Hey Dance Family,
Every season, particularly as we push closer to performances, we see it — dancers getting emotional in class.
And while it doesn’t rattle us as teachers, I know it can leave some parents feeling unsettled, especially if you didn’t grow up in a space where competition, art, or athletics demanded everything you had to give.
So let’s dish about it:
There is crying in dance — and it’s not a crisis. It’s part of the process.
When a young dancer cries in or after class, it’s almost never because they’re unhappy or mistreated. It’s because they’ve hit the edge of their current ability — and they care. They want something bigger than what they can execute right now. They can see it, they can almost feel it, but they can’t quite grab it yet. That proximity — that almost-there tension — is emotional. And when a dancer cares enough to feel that tension deeply, sometimes it spills over.
For us as instructors, those moments aren’t failures. They’re signals of investment. A child who cries over a missed step or a tough correction isn’t a child who’s fragile. They’re a child who’s engaged. They’re connected to the work, not skating on the surface of it. They’re trying — really trying — and that is worth more than a flawless run-through any day of the week.
I know it’s hard to watch, especially if you didn’t grow up doing something where the emotional stakes were high. But tears in class don’t mean something is wrong. They don’t mean your child isn’t strong enough or the training is too tough. In fact, they often mean the opposite. Learning to stay in it — to breathe through the frustration, to trust that today’s struggle leads to tomorrow’s breakthrough — builds a resilience that will serve your child far beyond the studio.
So what should you do if you see it?
Honestly, not much. You don’t need to rescue them. You don’t need to immediately question whether dance is “right” for them. What you can do is be calm, be steady, and remind them — with your actions more than your words — that it’s okay to care deeply about something that’s hard. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. And it’s MORE than okay to keep going.
At Elements, we see our dancers’ emotions not as obstacles, but as part of the fabric of their growth. We want them to feel. We want them to care. We want them to push themselves to the point where it matters enough to hurt a little. Because that’s where the transformation happens — not just as dancers, but as human beings.
Crying in class isn’t weakness. It’s passion with nowhere to hide. And honestly? That’s when we know a dancer is exactly where they need to be.
❤️
Ms. Alana
Founder/Director, Elements Urban Arts Collective
PS “If you ever have questions about how your dancer is growing — emotionally, physically, or artistically — know that our doors are always open. We’re proud to walk with them through every part of the journey.