Wow, holy, you're making an awful lot of assumptions here based on 5 paragraphs. Please slow down and take a deep breath.
Hold up, wait a minute, she's 5. FIVE! Where is it written that five year olds "should" be involved in dance or sports?
I specifically said "NOT NECESSARILY DANCE" and said I want her doing something social and physical. Please read that section again. I don't care if she doesn't dance but she loves doing it at home, she still practices her old routines throughout the house and she always talks about it. It's the "going to class" part, and specifically entering the actual class that she doesn't like. She's fine getting ready, she's fine getting to the studio, she's fine and all smiles once she's in the studio, it's just that initial detachment from us that gets her. Once class is over she doesn't want to leave, and the general thought about it when she's away from the studio is off and on depending on her mood.
Because she got so much attention and approval from being such a naturally talented dancer that she doesn't want to fuck it up by trying something new that she might not be good at.
Oh. Fucking. Please. She refused all those things BEFORE we took her to her first dance class. Dance was the last, and most recent thing we tried and it stuck. She tried them all and quit after one, two or three sessions. She would literally stand in the middle of her class crying, so we took her out of them. We took her to dance and she absolutely loved it, wouldn't stop talking about it, and wanted to go back every day if we'd have let her, which is why we jumped into comp. That was obviously a mistake and we learned from it but you have no clue what you're talking about here.
Being in school all day is plenty social for a kid that young.
And what about the 75 days where school is out? Or does she bank her social time and use it at a later date? Please let me know how that works.
Add a couple of playdates on the weekend and you're golden.
She has plenty of play dates. We're not golden. She gets bored easily and starts acting up when she has nothing to do. Recreational dance is 30 or 60 minutes per week, not per day. There's nothing wrong with adding 30 - 60 minutes of organized sport/activity to a 5 year old's life.
model being active and let her be active with you.
I still play rec hockey twice per week and ride my bike three nights per week. Sometimes she joins me on the bike ride, sometimes she comes to watch me play. What are you getting at here?
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/our-push-for-passion-and-why-it-harms-kids/?_r=0
This is precisely why we took her out of competitive and are going back to recreational where there are no costumes, and the "tuition" is a pittance compared to comp. We're quite comfortable and her financial security will not be an issue at any time in her life. An additional $300 per year in a "savings account" is a drop in the bucket compared to what she will be inheriting from my wife's parents, but thanks for your concern.