Beyond the 8 Count

In this episode of Beyond the 8 Count, Paige and Brianne get honest about favoritism. From the students we naturally connect with to the moments when our own teaching deserves a closer look.

As dance teachers and studio owners, we’ve seen how differently students can experience the same classroom. A teacher might see a dancer earning an opportunity, while a parent sees preferential treatment. And sometimes, favoritism really is happening.

We talk about:

• The difference between connecting with a student and giving them unfair advantages.

• Equal versus equitable treatment—and why every dancer won’t always need the same thing.

• How friendships and personal connections can affect classroom decisions.

• Why casting, corrections, and opportunities can feel personal.

• Taking accountability when our actions leave a dancer feeling overlooked.

We’re asking ourselves these questions, too. Are we giving every dancer a chance to grow? Are we explaining our decisions clearly? And are we willing to listen when someone tells us we’ve missed the mark?

An honest conversation for teachers, dancers, and parents about fairness, connection, and helping every student feel valued, even when their opportunities look different.

How did Dominic Rayman end up working with Abby Lee Miller? It started with taking a chance.

For our first guest episode of Beyond the 8 Count, we’re joined by our friend Dom to talk about his journey as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer! The episode includes how he landed an opportunity to work with Abby and appear on Madhouse.

Dom shares his first impressions of Abby, what it was like stepping into reality TV, and the behind-the-scenes experiences that came with it. Of course, we also share a few memories of our own, including the time Paige unexpectedly asked him to perform an improv solo for the dancers at her competition.

The conversation gets personal as Dom opens up about losing his mother and the role dance played in helping him through that grief. He reflects on his unexpected path into teaching, the relationships he’s built with students, and why those connections mean so much to him.

We also explore his approach to the classroom: helping dancers feel supported, making room for joy, and encouraging students to discover their own passion for dance.

There are laughs, heartfelt moments, and honest conversations about teaching, taking chances, and finding your way in the dance industry. We’re so excited for you to get to know our friend Dom!

What do dance studio owners wish they could tell every dance parent?

In this episode of Beyond the 8 Count, Brianne and Paige have the conversation studio owners everywhere can relate to. From team placements and parent communication to comparison, studio policies, and the decisions happening behind the scenes, they’re talking about the things dance parents may not always see.

They explain why a placement is never a reflection of a dancer’s worth, why studio decisions can’t be made around one child, and why teachers often see more of a dancer’s progress, potential, and classroom behavior than parents realize.

They also get into one of the biggest challenges in the dance world: communication. If something is bothering you, talk to your studio before talking about your studio. A misunderstanding can quickly turn into frustration, gossip, and unnecessary drama when a simple conversation could have cleared things up.

Most importantly, Brianne and Paige share something they wish every dance parent knew: we really do want your child to succeed. Corrections, placements, boundaries, and policies aren’t meant to work against your dancer. They’re part of running a studio, building strong teams, and helping kids grow.

If you’re a dance parent, teacher, or studio owner, this episode gives an honest look at what’s happening on the other side of the front desk, and how parents and studios can work together to give dancers the best experience possible.

What makes a great dance teacher? What should immediately raise a red flag during an interview?

In this episode, Brianne and Paige break down the red and green flags they look for when hiring dance instructors. From teaching voice and communication skills to adaptability and genuine passion, they discuss what separates an impressive dancer from an effective teacher.

They share how applicants should present their accomplishments without relying on someone else’s name or résumé, why personal accolades don’t always translate into teaching ability, and how a willingness to learn and collaborate can matter more than having the most impressive credentials.

Paige and Brianne also explain why teachers must be willing to adapt to different ages, levels, and learning styles. Teaching dance isn’t about showcasing yourself. It’s about helping students grow, building their confidence, and contributing to a positive studio culture.

Whether you’re a studio owner hiring instructors, a current teacher, or a dancer hoping to teach one day, this episode offers an honest look at what it truly takes to stand out in a dance teaching interview.... for the right reasons.

A viral TikTok sparked a bigger conversation: Why are so many dance teachers still being underpaid?

In this episode of Beyond the 8 Count, Paige and Brianne get honest about dance teacher pay, the challenges studio owners face when setting wages, and why passion alone doesn’t pay the bills. After asking their mom what she paid instructors more than 15 years ago, they were shocked to learn that some dance teachers are making the same amount.....or even less, today.

They also share what studio owners actually look for when hiring, what belongs on a dance teaching résumé, and why listing the famous choreographers you’ve taken class from isn’t the experience you think it is.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What dance teachers are really earning

• Why many instructors need multiple jobs

• The financial realities studio owners are balancing

• What makes someone a valuable dance teacher

• The biggest mistakes applicants make on their résumés

• Why teaching preschool and beginner dancers matters

• The difference between being a talented dancer and an effective teacher

• How the dance industry can begin treating teaching like the profession it is

Whether you’re a dance teacher, studio owner, aspiring instructor, or dance parent, this conversation offers an honest look at the people responsible for training the next generation of dancers!  What their experience, time, and talent are truly worth.

In this episode, Paige and Brianne compare two very different paths to studio ownership. Brianne shares how it all began when she was asked to teach a small dance class for her friends’ children at a church building. What started as one simple class eventually grew into the decision to find a rental property, build out the space, and officially open her own dance studio.

