COMPETITION DETAIL

Excellent, attentive staff and highly engaged, experienced judges. I am excited for Fly to grow its presence in San Diego and I was thrilled to see that next season they will be returning in April, which will help bring in more studios. This year there was a last minute venue change that was a pretty significant downgrade. Everyone made the best of it but it was just not good - so I didn't really want to pay extra for a live stream, or buy any merch or media from this event. I'm sure it was not planned, so I hope we do give Fly another chance.

We had a wonderful experience at Fly Competition! Organized, On Time, beautiful venue, kind staff and super awesome judges. The complete package. Thank you so much for giving my dancers such wonderful opportunities to shine. They will remember FLY with very fond memories!!!

We attended Fly Dance Competition in May. Very well organized. Everything was set up great! Beautiful stage, sweet and fun staff. The judges were awesome and so fun! They were dancing along to music and routines and it really made the dancers feel comfortable up on stage. Improv contest was another plus! Awards announcer was very upbeat and fun as well. We will be attending again for Nationals!

My daughter was with her team at the Duluth, MN show and it was our first time attending FLY. Her coach had them do improv for the first time and she was SO nervous. The announcer started playing games with the children to get them to relax. In my opinion this was far above and beyond what she needed to be doing, it was simply because she cared. Then it was time for awards and she was so friendly, and energetic. We will be attending the Dells Nationals and I do hope that she is there! Fabulous job!

I was extremely happy with this competition! The judges were actively engaged in every single performance down to the last one of the night. I enjoy the commitment to the unique theme. Great pins, merch, backdrop, awards! They made sure to recognize more than just the first place winner, they care about making the kids feel empowered. Quick turn around for judges critiques and scores. I was so happy and my families were too!

We are finishing up our flight here at fly dance competition and overall so far it is super fun! There may be some disadvantages but hey no one’s perfect am I right! The stage is nice and big but I will say it is quite slippery but we made do. The stage is hallow but it feels pretty much sturdy but was a lill load. The improv competition was nice and I liked that everyone got to dance together at the end. One thing that was a little confusing was the names of the awards but the announcer did say what the awards meant and I thought that was helpful. Another thing that was just a bit confusing to me was the price of the merch, it is a bit overpriced for $50 on a sweatshirt but most competition clothing is so it’s alright. Over all this competition was very fun and I would defiantly do it again! I had such a great time flying with you guys and can’t wait to do it again at nationals!

We recently FLEW with this competition and not only our studio but multiple studios were highly disappointed. The dressing room was complete nonsense (too small and essentially back stage so you couldn't hear what was happening on stage) the staff looked lost and overwhelmed and under prepared. The stage was small and a weird shape with a cut out in the back that made it hard for the dancers to navigate, it was hotter inside than it was outside, not to mention it was so small this had to be breaking more than 1 fire code. I've never in my life heard more kids get middle of the road adjudications, Million Miler is 20 points away from a perfect score (which is standard) but here at Fly they make getting a Million Miler adjudication harder than getting a seat in this venue. You aren't judging at the top of the line dance competition, being a dance teacher myself I saw plenty of kids from all studios that deserved better. The pricing of your merchandise is way too high, your sweatshirts aren't any better than any other comp, yet you price them like they were spun with gold thread. Overall, we were highly disappointed and will never return to this competition again.

Love FlyDance! The staff is so sweet and fun to be around. Also, props to the owner Lewis Hatkoff for building such a massive competition in the aftermath of the pandemic!

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Fly was such an amazing experience ! Staff members were beyond friendly and helpful. Their announcers were full of energy. They really know how to make dancers feel special!

I loved the convention, you guys showed my daughter it’s ok to break out your shell you never know what can happen she went to title and received runner up which made me so proud. So thank you for seeing her talent

Fun exhilarating experience

If you have not yet attended FLY, I cannot recommend it enough! The judging and scoring was spot on, the staff were extremely welcoming, and they all made us all feel like celebrities! From the second we walked in, the competition director was kind and welcoming, along with the back stage staff and the merchandise sales person. My dancers all did beautifully, and we left with so many titles, and first overalls, but we left with the studio award, because my students demostrated kindness towards the staff and other studios, and each other, and just always went out with a bang every time, and that award always means the most to me! We are also doing FLY for nationals, and we cannot wait! There was no favoritism between larger studios vs. smaller studios. Please consider adding them to your next season of events. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! Lewis Matthew Hatkoff- seriously, thank you for all that you do! Let’s get ready to FLY!

Lewis Hatkoff is probably one of the worst competition owners I have ever been in contact with. Our girls had prom and we asked for them to be moved to a different date. He replied with, “the world doesn’t revolve around you”. I was taken back for a second and was shocked. I never met a more unprofessional character in my life. Decided to pull my whole studio from this competition. Heard this competition is money hungry and mediocre so thank god I did what I did. Do better Lewis.

