Dance Principals United: Dance Studio Growth & Marketing Podcast · Amanda Barr & Rebecca Liu-Brennan: Dance Studio Coaches & Growth Experts

Are Dance Comps Getting Out of Control? Here's What Needs to Change

·26 min·1 clip

A Carnival judge later booked two dancers he had adjudicated for Annie the Musical.

1. Dance Principals United focuses on Ellie from Carnival Dance and the growing debate over dance competitions, tricks, and Broadway-style performance opportunities. 2. Bec interviews Ellie, a business owner behind Carnival Dance, and the conversation matters because Ellie built the competition after dance contracts, a move, and having a baby during COVID. 3. The episode asks what dance comps should reward now that trick difficulty has escalated and triple-threat training is becoming more valuable. 4. Ellie says Carnival has had two seasons and is going into its third, with the third season starting in 2024. 5. Bec says she first discovered Carnival last year and was shocked that a competition she calls so professional has existed only for a few years. 6. Ellie traces her dance background to the Southern Highlands, a small studio, and a goal of getting to Brent Street Studios. 7. She names Brent Street teachers and leaders including Brene Ritchie, Jason Winters, Cameron Mitchell, Lucas, and Cassie as influences from her full-time year. 8. Ellie says she spent two years on dance contracts in the U.S. and then had to stop because COVID interrupted her visa plans. 9. She describes having a baby during that period and says that became the pivot point that led to Carnival being born. 10. Bec and Ellie compare old-school comps with CDs, cassette editing, and paper entries to the current app-based system. 11. Ellie says the standard of young dancers has risen so much that she does not know where the industry goes next. 12. She says kids are now in the studio 20 plus hours a week because they want it so badly. 13. Ellie argues that dance should come back to the center of routines and that tricks should not be the routine itself. 14. She says judges still want to see tricks, but they want them to feel continuous rather than like a separate stop in the choreography. 15. Bec and Ellie note that many contracts do not actually require the huge trick content that competition routines often showcase. 16. Ellie says the Broadway Bounds section was created because technical contemporary and lyrical dancers often dominate championship sections while other performers are missed. 17. Broadway Bounds requires musical-theatre improv, a song-and-dance routine, and a vocal section, which Ellie says highlights triple-threat kids. 18. Ellie says Carnival's live program, scheduling, music upload portal, payment plans, and two full-time staff are part of making the event calm and friendly. 19. Listeners who care about studio competitions, judging standards, and musical-theatre crossover will get the most from this episode. 20. People looking for a deep technical masterclass or a dramatic story arc may skip it.

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