Brianne talks about what it took to build a studio from the ground up, including finding a location, attracting dancers, establishing a reputation, covering the financial obligations, and growing the business one step at a time.

Paige shares the challenges she faced on the opposite path: purchasing an already-established studio. She never planned, or even wanted, to own a dance studio, but eventually made the decision to purchase Brianne’s business. While she didn’t have to start from zero, she had to navigate existing expectations, relationships, traditions, financial responsibilities, and the pressure of taking over a studio that already had its own identity.

Together, they reveal that neither path is necessarily easier, they are simply challenging in completely different ways. They share what each experience taught them about leadership, change, financial risk, growth, and the realities of becoming a dance studio owner.

What really happens when one sister is ready to walk away from the dance studio....and the other decides to take it over?

In this episode of Beyond the 8 Count, Paige and Brianne get into the real story behind the transition of their family dance studio from Brianne to Paige. After growing up in the dance world, teaching together, and each having their own ideas about how a studio should be run, changing ownership wasn’t as simple as just handing over the keys.

They talk about what the transition was actually like, why Brianne was ready to be DONE, what made Paige decide to take the studio on, and how their very different personalities and approaches shaped what happened next.

You’ll hear about:

• What led Brianne to finally decide it was time to sell the studio
• Why Paige decided to take it over, and what she was getting herself into
• The reality of mixing family relationships with business
• The changes Paige made after becoming the owner
• The things Brianne and Paige did very differently as studio owners
• Teaching, choreography, acro, ballet, and the areas they each naturally gravitated toward
• The pressure of maintaining a studio while also trying to make it your own
• What they would do differently knowing what they know now

And because they’re sisters, there are plenty of disagreements, laughs, and moments where they remember the exact same situation VERY differently.

This isn’t a perfectly polished “passing of the torch” story. It’s the real story of one sister being ready to move on, another stepping in, and how that decision changed the studio, and their relationship with it.

If you’re a studio owner, dance teacher, dance parent, or just love hearing what really happens behind the scenes of the dance world, this episode is for you.

🎧 Welcome to Beyond the 8 Count! Where we talk about the parts of the dance world people usually only talk about behind closed doors.

Part 2

The dance competition chaos continues, and somehow, the stories get even crazier.

In Part 2, Paige and Brianne are back with more of the wild, hilarious, frustrating, and completely unbelievable things they’ve witnessed behind the scenes at dance competitions.

What happens when competition gets a little too competitive? From parents crossing the line to questionable tactics, judging frustrations, backstage drama, and moments that leave you wondering, “Did that seriously just happen?” we’re talking about the side of dance competitions that you definitely don’t see from the audience.

In this episode, we get into:

• When competitive parents take things way too far
• A shocking story involving a mom, another dancer, and alleged sabotage
• The pressure dancers, teachers, and studio owners feel on competition weekends
• Judging decisions that leave everyone scratching their heads
• Backstage chaos and the things that happen when emotions are running HIGH
• Why winning should never become more important than the dancers themselves

After years as dancers, teachers, studio owners, judges, and competition owners, we’ve seen A LOT, and we have the stories to prove it.

If you’ve ever competed, taught, owned a studio, sat in the audience as a dance parent, or spent an entire weekend living out of a dressing room… this episode is for you.

And trust us....you really can’t make this stuff up.

🎧 Listen to Part 1 first, then come back for even more untold dance competition chaos in Part 2.

Want to be featured on a future episode? Send us your questions, crazy dance stories, unpopular opinions, or spill the tea at Beyond the 8 Count.

Part 1

You see the trophies, rhinestones, costumes, and packed auditoriums, but what actually happens behind the scenes of a dance competition?

In this episode of Beyond the 8 Count, sisters Paige and Brianne are spilling the stories from behind the curtain at Dance Nation Competitions. And when you’re the ones running the competition, you see everything.

From the chaos happening backstage to studio owners, judges, dancers, parents, technical problems, last-minute changes, and those moments that make you stop and think, Did that seriously just happen? Competition weekends are never boring.

Paige and Brianne share some of their favorite, funniest, craziest, and most memorable stories from running Dance Nation and talk about what it actually takes to pull off a dance competition.

In this episode, we get into:

• The things that go wrong behind the scenes that the audience never sees
• The absolute chaos of competition day
• Funny and unforgettable interactions with dancers, teachers, judges, and studio owners
• What it's really like being the competition director when everyone needs something at once
• The pressure dancers feel when they step onto that stage
• Why some of the smallest moments end up becoming the most memorable ones
• The relationships we've built with studios throughout the years
• The stories that could ONLY happen at a dance competition

Because competitive dance isn't just scores, placements, and trophies. Behind every routine is a dancer who worked for months to get there, a teacher holding their breath in the wings, a parent somewhere in the audience, and a competition staff trying to make sure nobody realizes something is going completely off the rails backstage.

If you've ever competed, taught, owned a studio, been a dance parent, judged a competition, or you've just wondered what REALLY happens behind the curtain.....this one's for you.

Come backstage with us. We're spilling the Dance Nation tea. 👀

Listen to Beyond the 8 Count and follow along for more unfiltered stories from inside the dance world.

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 competitions

If 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.