Ok so where do I start?? This competition is the worst competition that I have ever been to. There were MULTIPLE issues with this competition. The first issue was the attitude and communication of the staff. There were various issues brought up to competition staff throughout the weekend, including the director. When a question was asked or concern brought to a staff member, there were blank stares given because there was no communication between the competition staff that studio directors or parents were upset. You would think that working in customer service, if the director knew a studio was upset, this would be communicated to other staff members so they knew what was happening, etc. When concerns were brought to the attention of the director and staff members, our studio director was met with communication that was completely unprofessional. During awards, there was multiple times that there would be a pause in the awards because either staff didn't have the correct scoring or the wrong awards/banners were given out. They attempted to use a microphone that was only partially working all weekend (not sure if this is the venues fault or not) so you could not even hear the numbers being called during the awards. You could also not hear any of the names of the numbers being called onto the stage so this causes confusion in the crowd and among dancers backstage. They forgot to get the correct judging sheets for one of our dancers that was competing for the title and told our director that she was not registered for this. When they were shown proof of registration, they awkwardly announced her title at the end of the awards and announced her as MR. title winner. You would think that if you knew you messed this up, you would make sure this was perfect for the dancer. It was anything but that. They had two rooms going with stages and allowed an improv competition (which cost extra $$$) to be happening in one room while dancers in this said improv competition were missing their group awards that were going on in the other room. The dancers were called to go backstage for this improv competition about 25 minutes before it actually happened, causing my dancer to miss a small portion of her awards that she could have actually attended with her group. We had dancers that were competing in duets. As an award for a duet, they gave out ONE pin as their award. Not only is giving out just pins, completely cheap but then you can’t even give two to a duet?!?!? There were some attempts to make up for the MULTIPLE screw ups that happened over the weekend, but it was very apparent that it was just to shut us up. I have had my kids in competitive dance for 10 years and have never had complaints like this about a competition. Please don’t waste your $$$$!!!

Everyone was so kind, awards were fluid, and location was great!

Fly Dance Competition is one of the best competitions I’ve ever been to. I have attended the Fly regionals in Minneapolis with my studio for the last 3 seasons and even though it is not a huge competition or venue, it is always so much fun and the staff is so nice. This year the competition moved to a different venue for our city and the dressing room was extremely far from the stage, but the backstage staff were so kind and helpful when we had quick changes or issues that caused delays for our pieces. The emcees talked to me and my teammates and the judges interacted with us and were visibly invested in our pieces more than any other judges i’ve ever come across. At the final awards ceremony for our competition this past weekend, all of the dancers from different studios were dancing together and cheering each other on and taking pictures together, and the fly staff is majorly to thank for creating that welcoming atmosphere between dancers. Overall, Fly is a fantastic competition!

Fly is absolutely a amazing competition!! I love the energy all the employees have and my studio absolutely loves fly! The only thing is I wasn’t checked in and I wasn’t ready and they still called my solo out on stage. But it was okay I still did good :) I love fly and their awards are fun and unique and we will def be back next year!

Very disappointing overall experience. The venue was massively too small for this size of competition, but the hotel did its very best to accommodate everyone. I got the impression that they had not been made aware of the number of people that would be attending. There were also A/C issues that caused it to be either SUPER cold or overwhelmingly hot. As far as the competition itself, I was surprised at how much we disliked it considering the number of positive reviews I had seen and heard. Staff was too small for this size of a competition and was lacking the professionalism we are used to. A couple of things I have never seen before...there were no judges bios to show their credibility and the highest score of the session went to a NOVICE HIP HOP? My mind is blown. For a company that says they cater to newer dancers and smaller studios, I was appalled at how they allowed certain studios to completely abuse the levels. I don't know any young dancers that can execute perfect aerials, double/triple turns and beautiful advanced leaps that dance less than three hours per week. Overall, a disappointing event.

We just attended the Dallas competition and it was an awful experience for the team, Director and parents. The venue was too small for the amount of attendees, it was so hot everywhere, and I am pretty sure there were fire codes being broken left and right. Our team arrived and had no dressing room, they basically changed in a closet. No room to practice or run through dances, Schedule was behind, communication lacked from organization, stage was small and lighting was awful. Emcee was rude. Judging was sub par, they seemed more interested in entertainment than skill level. Awards were very general, I guess most of the scoring fell in a big range since 95% of all dances were awarded Private Class (2nd tier) . The kicker... they charged $12 for Live Streaming!! The price the dancers paid on top of the crappy venue, you would think they would provide free live streaming like some other competitions. My husband had to pay the $12 because he could not be at the competition (lucky man) and said it was bad quality and amateur hour video streaming. Very disappointing overall! Our studio has thankfully agreed to never attend again.

My studio absolutely loved Fly!! It has been our favorite competition so far this season! We are a smaller studio and often get overlooked but not here. We were definitely seen and heard and had a wonderful experience competing!

Our dancers had so much fun at FLY in Buffalo. The staff was great and the Judges gave out wonderful awards to our dancers. We look forward to our next comp in Rochester with FLY. We will be coming back next season!

