COMPETITION DETAIL

The I Am Dance competition was overall a fun and enjoyable experience. The staff were amazing, friendly, engaging, and welcoming to both dancers and families. The event was very well organized, with everything easy to access, and it was a great bonus that they offered classes for dancers the day before the competition. The venue itself was clean, well-maintained, and easy to navigate, which made for a smooth and positive experience. That said, there were a few areas that could use improvement. The biggest concern was the judging. It felt very clear that if your dancers did not fit the style or category that certain judges personally preferred or specialized in, there was little chance of being recognized fairly. Our dance team has had an incredibly successful season, performing very well at larger competitions, so it was disappointing to see talented dancers overlooked here. It seemed that unless a studio was already well-known or fit a certain mold, recognition was limited. Another downside was the heavy focus on promoting the I Am Dance program during the awards ceremony. At times, it felt like the spotlight shifted away from celebrating the dancers and more toward marketing the competition itself. This made the ceremony feel unnecessarily long and somewhat distracted from what should have been the main priority, which were the dancers and their accomplishments. Overall, I Am Dance is not a terrible competition and certainly has many positive aspects, especially in organization and atmosphere. However, improvements in judging fairness and reducing self-promotion during awards would go a long way in making the experience more enjoyable and rewarding for all participants

I attended i am dance with just a couple other soloists but felt incredibly welcome by the i am dance staff, owner and other studios! We had a wonderful time at the convention, it was well worth taking ALL of the convention classes! The backstage staff were fun and welcoming! The judges comments were all instructional and supportive. I can’t wait to attend next season with my whole studio. This was such an inclusive and well run competition ! This is definitely a competition worth checking out!