Is Pro Am becoming a sport of only the wealthy?

open_mind said:
I might be thrown out of this thread if I start looking for a partner her, but this actually not a bad idea. Does forum have a place for partnership ads?
Anyway, I am on the west coast, not near Chicago, sorry Loki!
Click to expand...
Use your signature to advertise things like this. Although I'm not sure how many post you have. You have to have a certain number of post to be able to do that. This is a pretty long thread though and main thing is we keep the conversation focused on the topic overall.
 
gracie said:
Yes, it seems to be true for the most part. There was an article in Dancebeat not too long ago where they gave info on the winners of the Pro-Am scholarships in many divisions. It went something like this- A has been dancing with B for 13 years. She takes 5 lessons a day 5 days a week and goes to 22 competitions a year. Other articles in different editions described how often they were getting coaching as well. Competitive dresses are around $4000 now and many Pro-ammers are changing to the young currently competing Pro's. In the final of the closed C silver American Smooth at Millennium last week, everyone who made the final was dancing with a currently competing Pro who does well in their division or a past Pro Smooth champion. The quality of dancing of Pro- Ams has risen also. I've been competing for 6 years so have been observing the evolution.
Click to expand...
Wow. Is this still true?
 
worddancer,

I wouldn't be surprised if it's still true. Dancing is a skill. Great focused teaching will always improve skill. So does sticking with something over time. Obviously, dedication and practice make a difference. None of the winners win without also being dedicated. But practicing the right thing the right way at the right time is going to make a world of difference. The learning curve is faster and after that, learning and winning are their own reward. So people stick to things more.

Also: I suspect even students who initially came in just for fun but caught the bug eventually figure out which studios and teachers are better if you want to win pro-Am. So the more dedicated ones who can afford stick to the same teacher.
 
worddancer said:
Wow. Is this still true?
Click to expand...

Well, keep in mind that DanceBeat is an industry publication. They have an interest in making that amount of spending on dancing seem normal and desirable. But yes, last I checked, a number of the top pro/am ladies were taking tons of lessons and flying to one competition after another, often doing a large number of entries, competing in new gowns, etc. Some fly to competitions in their own plane, even. And there are others scraping together the money for a few lessons a week, a few competitions a year, sewing their own gown or buying an inexpensive one, etc. And everything in between.

You definitely need hard work to become a good dancer. But having a very healthy dance budget certainly helps as well. Especially in pro/am, where you are generally paying by the minute to dance with, learn from, and practice with your competition partner.
 
worddancer said:
Wow. Is this still true?
Click to expand...

My current pro who won USDC in the A division at age 18 as an am in a pro/am partnership said she was doing 2 lessons a day for 5 days a week for 6 years to get to that point. Also, took multiple coachings from every visiting coach and regularly bought new Dore gowns.

This was 5 years ago and I doubt it has changed very much. Not making any judgement, but that's how it is. I'm actually kind of thankful because I get the benefit of all the skill and knowledge she has!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top