Guides
Guides for dance parents
The things nobody explains before your dancer’s first competition season: what to pack, how to read the schedule, what the awards mean, what a convention weekend is, how to keep a season of costumes straight, and which apps do what. Written for parents, useful with or without an app.
Updated · Selvi Labs
-
Dance competition packing list
Everything to pack for a competition weekend, by bag and by routine: costumes and tights, hair, makeup, a quick-change kit, an emergency kit, food and water, and your own bag. With a free printable checklist.
-
How to read a competition schedule
Entry numbers, performance and call times, sessions and awards, quick changes between routines, and what to do when the competition runs ahead or late.
-
Competition awards explained
What adjudication levels, overalls and special awards mean, with the score scales competition companies publish for the 2026–27 season side by side, and where to find your dancer’s scores.
-
What is a dance convention?
How a convention weekend works: classes by age group, a typical schedule, scholarships and auditions, watching classes, and what dancers wear and bring.
-
Organizing costumes and quick changes
A system for the whole season: one bag per routine, a photo of every complete look, a quick-change kit, hair and makeup notes, and storing costumes when the season ends.
-
Apps for dance parents
Studio portals, competition-company apps, family calendars and dance family planners: what each kind of app is for, with examples, and how they fit together in a dance family’s season.
Using Ovation?
The help center has a short, illustrated article for every task in the app, from importing a class schedule to recording results. And if you are wondering what Ovation does for a dance family, start with the iPhone planner for dance moms and dads.