DANCE IS FOR EVERYONE!

Dance is for everyone.....Absolutely Everyone! I have written a few times on technique and training, but no matter your level of commitment, dance should always come from and be in your heart. When dance comes from your heart, there is joy. When there is love and joy, there is an indescribable beauty that cannot be denied, regardless of the dancer's ability level. You should never forget why you dance, and the answer shouldn't involve a trophy.

When I say dance is for everyone, I do mean EVERYONE. The knowledge and information shared regarding technique never changes, BUT intensity, the way knowledge is shared, and amount of information given changes based the needs and desires of the dancer. Not every dancer wants to attend classes 20 hours a week, or even 8 for that matter. Some dancers only want to go to class one or two days a week. And that's ok! I firmly believe these dancers should not be short changed and not taught proper technique simply because they don't want to take more hours of class and become the more serious student. The amount of class time doesn't determine their level of importance. Some students work hard, but also have a life outside of the studio and do not want to "live there".  That is okay too, because they love to dance and need the opportunity to experience all the wonder and joy found within the art, within themselves, and within the dance studio. The class structure, the way the information in presented, and the amount of knowledge taught at one time may vary, but it's still dance and it's still the same technique! And remember, there is so much more to learn than dance in dance class. Dance teaches life lessons that make an impact and last forever such as work ethic, time management, how to work together as a team, respect for self and others, manners, confidence, integrity, discipline, commitment, accountability, responsibility, and a healthy active lifestyle. Everyone who wants to dance should have the opportunity to learn these lessons through the gift of this wonderful art form!

As teachers, we need to reach every student. We have to get into their minds and try to figure out how they think and process information. There is no greater joy than to watch a student learn and accomplish personal goals!  We have to teach each class individually and uniquely to their level and mindset. It's just like in the work force. Not everyone wants to work their way up to be a leader or the boss. Some employees do a good job and they are satisfied right where they are. If you push them too hard they become miserable and quit. If you don't push them enough, they get bored and quit. You have to find the sweet spot. Then there are some employees who are driven and have the desire to do whatever it takes to make it to the top to be the best. Just as you would give these two employees different roles, responsibilities, assignments, and work loads, you must do the same for those different types of dance students with their various desires, needs, and expectations. Not everyone wants to dance past high school, but that doesn't mean they don't love it and enjoy it as much as someone else.

Problems can arise when a dancer wants to pretend that they want to be the "I'm all in, hard core, do it or die" student when really, they don't fall into that category. That's when blaming, misery, and the loss of love can begin. When a dancer is honest with themselves about what their expectations and desires truthfully are, then they can experience the joy of dancing again. Dance is happiness. If it isn't, a dancer needs to pause and figure out where the love went and why. Once this figured out, the peace, love, and happiness will return!

There is a dance class, a dance studio, and yes, even a dance competition for everyone. If you want to take one hour a week, there is a wonderful place for you! If you want to take 20 plus hours a week, there is a place for you! It doesn't matter if you can't walk, you can still dance. There is a place for you! Disabilities, handicaps, in the word of dance these words don't exist. We are all made to dance! Dance is acceptance! Dance is still hard work for whatever your level of commitment, but dance is true acceptance! Come one! Come all!

As teachers, our first goal should be to make nice PEOPLE and not just produce dancers. We have to ability to help shape the future of our world and we shouldn't take that responsibility lightly. We should encourage every child to dance! We should also keep the love of dance alive and growing for all! Dance is such a gift and a blessing. Share it with everyone with a happy and grateful heart!

Dance hard. Dance smart.

Meredith

thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.blogspot.com

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Photo: Kattie Hansen

DANCE IS PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Too often these days, I find that some dancers want to place blame on everyone other than themselves. Sometimes, the parents want to blame everyone but their dancer. It is the age in which we live, it appears. When it comes to dance, the successes and accomplishments one has within the art form, lies completely with the individual. For example, let's say a dancer didn't do as well as they hoped at the recent dance competition. They and/or their parents choose to blame the teacher, or say the choreography wasn't good enough. How about just admitting someone else was better that day at that competition? It's ok for someone to be better. It's also okay to appreciate the hard work of another. One of my teachers told me in high school, "Meredith, there will always be people better than you but there will always be people you are better than. Keep working." Instead of getting upset and playing the blame game, perhaps it is time to go back to the roots by looking in the mirror, do some good old-fashioned work, and appreciate the art of dance and all its glory.

