Dance is art, not sport. There is nothing wrong with competing.. sports teams compete. The difference is sports teams dont exploit their team members by parading them half naked in front of large crowds.. who knows what kind of people are watching and the perceptions they are making.. They could be VERY different from the ones that the choreographers and dancers and parents are attempting to.

You work your butt off to show beautiful lines.. but unfortunately a relative few can appreciate those lines (simply the nature of dance), and the likelihood of people outside of the dance world developing an appreciation for those lines becomes even smaller when he audience’s eyes are going to crotch shots, booty shakes, bare midriffs, shimmy shakes, etc etc..

The children may not know the implications of what they are doing, but the pedophiles, creeps and psychos who are masturbating to your child on the internet do.
I reiterate.. nothing wrong with competition.. HEALTHY competition.. but the attitude, lack of creativity, lack of costumes and lack of artistry that dance competitions cultivate makes me sick to my stomach, especially as a serious aspiring proffesional choreographer and teacher.