The Inferno: Dante Never Had to Sit Through a Dance Comp (Dispatch 13)

Dante reserved his ninth circle for traitors, frozen for eternity. Jeff reserves it for competition dads who risk a bathroom break and miss their daughter's 90-second routine. In this episode, Jeff catalogs the special purgatory of the competition dance dad — the 5:30 a.m. wake-ups, the backstage snack runs, the UTI he'd rather get than miss a lyrical solo — until his daughters take the stage and, for four minutes, all of it makes sense. This is the thirteenth episode of Diaries of a Dance Dad, an audio memoir series in Jeff's own words. It spans the full arc of parenthood: the inhale of birth and early chaos, the grind of no sleep and travel with kids, the gut-punches of failure, and the slow exhale of letting go. Order Diaries of a Dance Dad audiobook & hear the tales that bookend my paternal journey from cradle to empty nestdom at ⁠⁠⁠onecommune.com/dancedad.⁠⁠⁠ This episode was made possible by: LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at ⁠drinklmnt.com/commune⁠. Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot risk-free with a 100-day return guarantee, and get 20% off your order at ⁠vivobarefoot.com/commune⁠. Stemregen: Get 20% off your first order at stemregen.co/commune with the code COMMUNEPOD CocoaVia: Use code COMMUNE2026 for 25% off at CocoaVia.com