Dance is an individual art form. It is extremely personal. You can have textbooks for references, but you must have a teacher, a mentor, to guide you and an open mind to learn. The dancers themselves are in complete control of the outcome. The individual decides just how far they will go by their level of commitment and determination, not just their level of interest. Training is HARD. Dancing can but fun, but it's not all fun and games. Dancing is about constant training and commitment to your mind and body. A dancer must decide to "dance smart" in order to maintain a level of accuracy and continue to grow with technique. Wonderful movement quality doesn't come overnight. It is developed with much practice. Practice with intent and purpose. As my own ballet teacher would say, "You can chose to be a dancer or an uncontrollable mover." Once a dancer reaches a certain level of achievement, without continued training, much can be lost in a short amount of time. You may have heard the saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it." Well, that is true. Often times, school dance team, for example, gets in the way. A dancer decides to be on the dance team at school and that can be time consuming. They decide to cut back on the "boring" classes, aka technique classes, and only take "fun" classes, such as choreography style classes like contemporary. Man oh man, will the ability level quickly fly out the window! Ballet classes also make a huge difference. You can't replace a good ballet class. Ballet is foundation of it all. A dancer cannot cut out basic, fundamental classes and expect to drastically improve.

Blaming the teacher for faults or disappointments the dancer may have when said dancer doesn't show up for class, rehearsals, take the recommended technique classes, or make the corrections given, isn't fair either. As I have written in another blog post, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink." A teacher cannot make a student have work-ethic or a desire to really learn. It not the teacher's job to stand on their head to motivate the class each week by saying, "Yay! You are so awesome!" It's the dancer's job to motivate themselves. A student can want to achieve all day long.  However, wanting it and working for it, are two very different things. Without the personal drive, the work ethic just won't be there. Often times, parents have more of a desire for their child than the child has for his or herself, and that creates a problem. If the desire isn't within the student, it doesn't matter how bad the parent wants it. The desire has to come from the dancer.

Let's talk about choreography for a minute. Blaming the choreography is never fair. Who is performing? The choreographer or the dancer? Let's say the choreography really is terrible. A brilliant dancer can make even the worst of the worst choreography look beautiful so that excuse holds no water. What a dancer does with the choreography is up to them. THEY must work. Another point I must make is a good competition judge knows to score on what the dancer DOES with the choreography, not ON the choreography. Now with this being said, choreographers can only give dancers what they are capable of executing. If choreographers are forced to give dancers choreography not suited for them, it can be a disaster. Teachers, dancers, and choreographers just need to be honest about what a dancer is actually ready to perform. I am all about giving dancers styles and elements that are out of their comfort zone, things to challenge them artistically and technically, etc. I believe these things to be necessary for advancement and growth, but that I believe is for the classroom not the stage. The stage is for performance ready qualities and skills. Patience is a virtue. Sometimes parents push the teacher/choreographer to give their child a piece and elements they aren't ready for and then blame the teacher/choreographer. Why? Because they just want it. They see others doing it and think they, or their child, should do it too.*Sigh.* Once again, dance is individual. Dancers learn, grow, and advance at different paces. Comparison is deadly.

The level of success a dancer can achieve lies within them. They need to be confident with who THEY are. It isn't about how interested a dancer or their parent is, it is about how committed the dancer is to the art. Dance is a way of life. Dance is all about personal responsibility, desire, and work ethic. A dancer only gets out of class what they put into class. No matter how tired a dancer is at the end of a class, they should  always finish stronger than they started. Like I always say, if you love to dance, you better love to work hard. Dance is so fulfilling when you feel accomplished and proud of yourself. Not proud by the trophy in your hand, but proud of the personal goals you accomplished.

Dance hard. Dance smart.

