oncecoolcoachnowmom
Bestest Newbie '14
- Mar 2, 2014
- 7,310
- 19,423
And it really is actually OK to want to be a star. What? Yes, it's true. (and I know the op says she doesn't only want that, but I'd say that too in this crowd) I work with nothing but people who want to be stars. They audition every week for stuff. Sometimes they get starring roles - sometimes they get put in the ensemble. And you know what? They get disappointed and salty about it. And then they move on and sing and dance in the background like it's what they wanted all along. Believe it or not, this is normal, AND OK.
I tend to think that dance kids handle "no" or "change from star to ensemble" better than cheer kids handle position changes.
I also think that competitive dance introduces kids to change and rejection at earlier ages so they're just, well, used to it.
Ex: 9 year old dancer has been told "no" like 4 times JUST THIS WEEKEND. So being told she's going from lead to ensemble is just, whatever.
Dance is also very fluid in that changes are being made all. the. time. to routines (moreso than cheer.) A kid doesn't really get comfortable in a spot because the configurations are changed every few rehearsals and you just know that where you are now is not where you might be when the recital or competition comes.
In cheer, I think we tend to lose sight of the importance of kids knowing how to work at different positions. They're comfortable by the time they're Youth aged. So when it's time to make the Junior jump and there's a position change, they can't always handle it.