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brian said

"Competition and Responsibility"

27/1/2012

7 Comments

 
Ruby, Diamond, Platinum, Double Platinum, Bronze, Silver, Gold, 5 Star, Superstar, MVP, Mr, Mrs, Icon, Elite, VIP, Outstanding, 1st, 2nd, 3rd.....the list is endless. I have to be honest and admit that it feels great to "win" at dance competitions, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the moment. The rush of hearing "1st Place Platinum" is palpable, but at the end of the day what does it all mean? As a studio director, I only hope that competition gives the faculty and I insight into how we match up as a studio in terms of training and gives the dancers a solid performance opportunity. But, even as a group of professionals, we are often thrown for an emotional loop when we don't agree with the awards that have been given. Sometimes it takes a moment away from the scene to remember that our studio's vision is not about "the win", it's about training our dancers to be the best individual dancers each can be. 

The competition stage is consistently invaded by dancers who seem unchallenged and underutilized in order to create clean, winning pieces. When I'm an audience member I'm constantly expressing "Wow, that was really clean....but there was no vocabulary in that routine, they didn't do anything, they're not even out of breath…"  Other times I’m left completely offended by what choreographers are trying to pass off as “jazz, ballet, or hip hop” these days. The problem is, at competition, when these dances take the cake, this misguided pattern is, more often than not, reinforced and supported by the dancers and parents who don't know any different, using awards to gauge whether or not they’re getting the training they need. 

It‘s a full time job for me to keep our dancers confident in the fact that it‘s ok not to win at competition because our focus is on training, not rehearsing dances.  The ridiculous social hierarchy that competitions create in our schools makes it hard to keep young dancers invested in their futures rather than the here and now.  Because of this, Sweatshop teachers feel a heightened sense of responsibility and urgency to make sure every single one of our dancers is being well-trained above and beyond anything else.  We hope that channeling our passions directly to the kids in their classes rubs off and they are more than satisfied to come in second place at competition knowing that, in return, they’ll have a better chance to succeed as young professionals.  Since the rehearsal of our routines takes a back seat to all else, it’s almost a guarantee that we won’t always “win” over the studios who spend the majority of their class time rehearsing.  However, in this day and age, I feel that every dancer needs to be pushed to his or her limits throughout their training years in order to have any shot of really making it in the dance world. The dancers of today have to have stamina, performance quality, fire under pressure, technical execution of the widest range of vocabulary as possible, and consistency. Rehearsing routines helps with some of this, but quality class time helps all of it.  The dance world is saturated with amazing individual dancers coming together in professional productions as companies, the vast majority of whom are individuals who received the best training possible and never competed in dance competitions.  Other than providing performance opportunities and opening their eyes to the world outside their studio, the competition trends of today don’t do much to help the dancers of tomorrow, diversity in quality training does.

From someone who has seen and lived, obviously, more dance than the average person, it's easy for me to see that, as of late, competitions are won or lost based on the use of a series of formulas to ensure the following criteria: the cleaner- the better, the more distracting the costumes - the better, the more obvious the story - the better, the more props and gimmicks - the better. It's funny to me, what that means to me is "the least amount of dancing - the better".  A current trend has choreographers placing twenty dancers on stage to dance back-up for a soloist who, alone, executes all of the real dancing. I suppose from a completely competitive standpoint I understand the thought process; only one dancer has the opportunity to screw it up and, if and when he/she does, nobody knows it. The core dancers' movement is so simple the dance is excessively easy to clean, so the overall appearance is good which, in turn, has a lot to do with a dance being successful at competition.  These formulas consistently work to win competitions, but fall short when it comes down to fulfilling our obligation to all of our dancers and parents (who give up their lives for us) to give them the opportunity to become the best individuals they can possibly be.  

I suppose that, in some ways, dancing back up to a soloist is very realistic in terms of what a dancer can expect when they become a professional. Here's the caveat - these kids aren't professionals yet! At this stage in their lives, as dance educators we’re supposed to be giving all of them the opportunity to be all they can be, aren't we? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night
knowing that I'd only given one dancer an opportunity to actually shine, allowing everyone else to work below their potential in an effort to showcase the soloist and my studio.  We are constantly striving to provide each dancer with as many opportunities and challenges as possible.  Only then does the studio operate as a true team of individuals.  And yes, the kids need to learn to “take one for the team”, but they also need to be trained to be frontrunners and leaders.  If we don’t do all of this for every single dancer, we’re failing in our mission and obligation to them. 

To sum it up, as professionals, allowing our clients to think that competition wins are indicative of becoming successful professional dancers and individuals is just plain irresponsible.  Do you think a Broadway producer cared how many times I won at competition?  Heck no!  Now, as a studio owner, I understand why.  True story:  I got a teacher resume in the mail two weeks ago, in the "experience" column the individual had a lengthy list of her competition wins and titles. I couldn't help but chuckle as I put the completely subjective list of experience through the shredder.