To start off, the venue was so tiny and the stage was only 3 slabs of Marley. It was so hot in there i thought we were all going to explode. The emcee took forever to announce the next dance and ended up running an hour behind. They did end up getting back on track towards the end of the day but it was obvious the emcee was taking her sweet time doing god knows what considering the judges were sitting there staring at her waiting for her to announce the next dance while she was on her phone. Judging overall was fair and I loved the names of the special awards. There was a dance that was a large group of all white kids (average age was probably 10) that did a musical theater dance to Nicest Kids In Town and they kept the part in that said “nice white kids who like to lead the way, and one a month we have our…negro day” I personally was disgusted that an adult would allow a group of white children to go on stage and not only dance to that but SING THE WORDS AS WELL! That is on the studio owner but, to my surprise, they were still announced at awards. I thought it should have been disqualified but they were scored the lowest adjudication they give out. This is why people think they can get away with this stuff because competitions let it slide. I understand that is the entire story of Hairspray but beyond inappropriate this day in age for little white kids to go on stage singing and dancing to that. Hopefully it doesn’t come back to haunt them in the future because as a mother and teacher I would never have allowed that on stage. I thought the judges handled it well and did what they could but I don’t think that dance should have been recognized at awards. Studio owners…DO BETTER…don’t put your kids on stage yelling negro….I feel like that is self explanatory. Competitions…DO BETTER…don’t recognize dances with children screaming negro…disqualify it and move on. Other than that blatant racism, my kids had a blast and enjoyed their time at fly. We will be back in hopes they do not allow things like that on stage again…

Hi! Was just in Dallas this past weekend and we honestly had a mediocre time. The venue was okay in my opinion. Stage was huge but there was no where to rehearse dances. Our tour director makayla was very accommodating and professional the entire time! Our emcee and backstage person were very nice and outgoing. Very helpful with music and getting us help with props. Being able to move stuff around to accommodate for our children was overachieving level. BUT, I talked to the owner lewis? I believe that was his name. He tended to get very sassy at times with me on the phone because we wanted to move our line since girls had prom. I understand that what I wanted was very overwhelming but we paid a lot of money for this competition and we didn’t get what we expected. The merch was absolutely ridiculous. Bought a 45 dollar sweatshirt that is poorly made (from shein) and is not even comfy or cute. Such a cheap competition in my opinion. They NEED to make changes. Awards were meh. The director did a very good job announcing adjudications but everything else like the overalls were pretty unorganized. There’s no special reward for getting the highest adjudication. It’s pretty easy to get the highest award with a score of 280 and above. Our studio will never come back because the lack of effort put in this competition was atrocious.

We had an absolute blast at Fly!! Our studio is small but felt completely seen at this competition! Staff was very friendly and professional. The director on-site was amazing and loved by all. We cannot wait for the fall convention and coming back next year for comp!

The staff was awesome and the airplane theme was so fun, Fly Dance was truly the best competition experience i’ve had since the pandemic. Such a supportive and high energy environment!

We had so much fun. What a great experience for all the dancers. Everyone was very friendly and kind back stage and up front. They had plenty of attire for all dancers to choose from. Very family friendly staff. We loved it.

This is my first year ever dancing and I’m so grateful for competitions like FLY dance competition. It was such a positive and well organized competition. Thank you.

The site of the event was “very small”, there were not enough dreasing rooms. I liked the judges and the awards. Thank you!

Friendly backstage crew and big stage. Venue was too small for the amount of studios that participated in this event. Judging seemed good and fair for some sessions and other sessions it seemed like the judges did not look at the technique of the dances for solos. Some solos that had non to very little technique or much of composition scored higher than dances that were full of movement and correct technique.

Had an amazing time at this competition!! Everything was organized great and our whole team had a very positive and calm experience! Awards were set up great and went quickly and the stage was great for dancing on!! We loved how unique the whole competition was and how the awards were all themed to Fly!

First time attendees!! We had a great time competing. We especially loved how the competition did awards…. Not too long and got to the point!! Love how they communicated with us in a timely manner. We will be back!

Fly is such a family friendly event this competition quickly became my favorite to take my students too. Positive feedback, welcoming environment, well rounded judges and awesome communication between the competition and studio!

Just left this comp and could not be more disappointed. Upon entry, the dressing rooms and auditorium were sweltering!!!! To pack so many bodies into such hot rooms was insane. We’ve been to enough comps to see a variety of stage sets ups, but there was no room backstage and people flooded the side entries and exits, gentle reminders to the audience and dancers on this would have done wonders. Programs were sold out by 8:30 and the only swag was expensive clothing, not a range of items for different income levels (pins, pens, trinkets are a few suggestions). The comp ran an hour behind in the first session and the pauses between songs were too long. During awards there was inappropriate music dropping multiple curse words (f***, b****), Multiple parents commented on how inappropriate this was. And while we were prepared from other comments here that this comp does less for overalls (only half a division), we were appalled when they randomly combined Junior and Petite Business class small groups…so less chance to place for a lot of groups…very disappointing. My daughter also commented on how boring awards were, even the improv piece because you had to pay to be part of it, try and make it fun for the girls who don’t have that extra cash because they already paid hundreds to be there. Overall, even if the studio elected to go again, we would forgo the comp and have shared this with the director.

