Dancing is a high-performance art and in many ways, it is like any high-performance sport. It takes a special person to achieve greatness. If your child has ambitions to pursue dance, it will require a lot of commitment from you, and other members of the family.
When you are facing the realization that for your child dance is not just a fun class they take every week, you have some important decisions to make. You will have to analyze the following challenges:
Your Child Wants More
You may have put your child in dance because you loved it as a child. Many parents do. It is a great form of exercise. It allows your child to socialize in a controlled environment. You may have expected your child to dance for a year or two and then move on to other activities.
For most children, those are normal expectations. But your child did not tire of dance. Your child fell in love with it. He or she came to life on the dance floor. They practiced without prompting. They worked hard on school work so that they would have more time for the dance. Your child flourished. At this point, dance is no longer an after-school activity. Your child wants a career in dance.
Determining Your Child's Potential
The very first order of business is determining your child's potential. The hard truth is most children do not have the potential to attain the goal of being a great dancer. You can ask your child's dance teacher. But, carefully consider the source.
Is your child being trained by a great dancer? Your child may be in a dance class that is local and designed to teach your child basic moves. You pay a set fee and buy them basic dancing gear and a costume. They practice and learn, and at the end of the training they perform a recital and that fills the obligation of the trainer. If you want to know the potential of your child, they need to work with a professional.
Professionals are expensive. However, when you consider the expense involved in dance, you need a clear idea of your investment. Paying a professional is money well spent if your child wants to continue this career choice.
Financial Capacity
Dance is expensive. If the financial burden is too much for you to handle, you will need to decide if you are willing to sacrifice for your child's dream. Do not give up without looking at all the options.
Can you network with other parents on the team? Perhaps you can save money by traveling to training and competitions together and splitting the cost of fuel, hotels, and food. You can look for bargains and clearance dance gear on sites like Just For Kix. Perhaps you can set up a Crowdfunding account so grandparents and other family and friends can gift money for the child's dance dreams instead of traditional birthday or holiday gifts.
As you can see, it will take some financial creativity and the entire family will have to be on board if it is going to work.
Time Commitment
Parents are often shocked at how much time dance careers take. You will have to work with your child on time management in order to allow for school work, other family responsibilities, and dance. There will be practice and dance competitions, which often mean out of town travel. If there are other children in the family, their activities must be factored in.
Do you have the support of your family and friends? Can you work with other parents to make sure time is distributed correctly? Is every member of the family accepting of the fact that you will often have to make choices between where you can be and when?
While the path you are walking as a parent is not an easy one, it is an honorable one. By making these choices, you are teaching your children lessons they will carry throughout their lives. So, support their dreams and sit back and watch them bloom.
