Competition Etiquette for Dancers and Attendees
Because of the highly social and often tense environment at dance competitions, your off-stage etiquette can be just as important as your performance on-stage!
Highland dancing is different than other sports. It’s not a place where you can be yelling on the sidelines, for one. And there are other rules, like you can’t talk to the judge.
At each and every event you attend, you’re representing your dance studio and your dance family! It’s critical when attending these events that you display kindness, professionalism, respect… the list goes on. Today, we’re going to cover what you want to remember next time you’re at a competition as a dancer, a parent, or a spectator!
What NOT to do when someone is dancing on stage
- Walking around – it depends on the venue, but there can be times at smaller competitions where it’s best to wait until a dance ends to get out of your seat and walk around. Similarly, if you know that the door to the venue is really loud, wait until a dance is over to go in and out.
- Holding excessive conversation – we’re not saying to treat it like a performance in a theatre where complete silence is the standard. But in-audience conversations should be a polite volume in order not to distract competitors or audience members trying to watch the events.
- Cheering during a dance – At hockey games or cheer competitions, cheering as loud as you can is a way of showing support. But at a highland dance competition, the norm is to keep any clapping and cheering to the end of the performance.
- Taking video – There are widespread rules around taking videos at competitions. Refrain from taking videos of any dancers other than your own.
- Monopolising space – whether it’s in the venue, the change room, or the warm up area, being courteous of other’s space is a must. Try not to block entrances or hallways!
Proper etiquette for parents
- Going into the line-up area – parents are not allowed in the line-up area. If you need to communicate with your dancer, there’s probably a friend of theirs hanging around in the audience who you could ask to go on your behalf!
- Show respect for competition organisers – the hard-working people who make highland dance competitions happen are not getting paid for their efforts. Be courteous of them, say please and thank you, whenever possible, volunteer to help out at your local competitions!
- Show respect for judges – As we mentioned at the beginning, dancers and parents are not allowed to speak to the judges at competitions.
- Show respect for other parents and dancers – Kindness, politeness, and generosity never go out of style – even when it comes to your competitors.
- Show respect for rules and guidelines – Pay attention to the competition rules and be considerate. These often include not changing or keeping costumes in a warm up area, not bringing food into auditoriums, and more.
Ways to show support at dance competitions
- Respecting the venue, organisers, and volunteers – As we mentioned, being respectful toward competition organisers and volunteers is a must. Being well-mannered toward them and the rules they set is a must.
- Staying all the way to the end of awards – Listen, we get it – you’ve been at the competition for hours and you just want to go home once your dancer has their awards. But it’s a little sad when they get to the highest age groups and there’s about 6 people left in the audience to cheer for them. Staying until the very end is polite and always appreciated!
- Having extra supplies on hand – this is a great way to show sportsmanship toward fellow competitors. Having an extra safety pin to give to someone who needs it is a great friendly gesture.
Etiquette for competitors
Among fellow competitors – I think we’ve all heard stories or had our own experiences with dancers trying to psyche out other dancers in the line up area, and it goes without saying that trying to freak people out or throw them off their game is simply unacceptable. Competitions bring up a lot of intense emotions, but it’s important not to let that get in the way of your human decency. Competitions are a great opportunity to form connections and friendships! If you’re not there to make friends, at least show respect and try not to make enemies.
In the line up area – Some people are going to want to chat, and some people are going to want silence. Be courteous of what you and your fellow competitors might need before going on stage. Regardless of the chats, a smile and a quick “good luck” before hitting the stage show professionalism and kindness.
Accepting awards – When you’re accepting awards, be courteous to your fellow competitors. Even if you’re disappointed with the results, offering smiles and a congratulations is another way to show your professionalism. Be sure to say thank you to the volunteer or official giving you your awards! Also, stand in 1st position of the feet when on stage waiting for awards, clap for your competitors when they’re receiving their awards, and we especially appreciate seeing a “good job” to each competitor as they go to collect their prize.