We just competed this past weekend at Fly and what a major disappointment this competition was. First off the venue they choose was majorly way to small for the amount of people attending. There were many people who didn't get the chance to see their perfomers dance because of the overcrowding. There was only 1 small dressing room for everyone to use. Due to that there were people having to change and get ready in the lobby or in the one dirty Restroom the hotel had. There also wasn't a practice room, so dancers were having to practice in the lobby if they could find room. Secondly, the stage was very small. Several times dancers actually feel off and several actually stepped on the bars of lights that they had set up. This competition was not prepared or even ready to host. We will definitely not be going back to Fly.

This is our 2nd year attending Fly in Sacramento. We like it, but don’t love it. The staff was all super friendly! The judges really are some of the best we have received both years! The awards ceremony can be confusing. There seems to be no consistency on how many overalls they do (a top 2 for 3 in the category or a top 8 for 18). It’s just kind of odd! Judges only do 1 award each. Even when there’s 6 hours of dancing in that session. They awarded a studio spirit after 1 session. Just odd to me as those normally are awarded after the weekend has been done, or all the groups have been completed. None of that is such a huge dealbreaker that we wouldn’t go back, but nothing really stood out to make it our first choice. The venue both years they have been to Sac were pretty bad. The first year wasn’t as bad as this year. It was in a location no comp has ever attended and was literally raining on stage the entire 2nd day. It was tiny. We had parents who had to watch the livestream from the dressing rooms because there weren’t enough seats. It would be helpful it they would reach out the studio owners that attended and ask for better locations. I know I overheard multiple studio owners giving advice to the director of venues to look into, but it would be helpful when booking 2024. We won’t consider attending again until we know the location. The worst part for me was the fact that the livestream costs money and the staff running the livestream were talking badly of the dancers on stage, cussing, and having vulgar conversations. After I told the director, they toned it down, but we’re still so loud. You’d expect better paying for a livestream. So, we would consider coming back depending on venue!

This competition has been our favorite this season so far. The judges were kind and helpful in their comments, it ran on time and smooth, every member of the staff we encountered were professional and enthusiastic, and the team had so much fun. Even when the venue opened late through no fault of the competition, the staff helped make it work and kept to the timeline. We are so excited to join Fly at nationals!

We had a great time this past weekend! Critiques were the best we've received anywhere, comp ran smoothly and on time, all the studios were kind, and the all the staff was amazing to work with!

We had a great time at Fly Dance Competiton. A crazy snow storm made for an interesting start but so grateful for everyone’s understanding and patience.

We competed at Fly and it was a great experience. The whole competition was well run and they really made it fun for the kids. We will definitely be back ❤️

I really enjoyed how nice and supportive everyone was. It was overall a great experience.

As a studio owner, I wanted to love this competition so much. We don't have many competitions in our area, so when new competitions come, we always give them a try! However, I have to say, this competition was a hot mess. I 100% do NOT recommend your studio attending. But I'll start with the highlights: Staff was super nice and helpful! We really enjoyed working with the backstage staff. That's about it... Things to look out for if you do choose to attend: 1. The competition only hands out overall awards for half of the attendees. For example, if there are 5 people in the division, they will only award 2-3 overalls. I am not a "everyone deserves a trophy" type person, but, especially since this was our most expensive competition, we would really like something. A certificate, a medal, a ribbon, ANYTHING! 2. Judging was mediocre. We had one fabulous judge that definitely had lots of ballet training who was very helpful to our dancers. However, our critiques did not match the scores. I am all about deducting points for things, but when it's not explained on the judge's critiques it's super hard to make changes and justify to our students why they scored so low. 3. We have very novice dancers. 90% have never competed before and have less than 2 years dance experience. In the First Time Flyer Junior Small Group category, the first place dance had a team full of gorgeous fouetté turns and advanced leaps. The second place dance had back tucks and a team full of aerials. These two dances were WONDERFUL and deserved to win, but they should not have been in our division. It's impossible to have a group of kids who just began dancing compete against that. These pieces most definitely should have been bumped up to Business Class, and most likely would have won in this division. 4. For how expensive our picture and video package was, we are very disappointed. Our videos look great! However, our pictures are blurry, dark, and far away. Along with this, they have lots of organization issues with this system. I, as well as at least one other studio from my area, received a link to a different location's pictures from the same weekend. About a week and a half later, we FINALLY received ours with the correct link. Once you have the link, you only have 7 days to download the images and videos you paid for. 5. Our video critiques and scores took over a week to arrive back. We schedule our competitions so that we can have at least a week between, giving us time to listen to our critiques and see where we can improve. We didn't get to do that with Fly because we received our critiques so late. All-in-all, I wanted to bring light to the issues that Fly has as I really believe that if I would have seen a review like this I wouldn't have chosen to attend. My parents, instructors, and myself are disappointed and will not be attending next year. I also know that some of studios that did attend this year (there were 5-6, very small competition) will not be going back as well. All I can say is proceed with caution if you decide to attend Fly. And I hope my experience was just a fluke and everyone else has better experiences!!

