How old is your DD now? My GD is only 5 so this is not an issue yet. However, her mom (my DD) owns a Dance Studio and has a competitive Dance Company. I assume you are referring to a workshop/convention that is followed by a competition. DD's girls usually go to separate conventions and do stand-alone competitions, but I can see where having the judges see your DD all day during the workshop would give her a recognition factor advantage. Can you ask the teacher if you can pay to have your DD go to the workshop even though her group is not going? We have some girls pay to go to extra conventions and competitions at times. It's a shame the teacher would hold back your DD - are the comp. teams based on age? Although it can be a touchy thing with other parents, dancers should be grouped by ability rather than age (just as it should be in school but often isn't). At least she is doing a solo so is not held back by what the others can do. I know you must be frustrated that she wants to quit after investing so much time and $$ in it. But it really comes down to this - does she love to dance or is it just about the competition? If she does not love to dance (as my daughter did/does), she will eventually not want to keep it up. That's why I asked about her age - between 10 and 14 are usually the deciding years for continuing dance or not (in my limited experience). If she loves dancing, maybe you could consider changing studios or not competing for now. Good luck.