A lifetime in dance is a lifetime of auditions - a dancer isn't measured by what they have done, but what they can do. At Sweatshop, our dancers will constantly be expanding their horizons so they have the best opportunity to succeed we, as the strongest team of dance professionals around, can provide them.  Sweatshop knows that true dance is never about
“the win”.


 

7 Comments
Dancemom101
27/1/2012 03:38:31 am

Well stated, great blog and topic! I'm not sure there's anything here I DON'T agree with. It's nice to know somebody really "gets it". We live in Texas, home of competition dancing it seems like. Maybe we need to move to Colorado! Take care, keep 'em coming.

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Bev Harris
27/1/2012 04:08:57 am

You are right. All of my son's dance competition accomplishments have been removed from his resume. If you don't remove this information for yourself, your talent manager/agent will do it for you. Note: There are a few exceptions. Few agents or casting director's care about dance competition accomplishments. What they care about is seeing what you can do on the dance floor when you are in front of them. It is critical to get a good sense of where you stack up to other dancers and the quality of your dance education. This is something very few parents, including myself, know, understand, or have the knowledge to determine. Trying to determine the quality of the training your child is getting can be difficult.

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Brian
27/1/2012 04:57:28 am

Bev: Your comments will certainly be appreciated by dancers and parents alike. When parents, themselves, don't have dance experience, the amount of trust they must relinquish to their children's dance teachers is immense. I hope that, through this blog, I can help guide those who struggle to understand what really matters and what doesn't. As the parent of a successful dancer and performer, your unique insight is very valuable to all of us. Thank you for contributing, Brian

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Kaitlyn Lawrence
27/1/2012 01:14:02 pm

Going to DSA I have noticed this. There are so many amazing dancers that come out of that school and many of them never compete. I feel like in order to be a good dancer, it isn't necessary to win every trophy possible. It is necessary to get the best training you can and have a strong focus on improving your technique. 

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Tami
30/1/2012 04:08:52 am

I feel as a teacher it is my responsibility to train our dancers for the now and for the future. It is so important for them to be versatile in their training. The now, is providing them the right tools to exceed their potential on stage at competitions and walking away feeling ultimate success, regardless of how they place. Success doesn't have to be winning overall, but more so feeling good about what you just delivered on stage and knowing that you poured out your heart and soul while doing so. Capturing that great feeling that you have when you walk off stage is so important so that it carries with you when the awards ceremony has completed. As choreographers we have to take on that same role. We may not always be supported in what we produce, but we have to know that if we see our vision come through on stage regardless of how well it is appreciated, we should feel happy about that and feel proud of the art we have created. Being comfortable with your choreography and not conforming to fit in is so valuable. Of course everyone wants to "Win", we are all competitors inside, it's natural. I want to win too and want the kids to win! It is tough keeping kids motivated when we aren't always at the top or feel gratification, but it's our jobs as their mentors to keep reminding them of their accompllishments and how proud we are of what they have become. These kids are like family to us and we want them to feel good about everything they do and know that everything we do is for them to be the best they can be. I want them to feel great about themselves and so confident and proud of their training and know how important it is for them. It should feel so great being a part of the Denver dance talent and enjoy and be inspired by every moment.
The future, is preparing them for life after the studio. I wouldn't feel like I have done my job as an instructor if they weren't ready for the real world when they graduated. This is why I feel it is so important to provide them with intense training in all styles and not 100% focused on competition so they are ready for what they may come across in their dance career, whether that be a college program, entertainment industry, Broadway, teachers etc. Studio life will be over and it'll be time to explore other opportunities. No more competitions, awards etc., it'll be onto audition after audition. Those awards aren't going to matter anymore and it's going to be about how you can handle yourself with what is thrown your way. It is our job to prepare them for that. For those that choose not to continue on the dance path will learn committment, responsibility, determination, perservance and heart to carry with them on their personal journeys. It's about creating strong individuals not just dancers.
The best of both worlds is the ultimate goal. Being able to shine and show your greatness at competitions as well as being able to strive and be successful in the dance world when it's time. What more could you ask for. I will feel success as a teacher if I can be a part of making this happen for our students.

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Sarah Smith link
19/9/2018 04:13:54 pm

I agree that it is best for people to learn how to dance well instead of putting emphasis on wins in a dance competition. However, I also think that performing in a competition helps dancers to gain confidence in their skills and can also help them branch out in their styles. My niece really wants to go into professional dance, so I'll talk to her about your opinion on dance competitions and tryouts.

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White Plains Dishwasher Repair link
15/7/2022 10:52:08 pm

Thankss for a great read

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    Brian's Blog is written and managed by Sweatshop Owner/Director, Brian Young.  The comments and opinions expressed in this blog are Brian's opinions based on his own personal experience and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sweatshop's faculty and staff.  Please feel free to contribute. 

    The author's bio can be found at www.sweatshopdance.com/faculty 

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