It was my first time attending Fly, and it was amazing! It was our first competition of the season, and the experience was the best. The staff was super kind, and I was so sad when the weekend ended! Yes the venue was small, but the awesome staff made it work! The theme of Fly is perfect as well! I hope my studio chooses to fly with Fly next year!!!

This was our first time attending Fly! Overall it was a great experience. My daughter had a blast. I loved the improv portion, so fun! The venue was not our favorite compared to others. A little confusing to navigate, not nearly enough seating at times. The only other bummer was they forgot to announce my child’s title win so when they remembered awards were over, it was chaos on stage, and I missed the main announcement 😕. We would do Fly again!

We really liked FLY! Friendly staff, well organized, and fair judging. We were very happy with the awards we got. The judges were very nice and knowledgeable with their critiques.

This was our first time attending Fly Competition! Our students and families had a blast! The Fly staff was extremely friendly and supportive. We look forward to returning in the future!!

My dancer’s first time attending Fly with her studio and we had a fabulous time! The staff is extremely energetic and personable. We love it when comps have improv contests and this one was organized very well and gave dancers a great opportunity to showcase their skills. Overall an awesome weekend!

This was our first time at Fly. We loved it! Such amazing staff. The environment was very friendly and helpful. My daughter can’t wait to go back next year.

We had an amazing experience at Fly! From prior to registration, during registration, during competition, and on the last day of competition, the Fly staff was friendly, helpful, and super polite. We felt seen while being one of the smallest studios there and our dancers felt respected and had so much confidence in their abilities from the environment Fly created. Thank you Fly Team!

This was our second year coming to Fly! I could feel that the competition is expanding, but the staff was so helpful and kept up with the growth just fine! The judging and scoring seems very on par and I love that there are so many meaningful judges awards!

This was our first time at Fly. The staff was kind and professional! Such a nice smooth check in process that was organized. The judges had great energy and you could tell they loved being there! We can’t wait to Fly into nationals in Sandusky!

This was our second time dancing with Fly Dance Competition. The staff is always friendly as well as other dancers and parents. The competition was very organized and we liked how the schedule was set up. Judging was very fair and wasn’t favored toward 1 studio or 1 style. I also loved the fun judge awards that were given out. Can’t wait for the next one!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Fly this past weekend. We had some first time competitors and are happy to report that they cannot wait to get back on the stage! For that reason we are grateful that Fly ran a smooth, fair, fun, safe, and on time competition. We look forward to returning!

Fly welcomed me with open wings! It was my first time at a Fly Competition and I attended the competition on my own but I promise I never felt alone. The staff gave me all the information I needed to feel comfortable so thank you for that. Also, the dance studios who attended this competition were so supportive. They complimented on my routine and costume and even started conversations with me. I didn’t have my team with me so that was hard but I felt welcomed by everyone else. Thank you!

What an amazing flight we just had!! The judges were so interactive with the dancers and families. They truly made everyone feel so special! They have incredible incentives for the dancers!

Fly is a wondering Competition with great staff! We took Dancers and Vocalists and they were inclusive of both! It is very hard to find a competition that will not only include both but also not make it feel like it’s just a dance competition! They always made sure to speak to them as vocalists and even as they were announcing awards they announced them as vocalists and non dancers which is rare! What was also awesome is that they were able to be included for an overall which made the vocalists really excited because at a lot of competitions you have to have at least 5 or more qualify when they will give out overalls for if there is only 1 production or one mini solo. So THANK YOU FLY! the feed back was also awesome too and received very quickly so we are able to get right to work on Monday! The only thing we would say is watch the monitors onstage when you have vocalists to avoid feedback, but at the same time we know you have a tough job to do very quickly! All in all you guys rock! :)

Great competition! Had a very fun and positive atmosphere! All of the staff were so nice! Hoping we can go back next year!

Amazing staff! Well rounded competition. So happy we got the opportunity to compete with Fly!

As a dancer I always love going to competitions but fly dance has to be my all-time favorite

This was our first time with Fly and it is one of the best we have been to in a long time. We would recommend it to everyone! Thank you for coming to Spokane and hope to see you next year.

this was our studios second time at fly, but my first time. the atmosphere was so welcoming and fun! our studio had a blast!

First time going! Grand Rapids! Never have we ever gone to a competition where the whole audience cheered for the dancers on stage. From super customer service award. This was awesome.

This was our daughters first time competition and first time flyer. We really were not sure what to expect but this was an amazing experience for us. She absolutely loved it. It was literally what dreams are made of for her. Everything from the venue to the staff was great. The judges were awesome and the vibe was energetic. We really enjoyed how all the dance studios supported each other. Everyone did their best. Looking forward to next time.

This was our second year at FLY DANCE. We had the best time. Not only are the judges fun and lively but they know how to keep it moving along and engage the dancers very well. Beth respectful, fun, and complimentary to EVERYONE. and the merch is ADORABLE.

Tracie Stones Dance🙌 -Lexington, Ky These group of girls and their hard working performance paid off at flydance competition!!!

fly was awesome!! the judges were so fun and entertaining, and i cant wait for feedback!

