Student Challenges Prevalent in the Pro-am Structure

And I appreciate it. My expectations of pro are similar to what fascination described. Probably most pro/am student who've been around awhile would be about the same.

But what I was looking for is other students have other expectations. Are there situations where winning and/or placing in the top 3 in every event isn't enough for a student at a comp? When can a student have unrealistic expectations regarding their pro? How much does a pro have to cater to a student's every whim during a comp, including down time, even at the expense of other students?

By down time, that might include things like sightseeing and exploring the city where the comp is held, or eating at restaurants away from the comp hotel. That may or may not include friends and family members of the student.

This is all I need from pro on competition day... and happy to say this is what I currently have.

And that would be the key...you can give your pro (or any partner, really) all those things and have everything planned out on your end and it still doesn't happen. But that is off topic.

Back on topic - I agree with Fasc and Debmc as far as what I want from my pro at a comp. Show up on time, dance to the best of your ability and mine, and generally just be professional. I don't need all the off-the-floor fluff, have long since learned not to look for it, and have come to realize how completely unfair it is for a student to expect a teacher to be their personal escort for a weekend. I realize there are some teachers/pros who charge enough that filling that roll is pretty much the only way to justify the cost, but...well, for me, I'm there to compete - not for the social experience.

I'm pretty in-line with everyone else sounds like. As long as pro is on time, dances to the best of my ability, and doesn't stress me out with being disorganized, etc., I'm pretty content.

As to down time, our studio is pretty small and friendly so even at home, it's not unusual for us to do things outside the studio with pro and his wife, my husband, other students, their sig. others. So doing it at a comp is not that strange I guess. But I certainly don't EXPECT those things. My best guideline is to take my cue from my pro. He's pretty good at finding us if he wants to grab dinner or a drink. Otherwise, we're pretty good at entertaining ourselves

I think, in order to help pros with this, students should have a sense of where they want to go, how much money they have, what their goals are, what the want to dance, etc...Around the beginning of each year, I let my pro know roughly how many comps a year I can do...how much I can dance at them....what is a priority and where I am flexible, and what my goals and preferences are....


i do exactly the same! they really appreciate having a rough workload estimate ( or income estimate LOL) but i also do all my own entries that way they are on time and error free

As far as the "apres competition scene", if pro wants to gather students together for a meal, that can be fun, if not, that is fine too. There are so many people to visit with at a comp and so much browsing to do of all the vendor products, plus the evening shows, that it is not a necessity for me to have pro around, though I certainly enjoy their time if they feel like sharing a meal.

Very true, great advice, thank you

I agree with internal motivation being a crucial part of our dance development. Upon watching the Olympics though... and I may be making a huge leap here... I noticed that there was an incredible support system between team members on the team and also encouragement and support from the coaches of these athletes. On many occasion when an athlete did not do as well as expected they got a "pep talk" from their coach, or consolation when they felt bad. Is it too much to expect that part of the duties of our pro is to provide that level of support? Just curious.. haven't made up my mind yet, but it was interesting to see what a varied role the Olympic coaches played with their athletes. It certainly seemed to pay off in producing great results.

I have as well, and found it to be helpful. I find that I benefit when coach ( and I am using the term interchangeably with pro here), shares in a victory or is able to quickly reframe and redirect a round that did not go as well.

Random observations based on one comp experience with franchise (so take it for what it's worth):

The pro I competed with was always prim and proper in dress shirt/dress pants/sweater vest/tie when teaching at the studio. So I was initially shocked when we all met at the airport and he was dressed, uh, let's just say closer to the spirit of grunge. Got me thinking about perceptions and when it is OK to step out of character. So, this may be unreasonable, but I expect my pro to present himself as a professional during the experience, including travel, especially when the dollar amounts involved are very significant. I wouldn't go so far as to expect business attire on a plane, but dressed just nice enough to command respect from the general public.

I expect pro to be organized, or at least maintain appearance thereof. If the pro does not appear to be on top of things on his own behalf, I'm not going to trust him to have everything taken care of on my behalf, in spite of claims to the contrary.

Whether or not pro is expected to be available for fun stuff after the event is an expectation that should be established before the event. The event I was at (and all the ones my studio has attended since) are pricy, but the flip side is that you are promised an amazing time from beginning to end. On the other hand, I think it is fair to have more of a "no frills" experience as long as there is a mutual understanding beforehand and it is presumably less costly.

Encouragement is good – maintain balance of positive feedback and constructive criticism during the course of the event.

Eh, airline travel is the worst. I don't think I'd expect anyone to have to look nice at all. but that's my own opinion. It's so uncomfortable on the places, I don't begrudge anyone who wears whatever keeps them comfy. The other things, I agree with!

I agree. I couldn't care less what my pro wears on the plane/in the car. In fact, on our way home from the last comp, pretty sure he didn't even have time to comb his hair (I barely did) as we were on the plane at dark-thirty. But he is impeccably groomed on the dance floor and at all the dance related venues and functions, etc. That's good enough for me. I wouldn't want him to tell me he expected me to dress or look a certain way for travel home. I would likely tell him to get lost.

That is what I like about both variations on the payment thing I've experienced--I'm paying for his time in X number of heats plus recalls. I expect him to be on the floor for our events and paying attention to my rounds. If I HAPPEN to be on the same flight (I very rarely fly to comps--expense aside, I am deeply phobic about flying and will at this point literally use any other transportation means available if they exist) it is just a case of our happening to be on the same flight. I have not paid for his time there, it's none of my business how he's dressed or whether he pays attention to me. My pros who have been on flights with me have, lucky for them, been seated away from me, which is a good thing because no one wants to sit next to me on planes. Shaking nervous wrecks who talk to themselves are not anyone's idea of a good time.

FWIW, the comp I attended was an all-inclusive type event in the same vein as the franchise "Dance-o-ramas" - i.e. the amount I paid included flight/hotel/meals/heats/instructor's time and there was not an option to exclude any of these things to reduce the price (other than # heats). Hence the expectations that I noted, which I probably would have been less critical of if the comp I'd been attending was more along the lines of the (less expensive) independent ones that are more common among the posters on this board.