Welcome to Dad of a Dancer

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Welcome!

Thanks for checking out Dad of a Dancer!

I’m Brian, and I created this Substack because I wanted to talk about some of the challenges of being a dance parent - specifically that of a male teen. My son danced competitively for the past five years before having to take a break (story coming soon). Now that our family has stepped away from being part of the studio, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on this experience, and how it has been a roller-coaster of learning experiences and and emotions - some good, some bad.

On the positive side of being a dance parent, I’ve absolutely loved the highs of seeing my son and his teammates grow as dancers, support each other, and do well in rehearsals and competitions. It has also been great to meet some rock-solid families who are trying to not just raise good dancers, but good humans. Some of these families have become ride-or-die friends.

There have also been a lot of tricky paths to figure out as a new dance parent: the considerable monthly investment (which can fluctuate at times), pressure to play extra roles within the dance company (not required but frowned upon if you don’t), and navigating environments that have traditionally been mostly female.

I hope you’ll subscribe and join me on this journey, and also comment to be part of the conversation. Each post will have a comment link like this:

And/or you can send me a message:

Thanks,

Brian

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