This was our first time competing with Fly! Lewis and his staff were amazing throughout the competition weekend. We can't wait to try out their nationals too!

Our first time at Fly! HUGE SUCCESS! My parents and kids loved all of it! The backstage managers, the great judging, the professionalism; all of it was wonderful! The backstage managers took time to cheer for and celebrate our kids more than I have ever seen. We will definitely be adding Fly to our annual competition schedule! Thank YOU, Fly!

This was our first show and the staff was super nice and helpful. The staff backstage were very relaxed and accommodating. The energy was chill which I loved! My daughter enjoyed Judge Mady's enthusiasm and how she danced with her hands as she was counting the beats. We missed the awards ceremony due to an incoming snow storm, but Fly dance sent us all my daughter's awards and even hand wrote her a note. Thank you so much for making my daughter's first dance competition the best!

This competition was great! Fair judging, kind staff, nice theatre (Voorhees), not overly loud, quick awards ceremony, but made each child feel special. This was the perfect size, and it really felt like they acknowledged all studios, regardless of how many dancers they brought (we had 4, and felt seen!)

This was a small competition but was very impressed with the staff. Very fair judging. My daughter had an embarrassing mishap and they were great with her and helped her feel comfortable.

The competition was ran well and the kids had fun. I don’t believe they were ahead or behind which was nice for us parents. Loved the banners that the teams got for overall placements. My kid had fun performing in the improv contest. The venue was nice and the dressing rooms were spacious, although there would bring a power strip next time if you need to utilize plug ins. We didn’t perform a solo at this competition but are signed up for one this year and we’re excited they are returning back to our area. Special notes**** As a mom of a SN dancer and first time experiencing competitions, I was super impressed/surprised with the fact they have a category for SN dancers. It introduced us to a whole new world of competitive dance that we didn’t know existed.

This was our first time attending a Fly Dance Competition in Los Angeles, CA on 01/15/23 and it was on schedule. Our SCPA dancer had so much fun as a first time flyer soloist! Looking forward to the next Fly Dance Competition.

Fly is so well ran! We competed in La, California and it was a ton of fun. The employees are super sweet. The competition ran on time and there were no music issues. The awards and theme are so fun!

Well organized, fun environment, engaged judges, and fair judging - that is what you get with Fly Dance Competition. We attended them this weekend and could not be happier with our experience. Also love the improv competition and how it is handled like a real world audition for these dancers. 100% recommend attending one of their events.

I loved the comp! All staff were extremely friendly and they were very organized overall. Thank you!!

Overall loved the competition! The staff were all very friendly and professional. And it was very well managed.

We have attended FLY for the past few years and LOVE everything about it. Fun, positive environment and staff. Hands down the most thorough and helpful critiques from the judges. Amazing customer service. Highly recommend and we can’t wait to go again here in CHS this February.

I cannot possibly say enough good things about this company! We attended the October convention and competition in Dallas. I absolutely LOVED that my daughter wasn't just another number in the crowd. The instructors took their time to get to know as many dancers as they could and they really showed their love of their profession. The instructors gave specific feedback in the master classes to truly help our dancers grow. They didn't just "teach a combo", they taught technique, passion, emotion, how to improv when you draw a blank, etc. This was by far the absolute BEST convention we have ever been to! The competition portion was extremely professional and very well ran! I am looking forward to getting back the critiques from the judges. We have been to so many competitions to only receive feedback of "point your toes" or "nice". I was seated behind the judges for this competition and they all seemed to be giving very specific quality feedback! I think it's safe to say we will see you again next year!

This is my Granddaughter's 1st year of competition and her first convention. Thank you so much for the wonderful experiences yall gave her! We can't wait till next year.

This was our first Fly Dance convention and my daughter had a blast! She learned a lot from each teacher and all of the staff was very friendly and professional!

I would like to express how amazing the Dallas Convention was for my dancer. She loved the master teachers, and learned so much from them. She felt welcomed, and all the studios were so supportive of each other. Making new dance friends is always a bonus, but I even made some new dance mom friends. Your team was the most friendliest, and welcoming. We look forward to attending a few Regionals for 2023. Again, thank you for an amazing weekend!!

Thank you to Lewis and Fly Dance for a wonderful weekend! Our dancers learned so much from the quality instructors provided. The passion was felt in all of their classes and it was so inspirational for our dancers! Convention and competition ran on time and I was very impressed with the level of professionalism. We have already marked our calendars for 2023!

We attended Fly convention in Dallas Texas this weekend. It was my daughters first ever convention. It was very impressive! We definitely look forward to next year. Not only did the teachers really make use of class time to really pack in good knowledge for the dancer, they also encouraged them to step out of the box. Thank you to all the fly staff and teachers for everything you do to inspire all dancers!

We attended the Fly Dance Competition in Houston for the 1st time. We sure like how efficient they were with the schedule and the teachers. All classes were great. Our dancers left inspired and motivated. Thank you for bringing a fresh way to engaged with them. We really appreciated.

