Quoted from Black_Knight:Definitely a boondoggle, maybe scammy. There are many organizations out there that invite dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, models etc. to these types of events. They over charge and under deliver. If not a full on scam its just a money maker for the IDO owners, not for local tourism and its not a feeder to a career or other levels of the sport.
How was the dance studio invited or contacted. Has the studio attended before and what does the owner/coach say the the kids will get out of it? Just a great experience? You can provide much better experiences for $7k somewhere else.
Ask if the coach gets reimbursed if she brings a certain number of dancers. Is this just a paid vacation for the coach?
Don't be just another Dance Mom, you can say no. That could be a better money/ priority lesson for your daughter than you forking over a ton of cash for her pre-teen vacation.
I concur that this is basically how these things operate. My son did ballroom dance for a while and the studio was always going to these “competitions” and there were always entry fees and so forth. However he did a couple and it was good experience. It’s an opportunity for the kids to display their talents. Just know you are basically paying for an experience, not to win some real and prestigious competition. You could do it and make a European vacation (with the dance thing just a part of it). Or do a similar competition that is more local or in a more affordable locale.
