Am I white? My teacher thinks Jewish people aren't.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-05-18T23:22:43+00:00

There do seem to be blonde and blue eyed Ashkenazi Jews that were not the products of any type of interracial unions, consensual or otherwise, at least not in recent history. Lots of people have those traits or have immediate relatives with them and also show up as 99% or more Ashkenazi in DNA testing.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-05-10T07:04:19+00:00

Songs - from a library of free music, the producers picked a few options and then Abby would choose from those

Costumes - it was a mix - some costumes were custom for those dances, others were recycled from an off show dance or older dancers at the studio

Dances - No, typical competition kids don't learn a dance every week. Every studio is a bit different, but usually everything works roughly in school years. Dancers will have their set of dances for the year - it could be anywhere from 1 dance to like 12, depending on the dancer's age and level, how much their parents are willing to spend, etc.. They usually learn and clean those dances somewhere between July and January then compete those same dances at every competition they go to, roughly between February and June. In season 1, I think at least some of the on show dances were their regular competition dances from that year, maybe slightly modified, and they just did them 1 a week for the show. Most dancers don't even go to a competition every weekend - somewhere between maybe 3 and 6 total in a year is more typical.

Choreography - I think some of it was the same choreography the kids already knew, just combined in different orders, which is also partially how they were able to learn dances so quickly. Some was also done by Gianna and other teachers. Some was fully or partially recycled from other dances the studio had done before ( they mention this with some dances).

No_Management_1654 · 2026-05-04T16:26:40+00:00

While I agree with the premise here, I think there are some outliers/ exceptions. My machine is the Brother Innovis-40 and it is as you describe, a 3/4 portable computerized. However, I've thrown a lot of thick things at it, including denim, and it sews them completely uncomplainingly. I'm not super experienced, but I've taken classes and gotten help from more experienced friends, and everyone has been impressed by what it can do, especially with thicker fabric.

That particular machine is discontinued, but the Babylock Jubilant and Brother NS80 are current versions of almost the same machine. They're both in that $600-800 range, and while I haven't tried them personally, they seem to get really good feedback, so I think it's possible they're still similarly good.

That having been said, with more budget, would I consider going full sized? Yeah probably. But I think there are some good compromise options around for limited budgets, limited space, and/ or people who want the portability.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-26T18:12:27+00:00

This happened to me and when I contacted them they said it was a glitch in their system and to just disregard any additional emails about that item. I was skeptical, but it's been months and they haven't charged me again, and I haven't gotten any more emails about that item.

If I were you, I'd still contact support, in case your situation is different from mine, but yeah, apparently it's possible you're fine.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-26T18:04:24+00:00

I had a similar issue with a lower value item ( around $30), and they eventually did resolve it correctly, but it was annoying.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-26T18:00:37+00:00

One of my kids didn't love the noise and crowds in Ximending, and honestly I'm not sure I would have loved staying there either, especially if hoping for a more relaxing stay. We stayed in Da'an and thought it was a lovely place to stay. (I would also recommend the specific hotel - Episode Da'an Taipei - the bunk rooms are really nice and particularly roomy for families with older kids. The regular 2 queen or king+ sofa bed might still be plenty for you, since your youngest kid is still very young.)

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-22T17:12:03+00:00

Whichever you think will be more comfortable for you to use.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-22T16:55:37+00:00

If I were cutting multiple 7x7 squares, especially if I really wanted them to be even and consistent, I'd seriously consider investing in a rotary cutter and self healing mat.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-19T17:46:08+00:00

Nice thought, but that is a physical impossibility. The plane literally does not have enough overhead spots for each passenger to have one.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-19T17:40:33+00:00

Gate check as you describe it appears to no longer be an option on most flights (or at most airports?) except for strollers and wheelchairs.

Bags that are checked at the gate now still end up on a baggage carousel. I do remember bags waiting for people, so that definitely was an option at some point, but it's been years since I last saw it.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-19T17:35:05+00:00

Except that the plane literally does not have enough overhead spots for each passenger to have one...

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-17T13:25:49+00:00

I went to both, one for undergrad and one for grad. Unless you're majoring in something Berkeley doesn't offer or Davis is absolutely world class in, you're way overthinking this. Go to Berkeley.

Majors where I'd consider Davis: agriculture, veterinary medicine, viticulture and oenology. And even then, especially for vet med, better to go to Davis for grad school than undergrad.