Meredith

thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.blogspot.com

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For class, choreography, or booking information, please email: meredith@thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.com

You can also read The Competitive Edge by Meredith on Dance Apps Inc's app with NappyTabs, Dancer's Toolbox under Dancer's Dish.

TRAINING STRONG DANCERS IN THE AGE OF INSTANT GRATIFICATION

I see it from coast to coast. Dancers who want the reward without the sacrifice. Dancers seem to want to advance without putting in the proper training and taking the steps to move forward with correct technique. This, I believe, is partly because we live in a society were instant gratification runs rampant. I see knees inverted and hips lifted in almost every extension executed as well as legs coming forward instead of remaining in second in 99% of a la seconde turns. I see dancers attempting technical elements and choreography styles they are not yet ready to tackle. They want it and they want it now....and to make a living, some teachers just agree to give them what they want in order to keep the peace. I understand, but where do we as educators draw the line and try to change the negative trend in society with our dancers? The world doesn't always give us what we want, and in the real world, we have to work for everything. Shouldn't we teach this life lesson through dance too?

Dancers these days, not all but many, don't have the attention span, or sometimes work ethic, to work on the fundamentals. Fundamentals are essential and they have not changed. The basis of all advanced elements and movements have the same derivatives as they always have for decades passed. Styles may change and vary, but technique never changes. It is still necessary to teach isolations, weight transfers, and transitions, while constantly working on body placement, balance and elementary turns. These are the things are allow a dancer to continually grow in skill level and movement quality. We know this as teachers, but unfortunately, some dancers and their parents don't understand this concept.

In a day and age of instant gratification, it can be hard to make a young dancer or a teen dancer understand the importance and value of these types of classes. It can be very hard to hold their attention and keep them focused. Changing up the your thought process of teaching these classes can be the key to success! It can keep you, the teacher, from becoming bored, just as it can keep the dancers on their toes! Fundamental technique classes can be the most challenging and interesting classes a dancer can take if taught correctly. It can be tempting to just give them what they want instead of what they need, but don't give in! Working on the basics and fundamentals are crucial to development! If we all stuck to our guns, dancers wouldn't be able to just studio hop down the street to a new teacher who would just give them what they wanted.

Balance is something that can always improve. Beginning each class with balance is a great way to center the body and focus the mind. From there, moving into a basic turn and balancing immediately following the rotation is always a challenge. Moving basics across the floor, individually and in simple combinations, allow students to focus on proper technique, finding stability and working body placement all while keeping their attention AND keeping them motivated.

I am amazed at how many students I come in contact with or see perform that cannot execute a simple rib isolation, yet they want to learn advanced contemporary movements. Isolations should be taught! Sadly, I have found that more often than not, they are not.  Exercises can be basic center floor and grow into advanced combinations across the floor which are worked on weekly in class.

Whether it be formation transitions, how dancers transition from movement into a preparation for a turn, shifting their weight, or transitioning to or from the floor, transitions are a big problem with choreography. Do not overlook working on these areas moving across the floor or center floor combinations. I suggest, teachers sit in the floor and observe where the students are placing their feet in these transitions. How they train is how they will learn choreography. How they learn choreography is how they will perform. It is much easier to make sure they train alike than to go back and have to clean these details in every piece.

I suggest not changing the combinations until they are mastered: Vaganova ballet class 101 style. My ballet teacher, Madame Majewska, would not move on to the next lesson until the lesson we were on was mastered. Training is important. Again; how a dancer trains is how they perform. How a dancer progresses depends on how they are trained. Don't skip the fundamentals because we live in a day and age of instant gratification. As teachers, we must adapt and teach on the level of our students to get the most out of them. We must set our students up for success not failure. This means making them do things they may not want to do. The truth of the matter never changes: without the training, you can't succeed. We have a responsibility to the next generation of dancers. But dancers have a responsibility too. They must respect the art, their teachers, and realize they are the teachers of tomorrow. It is all "the circle of life". Even if they never dance past high school, dance teaches so much more than choreography and technique. Dance teaches life lessons. There is also another unfortunate truth. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. We, as teachers, must provide a quality education and be good mentors. It is entirely up to the student if they accept and apply the knowledge. If they choose "not to drink", you can still lay your head on your pillow at night knowing you have done your job and done it well. If only all dancers and their parents realized that going back to the foundation produces tremendous growth at a more rapid rate. Can I get an Amen?

