Hello friends! This was supposed to be week two of three with Atticus joining me live from Phoenix, but a couple of things got in the way. He’d just come through a brutal day — a full day of class plus a couple of solo sessions — and my wife was basically hauling home a bag of bones. And on a much heavier note, since we last talked, my dad — Atti’s grandpa — passed away, so our minds have been all over the place this week. So this one’s just me, offering a parent’s-eye view of how the Master Ballet Academy experience has been going so far.
🩰 The MBA reality check
No surprise here: it’s really hard, really demanding, and the overall tone is just more serious than Atticus is used to
The balance at MBA leans more toward tough — they still love everybody, but it’s a no-excuses environment. Your feet hurt? Keep dancing!
It’s been humbling in the best way. Atticus is a small fish in a big pond right now, surrounded by some absolutely blow-your-mind dancers
🐺 How we got here
Quick background for new listeners: we were part of big studio dance for years, then stepped away at the start of last year to go a different direction
Since then Atticus has been a bit of a lone wolf — a solo free agent. We’ve hired choreographers to build solos, and he works twice a week with a dance consultant
That consultant work isn’t just technique — it’s things like building a dance resume and finding classes and clinics he couldn’t access inside the big studio model. More love than tough, but plenty of both
🎯 On being honest with your dancer
Before this experience we told Atticus straight up: you’re not going to be the best dancer there, and that’s okay. Some friends and family pushed back — “you’ve got to pump him up, tell him he’s the best!”
We did tell him all the encouraging things too. But we also believe in honest feedback: “that wasn’t your best one — two weeks ago was better, because of X, Y, Z — but you still did great”
My worry with the pure-gold, shooting-star, no-flaws approach: if every move a kid makes is the bestest and most awesomest, why would they ever work? You’ve just told them they’re God’s gift to dancing
💔 A cautionary tale from the awards ceremony
Back in our big studio days, I watched a young dancer completely fall apart after not being recognized at an awards night — heaving, convulsing, gasping. I genuinely thought it was a medical emergency and ran over to help
Her mom waved me off, then I overheard her comforting her: “they just don’t see how great you are… we just need to get you in front of the right judges”
Honestly, I didn’t think that dancer was as strong as a lot of her teammates, and I thought framing her disappointment as everyone-else’s-fault was doing her a real disservice. I’m a dad, not a judge — but that moment has stuck with me
⚖️ Finding the balance
The goal isn’t to crush them (”well, that sucked”) or to inflate them (“you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread!”). It’s somewhere in the middle
Real affirmation for all the hard work, plus a healthy dose of “you’ve got a ways to go”
What I ultimately want: Atticus walks into a room full of titans and, instead of feeling scared or ready to quit, thinks “wow, that person is incredible — I’m going to go ask them how they did that.” A healthy sense of self, always improving
📅 What’s next
Fingers crossed I can get Atticus live again next week for the final-week wrap-up, so you can better decide whether MBA is the right fit for you or the dancers in your life
Thanks for listening this week, especially with everything going on. All episodes live at dadofadancer.com — head there to subscribe, and if you’re not already following us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you take in podcasts through your ear holes, we’d really appreciate it. We don’t run ads or sponsors, so it’s just nice to know people are out there. Drop us a message or leave a comment on a post anytime. Hope you have a wonderful week and weekend — talk soon. 🩰
