Navigating Alcohol Use at Dance Conventions

During the hustle and bustle of convention weekends, Beatrice,* a dance studio owner, has very strict rules about having a designated adult in charge at all times. So, when these parent chaperones were repeatedly turning up at the hotel bar, she knew she had to step in.

“The kids would be like ‘Where’s my mom?’ and we would always find them at the bar,” she says. “It was so embarrassing to say to the kids, ‘Your mom is at the bar instead of here watching you get a scholarship.’”

Drinking at dance conventions isn’t unheard of, and some members of the dance community say they feel the behavior has increased in recent years. Others say they’ve only experienced problematic drinking behaviors a handful of times, and don’t view it as a widespread issue. If a negative drinking culture is affecting you, it can be hard to know how to address this tricky topic. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that your dance environment remains safe, fun, and professional on competition weekend.

Set Boundaries

Since everyone’s comfort level with drinking varies, it’s important to be clear about your boundaries. For studio owners, this might take the form of an established conduct policy signed by parents, students, and dance instructors that outlines appropriate behavior. “It’s really important to have the expectation set up front and not try to set an expectation in the moment that it’s happening,” says Jennifer Brast, who owns Studio One Dance Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a co-owner of the Youth Protection Association for Dance, in addition to also being a dance parent and a competition judge. “Having a clause in your parent packet in your contract for dance company members is really helpful.”

For dance teachers navigating an environment where other educators are imbibing, staying true to one’s own values is key. Phoebe*, a dance teacher, says a studio where she was previously employed had a heavy drinking culture amongst faculty members. “They thought it was perfectly normal to go back to the hotel room between competition dances, drink, and then parade around the venue with red Solo cups,” she remembers. Phoebe says she ultimately left the studio and found a teaching environment that shared her values.

Lead by Example

Terry Lindholm, the executive producer of Tremaine, says he has rarely experienced problematic drinking behaviors at his events, which he attributes to the overall culture of professionalism that has been cultivated over the years. “We like everyone to treat it as if they’re going to a Broadway show, and if they were at a Broadway show they would act differently than they would at a sporting event,” he explains.

Lindholm encourages dance teachers to take a similar approach by modeling the behavior they’d like their students, parents, and teachers to emulate. Beatrice says that this approach, in addition to enlisting several parents to help shift the focus back to students, as opposed to socializing, was instrumental in curbing problematic drinking behaviors amongst her studio’s parents.

While there are steps you can take, it’s also important to understand the limits of your influence as a dance teacher. Set your sights on impacting conduct affiliated with dance-specific events, and understand that, especially because alcohol use can be a fraught topic, there may be other factors at play that are outside your purview. “I have a no-alcohol policy at events, because I do have several parents on my team that struggle with alcoholism,” says Brast. “We do not need to have that environment around parents that it can be a trigger for. It makes it very uncomfortable for the students of those parents as well.”

Remember Your “Why”

At the end of the day, dance competitions and conventions are about the growth and learning of the dancers. Beatrice encourages educators and parents to keep this in mind, and also to remember that they are ultimately in charge of students’ safety if something goes awry.

“A parent being intoxicated or not present, cognitively or physically, while their kid is doing an extreme sport, is just a safety violation for us,” she says. Injuries are common in dance, and might necessitate immediate action or transportation to a medical facility. Additionally, Brast encourages teachers and parents to stay aware of other potential emergencies that could arise, like an active-shooter situation. “This is the day and age in which we live, and we need parents to have their full faculties in those situations,” she says.

Even though there is good reason for enforcing these rules, it’s always possible that you’ll experience pushback. Lindholm encourages educators to stand firm. “You might end up losing one person, but you might end up gaining 20 who like the policy.”

*Name has been changed

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