My daughter has been dancing and performing on stage a total of 7yrs and at EDC for 3+yrs...she…read morestarted on the recreational dance team, and now dances on the competitive company team. EDC is a great environment for those who are passionate about dance at any age! Its not about being the most technical, having the perfect look, or the most money - it IS about love of dance, being able to take instruction, show respect, and want to work and grow!
EDC has found such a great mix of being a warm/welcoming studio for all levels AND providing top notch instruction and opportunities for the most ambitious/experienced ones! We have been with 4 total studios in North County and all have been wonderful (except for one - which I will not name, but we stayed less than 1 year, as we did not feel welcomed at all - after almost a full year of attending classes every week twice a week, the same check in lady had no clue who my daughter was).
If I could give myself advice when starting this dance journey...find and stick with the studio that supports the vision/future you and your dancer are working towards...my daughter and I are pretty grounded when it comes to our expectations from all of this, but everyone is in it for different reasons and because of that one of the challenges as a parent is managing feelings of inequality/jealousy, or being left out/left behind - its helped me grow as a mom! It starts at home - work can be done on teaching your child to be an attentive student, set attainable goals, but dream big, and to compare themselves not to one another but to their last performance.
Lastly, the EDC staff is involved in the industry professionally and is well connected for unique opportunities! They are bringing in top notch master instructors and choreographers, they attend a great mix of competitions and conventions - building confidence while keeping them humble!