Our first time at Fly Competition/Convention and a couple of my dancers attended. I was very impressed with the Convention classes and loved that there was a technique and improv class as you don’t see those often at conventions. The teachers/judges were very impressive, professional, and knowledgable! We will definitely be back with more dancers!

It was my daughter Andrea's first time at a convention, and she says it was her best experience. Thanks for the organization, the treatment with the children, the whole event was a success.

We have had the best experiences with FLY Dance competitions and most recently their dance convention as well! Always well organized, professionally and fair judging! My daughter attended their very first convention just a couple weeks back and the choreographers and staff were all too notch! We look forward to our next FLY events! Highly recommend!

My junior dancer just finished her first convention with Fly- she loved the entire event!!! Staff was great and super helpful! Teachers were amazing - great combos and great critiques during class all positive helping each child grow ! They have a showcase where some dancers are chosen to dance their combos on stage- my daughter was thrilled to not only be one of these dancers but to earn her first ever assistantship to help “copilot” the 2023 tour! Can’t wait to watch this company SOAR into the future of dance competitions and conventions✈️💙✈️. The stl location was amazing plus if your were staying off site parking th was validated . They have a competition you can do however my daughters solo was not ready. As stated above the awards given at the end of the 2 day event were assistantships to next years events- (2) juniors (2) teen and seniors and (1) mini/petite were awarded these

My daughter attended Fly Dance Convention this weekend. She loved every teacher and every combo. She was inspired and challenged the entire weekend. This was Fly's very first convention, but everything ran on time and very smoothly. I would highly recommend this convention! My daughter will be back.

My daughter, Jariana Figueroa, just completed Fly’s convention in St. Louis, MO, she truly had the time of her life! EVERYTHING about Fly’s convention was fabulous! Jariana enjoyed all the teachers (especially Sam! She couldn’t stop raving about him!) Jariana got picked to be in the showcase for lyrical and for technique! It was such an honor to dance in the showcase! My daughter really enjoyed everything about Fly’s convention! We look forward to dancing with Fly when you return to St. Louis in March and in May of 2023!

I just wanted to say thank you. You’re competition was the last one I ever danced at and it was an unforgettable experience. I will truly miss that stage more than anything, but that feeling of dancing one more time was so pure and amazing. You’re judges were fantastic and overall the experience was something I’ll always remember ❤️

I'm just curious on why you do not showcase other levels of dancers? I notice all over your website, it's nothing but advanced dancers all over, there are thousands of dancers that come through your competition doors every year, and all you choose to do is highlight the advanced dancers! These dancers that are as you would classify them as "business class", and all novice dancers do not get any recognition! Those dancers work just as hard! You even state you showcase "all level of dancers", well I'm not seeing it, and all levels should be showcased on your websites.

FLY dance competition was such a fun competition! My daughter absolutely loved it! Everyone working for FLY was very nice and it was such a great competition to start the season. Can’t wait til this coming season for her to compete at FLY.

We just attended our 4th fly competition and our 2nd Nationals with Fly and my students continue to have a great experience every time we fly with them! I appreciate when competitions have a great support staff who hyped up the kids and just overall enjoys their jobs. Fly’s staff are some of the friendliest people I’ve had the pleasure to be backstage with. I found the judging to be fair with good feedback and the dancers really enjoyed the convention classes they attended. I can’t wait to see Fly Dance continu to thrive and grow

We have competed with fly for the past 2 seasons and has come to be one of my favorite competitions. The staff and environment are friendly. It doesn't feel cramped or chaotic. Things have always seemed to run close on time and never late into the night for our younger dancers. Competed at our first Nationals with them and had an awesome experience. Good and fair critiques. Already planning to fly with Fly again next year.

Fly is one of my favorite competitions we have attended for Regionals and Nationals for the last two years. The energy from the staff and judges makes the whole experience fun! The judges provide great feedback for my daughter, and I love the energy that is displayed when they get onstage to pass out awards. Nationals in Orlando was at a very pleasant venue...parking was great, they sold actual meals for the kids, and everything was convenient. The energy from the other teams was also great. We had another team helping us cheer for our dancers, even ones in the same category as them, and they even ran to give them hugs when they got off stage. It was more than dance, it promoted sportsmanship and team building. It was beautiful to watch. Everyone was so friendly and kind. Definitely can't wait to go back next season. Some great dancers competed and the competition was tough, but I can say as a parent I really enjoyed it and so did my kid.

This competition is ran very well and smoothly! All the communication sent to studio owners is great. I think the judging is fair and very even, they have a tap judge which we love. We really love this competition as a small studio!

I love the staff, and environment of this competition! Everyone was friendly, the venue was easy to locate, and I’ve enjoyed dancing there both times I’ve been.

Loved this competition. The judges were so enthusiastic and happy to be there, plus they gave great feedback. It was a great experience for our whole dance team.

Such a family-friendly and positive Competition for all dancers. Definitely will be attending again, my dancer loved it!