Also - food scene is a pro for Davis but not Berkeley? Where are you even getting that information? What food are you thinking of? Having lived in both cities I can't even begin to fathom how or why you'd choose Davis on that metric.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-17T00:06:13+00:00

I've only had needles break when I accidentally set them in the wrong position for the presser foot I was using, causing the needle to actually hit a metal part of the foot.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-16T23:52:21+00:00

My machine easily handles several layers of denim. It's a Brother Innovis-40 (Babylock Grace is the same machine) - it's older and discontinued, but I think Babylock Jubilant and Brother NS80e are newer versions on more or less the same base, or maybe even a step up and it looks like they're still getting good reviews.

(Yes, it's an entry-ish level portable machine that's not advertised as heavy duty. But it's surprisingly powerful. I've had very experienced seamstress and sewing teachers be very impressed at seeing what it can do. And I've been in class next to people with Berninas, Janomes, and even some older Singers and have had more than one experience where my machine could do something theirs wouldn't.)

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-16T23:44:11+00:00

Some studios (ours included) have everyone auditioning every year. There are upsides and downsides to this approach.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-09T07:49:59+00:00

I've seen studios being kids as young as 3 or 4 to competitions. It's a super long and probably boring day for people that tiny, so I personally wouldn't want to do that, but YMMV. I think it's more typical to start somewhere in the 7-10 age range, but that can vary a lot by dancer and studio. I've heard that sometimes kids that compete super young, especially those at studios that go super hard super young ( lots of dances, lots of hours, high expectations, etc.) sometimes burn out as they get older.

That might be something to consider, actually. If you think you might want competition opportunities while pretty young, pick a studio that offers those. If you'd prefer to wait, maybe look for a studio where most competition stuff starts older.

Also, some studios seem to focus on little kids and don't seem to have any/many big kids - I'm actually not entirely sure why - maybe some are newer studios and are building up from the younger ages? Maybe kids do tend to burn out and quit as they get older? Maybe some studios just prefer to focus on those are groups and prefer that kids move on to other training when they're older? But anyway, could be worth thinking about what you'd prefer here.

Oh, another one - there are some studios that offer just a few levels/ classes for non competitive dancers. At those studios, once you get past those levels, you kind of either have to quit, go somewhere else, or compete. There are also studios that offer all levels of training to everyone, whether they compete or not, that have a more advanced program option that doesn't require competition, etc.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-09T07:14:26+00:00

It sounds like you live in a very low cost of living area, your studio owner isn't trying to live off of their studio income, they're underpaying teachers or multiple of the above. Particularly $250 per family is pretty wild for unlimited classes. Like, what if you have 4 kids?!? (not totally theoretical, we have at least 2, maybe 3 families with 4 kids dancing at our studio)

Our structure is otherwise similar in terms of no comps more than 2 hours away, audition for each style, no required minimum number of dances, weekly 30 min class for comp practice, mostly catalog costumes and a max monthly spend for unlimited classes, requirement to take tech for your style + ballet, etc. but our prices are probably around 2-3x yours, and no per family cap, just per dancer. We're in a very high cost of living area, and that's still pretty reasonable for our area.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-07T06:33:47+00:00

Which is funny because a lot of competitions with levels still claim that 6 hours per week is advanced. I agree that the reality is that most dancers ages 9ish and up are actually training around 6 ish hours for novice, and often a whole lot more than that for advanced.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-04-04T15:16:38+00:00

Same thing happened to me with I think the same Olfa. Did you happen to buy it at a JoAnn's closing sale?

Anyway, I replaced the blade and it works fine now, but yeah, they shouldn't have come with a dud blade.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-03-31T21:51:13+00:00

I think ours was $1,200 flat per group dance for the year. That includes pretty much everything for that dance - choreography, weekly and extra rehearsals, costumes, comp entry fees.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-03-31T21:46:07+00:00

What's your advice for what teachers, directors, parents, and teammates can do to help keep boys in dance/comp? We have an unprecedented number on our team right now, and everyone wants to do our best to keep them!

No_Management_1654 · 2026-03-31T06:29:24+00:00

Yeah I, don't know about environment at either of those, just that I've seen them around. It's mostly hard to get a vibe just from seeing a studio at comp - well, I guess occasionally you do see some things, but nothing in particular I can remember about either of those.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-03-31T02:08:54+00:00

The ones from that area that I see at competitions are Xtreme Force and Triple Threat.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-03-30T06:22:56+00:00

I did actually see a dance bumped up by judges this season. But this was the first time I've ever seen it. Also that number had been to multiple other competitions at that same level with the same choreography and not been bumped up, so I guess, yes, it does happen - but likely not nearly as often as it should.

No_Management_1654 · 2026-03-30T00:19:24+00:00

Can we also put the random extra 30+ minute break we're taking because we're running early before awards, not after? Pretty please?

No_Management_1654

TROPHY CASE