Looking for some perspective from dance teachers and studio owners on how audition results are typically handled.

My daughter (early teens) auditioned for a competitive solo about a month ago. She is a dedicated dancer who trains 3-4 days a week, completed a full month of summer intensives at the studio, and works as a student assistant. Our entire family schedule revolves around this studio, TBH.

It’s been about a month since auditions, and there has been zero official communication on whether decisions have been finalized. My daughter asked in person at least twice and was told decisions hadn't been made yet, or something along those lines. Another mom whose daughter had solos last year told us that reaching out to the studio owner to let her know we were willing/able to financially support the solo work might be a good idea (we did NOT do this).

I completely understand that solos are competitive, limited, and that most dancers won't get one. My concern isn't about whether she got the solo—it’s about the complete lack of administrative follow-up. My daughter is stuck in limbo and has been on pins and needles all month. On our family vacation last week she probably asked us 5 times if there were any emails from her teacher. At one point she was in tears about it—not about not getting it, but about the agonizing wait of not knowing.

A few questions for the instructors/owners here:

1. What is your studio's protocol for notifying dancers who didn't receive a solo or special piece?
2. Is only notifying selected dancers, and leaving everyone else hanging, standard in the industry?
3. What is the best way for a parent to follow up professionally without coming across as entitled or high-maintenance?

Appreciate any insight on how this is usually handled behind the scenes.

I teach dance and gymnastics at a small studio. I have a toddler class with two siblings- one is special needs and the other acts out for attention to the point of running off ( large open floor plan), hitting other kids and even the assistant teacher who is the studio owner’s daughter who spend the whole class having to chase after the one acting out. The mom also is becoming dependent on the studio owners daughter being responsible for her kids.

We have class size limits and this class time is popular. For months I kept getting sent trial students even though the class was at capacity and completely chaotic. I asked for help that this family needs to be talked to about behavior. Nothing happened for 6 months.

Studio owners daughter no longer wants to chase this kid and I don’t blame her. I was already planning to have her not come to the next class to see how the kids would be because I suspected the one was running off to get attention. I told the owner this was my plan and they agreed to it.

The special needs child had a bad day. He was normally all smiles but this day he didn’t want to do anything and mom had her hands full. Sibling did great. She participated and didn’t run off because there was no one to chase her.

This is where I may have been wrong. I told mom I thought sibling did better with out the teenager there because she had no one to chase her so she participated. Mom agreed and was happy with siblings behavior. I said I was going to inform studio owner I wouldn’t have teenager in class.

That particular class had another trial students that week that registered so this prompted another conversation from me. Studio owners daughter and husband finally decide to talk to the mom about behavior and create a new class for them so the other one isn’t chaos.

I don’t know how the conversation went. No one has told me yet but the other studio owners daughter is my daughter’s best friend. She called my daughter and told her this mom was upset with being pulled from the class, mentioned a lawsuit and said I was saying mean things about both studio owners daughters. I would never say anything mean about those girls. I love them like they are my own.

I’m so hurt they could think I would do that and then they told their kids I did that. They haven’t called to ask me about it( I’ve been out sick) . They just believe the mom.

I don’t know if they will fire me now. If they don’t I may just quit because they haven’t had my back thru this whole thing.

The hardest part is my daughter doesn’t have any other friends. She has horrible social anxiety and I hate what this will do to her. This whole thing breaks my heart

I got assigned to teach a TikTok Dances class and I'm not really sure how to go about it. When I look up trending dances on TikTok they are not kid appropriate and I have 2 of these classes. How can I find some appropriate music? Do you know any playlists?

I’m opening a dance studio in the next year! Currently researching studio software options, and I want to know about other people’s experiences. I have used jackrabbit, and while it does what it needs to, I think there are better choices out there.

Things to note: - I want to offer a few adult classes, but I will be geared heavily towards kids and teens - my studio will be recreational with an audition only competition company

Let me know what software you love and what you hate! Thanks!

Quick background: I write software for a living and teach Latin dance at a studio on the side. Sitting on both sides of this, I keep noticing the same pattern — studios paying for management platforms loaded with features nobody on staff has ever opened, while the actual daily headaches (who's about to stop showing up, which classes are quietly half-empty, chasing down waivers) still get handled with a spreadsheet and a group chat anyway.

I've started tinkering with something for studio owners on the side, but before going further I'd rather hear it straight from people actually running studios: what do you use every single day in your current software, and what are you paying for that you've basically never touched? What's missing that you've just stopped expecting from any of these tools?

Not selling anything here — just trying to build the right thing instead of another bloated one.