| Judging, grading and ranking in competitions can be especially difficult for children that fail to win or qualify. |
| In an attempt to please, some children push themselves too hard. |
| Increased pressure may damage self-esteem or lead to a loss of interest in dance. |
| Some schools which are heavily performance/competition oriented may focus more attention on better students instead of equally paying attention to all students. |
The final decision depends on your child, whether they want to do performances and competitions and whether they can handle the pressure. The worst thing you can do is place your child into a dance program that they really don’t want to be in. |
