Beyond the 8 Count

We Started Our Own Dance Competition… Here's What We Got Wrong

August 14, 2026·39 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

What does it REALLY take to start and run a dance competition? Turns out… a lot more than we thought!In this episode of Beyond the 8 Count, Paige and Brianne are taking you behind the scenes of how Dance Nation Competitions actually started. From Paige sitting at a competition thinking, “I could run this better,” to somehow turning that thought into an actual business.And, of course, it didn't exactly go smoothly.We're talking about the things you DON'T see from the audience: finding venues, hiring judges, organizing awards, building schedules, dealing with studios, solving problems on the fly, and what happens when everything goes completely off the rails.Including the time Paige injured her knee and somehow ended up leaving the studio in an ambulance, with her first competition only a couple weeks away!In this episode, we're talking about:• How the idea for Dance Nation actually started• What nobody tells you about running a dance competition• The mistakes we made in the beginning• Why having the right people around you changes everything• The absolute chaos that can happen behind the scenes• What we've learned after years of running competitionsIf you're a studio owner, dance teacher, competition director, dance parent, or just someone who wants to know what REALLY happens behind the curtain, this one's for you.Because the dancers might see a stage, judges and trophies…But behind that curtain? It's a whole different story. Listen now to Beyond the 8 Count.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Beyond the 8 Count and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.