Finally! a dance competition that judges fairly and honestly, I have been to many well-known competitions but have noticed that they favor studios that have the most entries, FLY, on the other hand, was fair with every studio and made us all feel like winners. We will be attending FLY Dance Competition every single year from here on out. Thank you FLY for such an incredible and heartfelt experience, all of us from Dance Urge appreciate it very much!

My studio attended Fly this season and we absolutely LOVED it. From start to finish Fly dance was a true class act! If you haven’t tried Fly, you must! We can’t wait to Fly with you again. Fly Dance is one of the best!

Great competition! Super fun for our dancers. Great awards, on time, improv competition was fantastic. All around great!!

ABSOLUTELY amazing. I have never been so impressed by a competition until now. This competition is so awesome. Their staff were so cool and very very kind to talk to. The judges were very fair too. The awards they give out are super cool and different. FLY supports all sizes of studios too which is great as a member from a small studio!

Just wanted to brag on the entire staff for Fly Dance Houston. They were amazing, kind, helpful, fun and fair. As a parent, I felt very welcomed and at ease for this competition. Everyone knows how stressful competitions can be behind the scenes, but your staff helped in every capacity. The location was also perfect for this competition. My daughter never expresses how much she loves competitions. She got into the car and the first thing she said was, I LOVE FLY! Thanks FLY for making this a great experience for her.

I am so impressed with this competition! solid technical judges with great feedback, organized and professional! Thanks for a great season Lewis! We will see you next year!

We recently attended FLY dance competition in Las Vegas. I really thought this competition was great!! We had a great experience. The staff, judges, and emcees were all super professional and supportive. I was very impressed with the judges. I felt like they judged fairly and respected all genres of dance, not just their favorites. Many different genres of dance placed, whereas at some other competitions one or two genres seemed to score better. Our favorite part of the competition was the Improv competition. It was so much fun and a real crowd pleaser! Even my husband had fun ( who despises dance competitions). Thanks FLY for an entertaining Mother’s Day weekend!!!!

While this is not our first time flying with Fly dance Competition - it is our first time flying with them during a normal competition season. For a competition that opened at the height of the pandemic they have gone well above and beyond all of our competition expectations. The staff is knowledgeable, kind, and always quick to respond. The events timing are smooth, early, and get you out at a decent time. The awards are simple. They recognize a lot of dancers - not just one studio or team. The scoring as an audience member seems fair and not subjective to one studio. The judges recognize the dances or dancers that deserve the highest score and you don’t feel like everybody is just getting a trophy. Karina, the Regional Director - is a gem to work with. Lewis, Flys owner, one of the nicest people you will ever meet! As a smallest studio it is easy to feel lost in the shuffle amongst a ton of large studios from time to time; At fly you never felt like you were small. Everyone was treated with kindness and respect from all the staff. I could really go on and on about all of the benefits of dancing at fly! I hope that our commitment and support to their competition shows our thankfulness and appreciation for their competition!

Venue: Holiday Inn Downtown Rochester. Dated, parking was not great, hotel was not staffed to keep bathrooms clean, onsite restaurant not staffed sufficiently. Not enough seating. Viewing stage was a struggle especially during dances with floor work. Please consider a change!! Judging: No points can be taken off for comp going off "fly" theme! However the vast majority of dances were "Private Charter". While I appreciate that the highest adjudication level "million miler" was not given out easily, it seemed that almost every other dance fell into the next lower level. If you have 4 levels of scores, 90%+ should not fall into the same category. I think that the scoring levels should be revaluated. Schedule/Program: we were given our studio's numbers/times, however there is NOTHING online, so without a program you have no idea what's going on. And when you buy the $12 program, it just gives you numbers, not the times. So still is tricky to figure out scheduling at times. Media: Livestream costs $12 (it's 2022, this should be complimentary). Pictures/videos aren't available until a few business days after, so I can't comment there. Staff: every Fly staff member encountered was extremely friendly and helpful.

Our studio attended a competition recently in Buffalo, New York. I can't say enough good things about Fly Dance Competition. We had an opportunity to compete with them last year virtually and gave them a shot this year for in person. We were very grateful for their virtual competitions as we were shut down for quite some time in New York. From the moment we walked in the venue to the moment we left, all of the dancers were smiling. Happy and just excited to be there. The backstage crew was kind, courteous and answered all our questions. The merchandise table attendant was so great! The judges were upbeat and smiling at the kids. Really gave them a sense of confidence and accomplishment. We didn't walk away with all the trophies and all the awards and all the medals... But our teams walked away with their heads, held high feeling like everyone was supporting them. We will no doubt be returning to this competition and can't wait to attend one of their conventions in the fall. Thank you for always answering our questions via email and customer service. You guys are top-notch.

I am extremely grateful for Lewis and the staff at Fly for taking a chance and bringing their competition to Sioux City. We couldn’t have been happier to have a big time experience in our own backyard. From start to finish, everything was top-notch. The staff was kind and professional and made the day completely stress free for all of us. Karina did a fabulous job keeping things organized and running smoothly and Makaihlah was one of the best backstage managers I’ve ever seen. I loved the reserved seating for studio directors/teachers and I loved that they gave a sportsmanship award!