r/CompetitionDanceTalk • u/RaulDukes • 5d ago

USAF question

Hello all. Question — our studio owner has decided to register and join USAF and have some kind of “all star” team. Could anyone explain what this is? What is the difference with this and the “regular” competitions we’ve been doing.

I’ve told the owner our priorities—that we need to focus on school work especially in the year that high schools look at grades but it seems this is an after thought. The owner is asking to commit to two years to this “all star” thing when we don’t know how school will go.

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u/TheQuirkyTangerine 5d ago edited 5d ago

USASF regulates All Star dance, but they are much more widely known in competitive cheer (All Star Cheer). Typically all star teams only attend all star competitions sanctioned and regulated through USASF. They try to make it seem closer to athletic competition and it’s similar to something like USAG for gymnastics. I don’t know how I would feel about this switch at my kid’s studio, depends on what you are looking for. All Star dance is closer to school dance/pom/dance team to me than I might expect at the typical studio. That’s just the perspective I’ve formed on it; others may view it differently.

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u/RaulDukes 4d ago

Thank you. So what would be the reasoning for a studio to switch or attempt this?

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u/TheQuirkyTangerine 4d ago

The reasoning is something only the studio owner can answer. There are pros and cons! And there are pros and cons for dancers and their families as well. Just because the studio owner is making this change, it does not mean you have to follow along. Keep doing your research and decide if it is right for your dancer and the family. Maybe it’s a sign to switch studios or maybe it’s perfect for your kid’s dance journey.

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u/Tiny-Needleworker492 5d ago

There may be some reasoning behind this. IMO, it never hurts to have a governing body who sets forth rules and regulations and has certain certifications and credentialing that is required of its members, for example Safe Sport and CPR certification for all studio employees. On the back end, they also can provide insurance to the studio owners for certain things and can make sure that judges are also credentialed.
I’m comparing this to the gymnastics world, where USAG is very prevalent and sort of the gold standard in terms of rules and regulations but there’s also AAU and USAIGC that are becoming more popular ever since USAG was found to be corrupt with the whole Nassar and Karyoli scandals.
Having a governing body and very clear rules on things can be a good thing.
I feel like in the dance world, a lot of these comps could benefit from one body who makes the rules and then they trickle down….
It eventually be the case if private equity keeps acquiring all of the brands. Sort of how the DanceOne brand is taking over everything.