New dance mom.. is this normal?

[TiredTiredTired42]

Hello I hope this is the right place for this question.
My daughter is 11 and has been going to a dance school for around 8 months. She does enjoy it but I'm finding it alot
There are alot of last minute changes with the lessons for example come in earlier or lesson times change completely. The teacher is late alot so children are waiting around
The teacher is very close friends with alot of the parents and messages all the children too.
She messages my daughter too via WhatsApp about dances and costumes which I don't feel is right as surely she should be speaking to me about these things.
Is this normal and I'm just not used to the way things are with dance schools?

No that's not normal at all. I do have some students numbers but I'm my in a WhatsApp group with their parents and studio owner for class messages. No teacher should be late regularly. Occasional last minute changes can't be helped but shouldn't happen all the time. Is it a dance school registered with idta/istd/rad?

No this is not normal and very unprofessional.
She should not be contacting an 11yr old directly, that's a massive safeguarding red flag.
I have a few of my older students numbers (16+ and 1 since she was 14, but she started with me at 4, and has one to one lessons with me, so her mum knew me very well by that point) Mostly so they can message me questions without going through their parents or I can send them tracks directly etc. all were given with parents approval after they had been with me a few years at least and anything official re shows etc, goes via their parents
Being late and changing times is also a poor way to run a business.

Not normal.
DDs dance school is all email communication with parents only from the owner (who also teaches).

Lessons are at a studio and always bang on time. Classes run all evening and weekends with a selection of teachers.

My older DDs dance school was the same and so was mine when i danced.

What is she finding to keep whatsapping your DD about as such a new student anyway ?!

Not normal. The school my daughter attends does use WhatsApp but would only ever contact parents directly, never the students under 18.