Get Involved (and a trip down Memory Lane)
- Lacie Rothrock
- Feb 1, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 7, 2023
Getting Involved, what do I mean by this? This can mean many different things for different studios and different parents and families.
To give a little bit of a back story and take a trip down memory lane, over our many years being in the dance world, we have been at a total of 4 studios, "being involved" has looked slightly different at each studio, for our family personally, as I'm sure it will look different for each individual family.
Our first studio
My daughter danced there for about two years until it closed so the studio owner could be a stay-at-home mom. Our first studio was the best place for us to start out. My mother signed her up for two dance classes per week. My daughter at the time was "my tiny dancer" in her little pink tutus with zebra-striped leg warmers (miss days like those sometimes!)
Circa 2013>
(Look at how cute she was. Sorry, not sorry for posting hahaha!)
<Circa 2014
Being involved while at this studio meant nothing more than being a supportive parent. We told ALL our friends about the studio we called home and loved and how they should bring their kiddos. We talked our family into buying tickets and coming to the twice-a-year recital in order to help support the studio. We also offered to help in any way possible at the recitals.
We (Dad and I) were but mere "babies" in the dance world at the time. We had no idea what the next 10 years would hold.
Circa 2015>
Studio number two
After our first dance studio closed, we made the switch to our second (and longest) dance studio. We moved to our second studio at the suggestion of our first studio owner's suggestion. At the time, our daughter was still just doing recreational dance. We ended up making some long-lasting friends and loving our time there. After my daughter spent one year doing rec classes and getting used to the new studio, I got to know the studio owner and became pretty close friends.
<Circa 2016
The summer of 2016 was my first real shove into being involved in the dance world. It started out with being backstage help during the end-of-year recital. After all, I have had a decent amount of backstage experience and love the theatre in general. I was more than willing to help out backstage. I was in charge of making sure all dancers were accounted for and the dances on deck were lined up ready to hit the stage.
This is something I have noticed that studios NEED help with during recital times, and who better to volunteer to help than dance moms. Especially if you are a competition parent and have seen your kiddos dance on stage many times, and most likely have a good bond with many dancers at the studio and are familiar with many of them, as they are you. This way all the new recital parents can sit out in the audience and watch and relish in the success of their own tiny dancer, without the stress of running backstage to get their kid where they need to be and then back out to the audience.
I highly suggest that if you are looking for a way to be helpful to your studio, volunteer to help out at recitals. It's needed!! If you're not comfortable being backstage, there are plenty of other opportunities to help with a recital. Below are a few ways of getting involved:
Backstage help
Dancer check-in table
Dressing room attendant
Taking the tickets at the front door
Setting up the night before (if your studio has props or decorations)
If you are able to do mass printing, offer to print programs
Provide water and healthy snacks for the dressing room or teacher lounge. They will have a long day and can use some healthy refueling
Take care of getting flowers for teachers, studio owners, seniors, and any special attendants
A few weeks after our first recital with the new studio, I was asked to help cover the front desk during the "off week" while their normal receptionist was out of town. Just be a friendly face to greet people who may come in with questions about signing up. Considering I had some knowledge of the classes, teachers, fees, and how things ran there, I was a good person to be available to answer those questions while the owner was in teaching her classes. I thoroughly enjoyed this job, more than I would have ever expected. By the beginning of our fall season, I was assisting full-time in the evenings at the studio helping out the receptionist during those crazy evening hours.
While this type of involvement might not be for everyone, it was for me. By the beginning of 2017, I was full-time at our studio as the studio manager. It was very long hours, but so much fun! Our receptionist had taken a different full-time job and had to step away from the studio, so I stepped in, as I was already familiar with how to do everything and most parents already knew me from seeing me at the front desk and milling about in the evenings.
Circa 2017>
Not only was I working full-time at the studio, but my husband also became the "honorary maintenance man". If something broke, we called on him. If we needed items restocked, he took care of getting them. He made weekly Sam’s runs to stock the studio of everything from cleaning supplies to vending machine items. He also loved being up there and being involved. After all, at that time, both of our kids were dancing there, so it was one way for our family to be in the same place in the evening. His best friends’ kids also went there. It was such a great family environment.
Circa 2017-2018
By 2017, I had been promoted to Studio Manager and Financial Manager at the studio and it was my full-time job. The studio was thriving, the dancers were thriving, and my family was thriving. Both my son and my daughter were on the competition team. That meant lots of crazy competition days and meant Dad had to be a "Dance mom" with helping to get our son ready, as I was off getting our daughter ready and couldn’t go in the boy's dressing rooms. He loves this also.
This year also led to a NEW way of helping out. I would help out our photographer during recital photo week. This was a very simple job that consisted of making sure all the dancers had their names written on a note card (for identification purposes for the photographers) and taking their order forms. This is a great way to help out at a studio that typically only requires one week (or a few days) of commitments but is a HUGE help.
2018-2019
This year was the busiest year we had at the studio. Dad started helping with props (he LOVED the title of Prop Dad and Mr. Adam). He took on a more serious role at the studio keeping everything running. I also opened a dancewear shop in the studio. I would give the studio a certain percentage of the profits, to help the studio and for allowing me to use the space. This brings me to my next suggestion on how to be involved: PROPS! If you have a husband (or if you yourself are handy with building stuff) offer to help with the props. If you’re not able to help build props, maybe help with transporting them or setting them up on stage. Another thing for all those craft parents, if you know how to make dancewear or fun t-shirts or other merch, offer to make some as fundraisers for the studio or dance team. Not only will it help your studio and team, but it can help drive business to your own small business.
Ahh, the dreaded 2019-2020 season. The season of Covid. Our studio home was forced to close its doors forever. We couldn't survive the financial hit. It was devastating.
This photo was taken in October 2019, at NUVO in Tulsa. We had no idea what was in store for our season. I feel like this deserves a blog of its own. I remember the week covid "hit" so vividly. Maybe I’ll talk about that later down the road, maybe next week. I don’t know, what do you think? Should I talk about it at all, or all we all over hearing about Covid?
Anyways, back to my topic. My biggest thing to talk about during this season was just being there for each other. I had to support my friend, who was also my boss. I had to be there for her as a friend AND as an employee. I remember going to her home and working with her to help her tie off loose ends for the business, all why just trying to be an ear for her. It was a difficult time.
The next season (plus a few months) we ended up at a different studio. For reasons that won't be discussed here, we wound up where we are now, The Dance Force.
Studio 4!!
While being here, I have been the MOST involved at any studio. You know how I mentioned my previous boss/friend who had to close her studio during covid, well she teaches here also!
While at this studio, I’ve got to help out (well pretty much do most of it) with costumes. For anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE doing costuming. I started out doing my daughter's solo costumes and found my love for rhinestoning. It’s a mindless task that I can do while I’m winding down and watching a good show. This year I have got to do the most I ever have. I’m so excited. Seeing the girls in the pieces on stage just warms my heart.
This is a big thing that parents can help with at a studio. Whether it's one mom or a team of parents, tackling costumes is a huge feat.
Below are just a few of the costumes I've recently done. :)
So, a quick recap of a few ideas to help and be involved:
Recital
Photos
Props
Merch
Costuming
General Studio Help
The moral of the story is to GET INVOLVED. In whatever way works for you and your family! You won't regret it.
Now for all my readers, what topics would you like me to cover?
Well, that's all for now. I'm all typed out. It's cold here, we are going on our 3rd "ice day" home from work and school. I'm so ready for some warm weather and sunshine!
Hope the weather is better where you are!
-Rothrock Mom
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