You Are Not Alone: Don’t Be Afraid To Advocate for Your Dancer

This fall, I’ve been in and out of studios across multiple cities, and one thing keeps coming up in conversation…every single studio owner I talk to feels behind. Behind on choreography, behind on competition pieces, behind on progress.

And I’ve found myself saying the same thing over and over: You’re not alone.

I’m seeing this trend everywhere. It’s not you. It’s not your studio. It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong. The energy across the board feels different this year, slower, heavier, stretched thin.

I think a big part of it is that our kids are simply overloaded.
They’re moving from one sport, to the next club, to an AP class, to a night at the studio, to an early morning dance team practice, to church, to homework… and it just never stops.

When are they resting?
When are they just being kids?

We love that they’re involved and driven. We want them to explore, to find what lights them up. But there comes a point where it’s just too much and I think we’ve hit that point.

I’m especially noticing it in my older dancers.
The spark that used to live in their movement (that hunger, that fire) it’s dimmer this season. They’re tired. They’re worn out. And honestly, I can’t blame them.

So here’s my gentle reminder for all of us. Parents, teachers, mentors:
We have to be the ones who help them draw the line.

Even if your dancer says they want to do it all, it’s our job as the adults to step in and help them balance. To remind them that rest isn’t laziness. To protect their joy before burnout takes it away.

Because if we don’t, we’re going to lose the magic…the part of dance (and life) that’s supposed to fill them, not drain them.