Some teachers in the studio where we take lessons are organizing a showcase. Our coach is encouraging us to go because ' we're the only amateur standard couple'. We have never been to one before and thought it could be nice, only to find out later that you have to pay $$$ entry fees! I know we're not good enough so we have to pay audience to watch us but I didn't expect it to be so much. Not to mention all the complicated packages for dinner (teacher's dinner) and stuff. Is this what the pro-am world is like? Ouch! Now we feel committed to do it to maintain the relationship with the coachs.

I'm not trying to start another fight over pro-am. It's definitely our choice to particpate or not. Just want to vent here. It's time that we moved to a place with more amateurs!

Do you know what the 7th wave is? A person you're doing business with will ask you 7 times to accept something and very often after being repeatedly asked, they give in. Anyone heard of Lawrance Elkins? He is currently being sued in Nashville TN for his business practices in Tennessee. Not all studios are bad, not all teachers are bad. Some good teachers find themselves working in bad studios.

To pay to be in a show is not unheard of, but to think you are putting in all that work, all that time in those lessons and then to pay to perform, c'mon. Do you get a cut at the door? You should if you are in the show and paying production costs.

You don't have to take my advice, but I think you should express your displeasure and find another studio. Your relationship with your dance teacher is a business relationship, he has seen students come and go and when you're gone, he will move on. It is against the NDCA code of ethics to pressure you based on the relationship to buy something you don't want. Turn him in. Go to the NDCA website and download the code of ethics yourself.

Coach is encouraging us to go because we're star students (there're so few dancers, let along amateur here, sad). We were introduced to him by another coach in the studio and we feel like he wants to demonstarte results. We did improve a lot. Of course he might have said that just to get us to go. For fairness, he is not demanding us to go by any means. Plus, there's hardly any chance for us to be on the floor except flying out a couple of times a year, we do see value in showcasing, just not sure of the amount



Anyway, I'll try to stay away from any packages and stick with showcase only. Then the cost is not that high, and everybody is ok. It just amazes me how these things work and how different it is from our goals, hence the comment on moving.

You shouldn't have to pay one red cent to participate in a showcase where your coach wants to use you to showcase his studio. Tell him you'll be happy to do it for free and won't charge him for it.

DanceAm, you're right. It's a business relationship and we as customers have our rights. I wouldn't let things go cross the line. But I feel I have to accommodate to the extent I can, like a showcase without other strings. There're two big studios that I know of in this nearest big city, one predominantly American style. I do feel limited in choices and therefore obliged to support my studio and its coaches. I agree though we tend to be shy and accommodating. Reminding ourselves periodically the business relationship and our rights would be great.

It sounds like what is being pushed is the show-case offering of a pro-am comp. Those are, well, a bit like a vanity press.

If you want to do a show, go do one in a shopping mall or nursing home or elementary school. If the studio needs you at the comp, they should help with most of the cost.

I am only speaking from experience with a disreputible studio. There is one in my area that I started at. My wife and I thought we were the star couple at one time but there were two reasons for that. First, the studio was more concerned with taking money and many students left after the first of 4 bronze level packages (about 3000 to 5000 a package). Only a few pro-am women still danced with their dance teacher that were Silver level. Second, we didn't know what else was out there until we went to the USABDA Regional in Atlanta. We never got called back to a final round in Bronze Rhythm and Smooth. We were shocked and amazed that there were so many advanced couples dancing. After not doing much better at a regional a few months later, we decided we needed a new teacher and a new studio. My current studio will let me do a show at a Friday night party anytime I want and they ask us to do something on special occasions, NO CHARGE. We can even use an old routine or one of our current comp open routines, they don't care.

What it boils down to is this: If you really really want to do it, and you are happy and satisfied with the price, then do it. If not, then decline. If they start treating you differently for declning, then take your business elsewhere, and complain to the NDCA and maybe even the Better Business Bureau.



The studio where I've been taking lessons has two performance showcases per year. The students who participate in them really enjoy them and get a lot out of them. The package price for this includes 10 lessons, a couple of sessions with a choreographer, hair and makeup services, a very high-quality video of the show (I've seen several of them), a guest ticket, payment for the teacher's time at rehearsals and the show, and a cast party. One of the shows is held at a local theater on stage under professional lighting. The other is a little less expensive and is held at the studio. Amateur couples pay a little less because they don't have to pay for the teacher's dancing time. Group number members pay far less because of the group economy. I've been in a few of these shows (once in a formation number, twice doing Pro/Am Solos with my teacher) and think they are great fun, and everyone works really hard to make them something good and entertaining rather than somewhat pathetic. I haven't been in one of these for a couple of years but I still go watch and am very entertained by the shows and am always very impressed with the level of creativity and effort that goes into it.



However, my studio NEVER "sneaks" the price up on the students. About four months before the showcase they print up and distribute flyers explaining how much things cost and what you get for it. People are encouraged to join in if they want to but manipulating relationships etc. is simply not done. I think it was slimey of them to get you to agree without clearly informing you of the costs involved up front.



They also sometimes invite couples to perform in the show. These are true invitiations, the invited couples are guest artists and don't pay for the package (of course, the guest artists are expected to prepare themselves for the show on their own time and own dime).



Not all studios are bad. Not all showcases are rip-offs. But some are.



Personally, my days of paying to be in the showcases are over. I figure I'd rather spend my time and money preparing for competitions. Other students who don't compete like to spend their time and money preparing for the biannual showcases. It's a matter of choice. (However, I do hope that someday my studio will think enough of my partner's and my dancing to invite us to dance.)



P.S. Like DanceAm, our studio also encourages students to perform at their Friday Night parties. There are competitions in our area nearly every month, and people can sign up to dance a number or two at the party the Friday before the competition. I've done that a few times, too, and we didn't have to pay a thing for it. I know of at least one other studio in our area that has the same policy.

Mall, nursing homes, Friday night parties... What great ideas! How come I never thought of them before? If what we want is the floor time, there are plenty of places where we can dance, and for free. In fact, someone just asked us in the gym last night. I should look into these local opportunities where we get the floor time and also offer others a good time.

Laura, you're right. It is a little slimey to get us in the showcase before disclosing the full costs. Of course we also learned the lesson never agreeing to anything before exploring the costs!

This is a great forum. I thought I was just posting to vent myself, but ended up with some good ideas. Thanks!