Dance hard. Dance smart.

Meredith

thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.blogspot.com

Facebook: The Competitive Edge by Meredith

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For class, choreography, or booking information, please email: meredith@thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.com

You can also read The Competitive Edge by Meredith on Dance Apps Inc's app with NappyTabs, Dancer's Toolbox under Dancer's Dish.

IT'S TIME TO PLAN FOR THE UPCOMING DANCE YEAR

Believe it or not, NOW is the time to start planning your summer intensives, fall workshops, choreography, and for the next dance year as a whole. You may be in the midst of competition season and preparing for your upcoming recital, but you must think ahead. It is time to audition for next season's competition/performance group, and you need start selecting music for choreography. The time has come set dates with outside choreographers and guest teachers. Summer camps and class schedules should be in the works, if not already available for registration. Recital hasn't even happened and you need to think about next year's theme, as well as next year's teachers and class schedule.

Here are some tips and things to consider when planning your upcoming dance year. Remember: no one plans to fail, but they do fail to plan.

1. It's time to advertise those summer camps and classes! If you are new to the summer camp idea, or need fresh ideas, begin searching online. Parents love to have activities scheduled for their children when they are out of school!
2. It's never to early to start thinking about music! No one knows your dancers like you. Even if auditions haven't occurred yet, you still know what works best for your dancers. Start compiling your music selections now. If you do, and you book outside choreographers, you can tell them what music you are already using. If you haven't held auditions already, get them scheduled so you can get the word out.
3. If you are booking outside choreographers for your competition teams, or guest instructors for classes, workshops, or intensives, contact them now! Prime dates for guest artist are July and August. These dates, and even September dates, go very quickly.
4. When booking outside work, remember that the cost isn't just for their time at your studio. The cost includes preparation time and work hours, including finding music, editing music, watching videos that you may send of your students to help in the perfect selection of materials, choreography prep, and any scheduling and correspondence time they may spend working on the job. It may look expensive for the time spent physically with your students, but they spend HOURS, DAYS, AND SOMETIMES WEEKS preparing to come and work with your students. Don't forget you should be paid too! You are the one handling all the details, and you will be the one at the studio working the entire time the guest is there. You should be paid as well. Sometimes parents forget this important fact. You may not be teaching the class, but you are working and have spent hours working to make it all happen.
5. YOU are your students' weekly teacher. YOU train them. YOU clean all the dances. Outside choreographers and guest teachers just supplement your students' education. Guests in your studio are just that: guests. Guest cannot magically transform your dancers. This is important to remember. Supplemental education is also important. Having your dancers experience a different atmosphere, different teaching methods, extreme conditions of working incredibly hard in a short amount of time, and having the opportunity to work with others besides their weekly teachers is a positive! It not only adds to their knowledge, it helps with work ethic and determination while building character.
6. If it's not broke, don't try to fix it. As I stated above, no one knows your students like you do. It takes SEVERAL YEARS of someone coming into your studio as a guest to REALLY GET TO KNOW your dancers. Having consistency is a positive thing. If someone only comes once, and you like them but it's not exactly perfect, give them another shot. You have to remember they are coming to create and/or teach students that they do not know. This is a difficult task. If you have had someone for years but are looking for some newness, you may want to still bring in the "old" because you know what you are going to get. Everyone is comfortable with each other. You know it will be a positive experience. You never know what will really happen with someone new until they are there. You may want to shift around choreography or classes, but you can never go wrong with familiar...if all parties are deep down happy. Remember, bored and unhappy are two different things.
7. Be honest, completely honest, with those coming to work with your students. Telling them what you wish they could do instead of what they really can do will never work in your favor. It is always a good idea to send a current video of the dancers in class and a video of them performing the style you wish the outside instructor/choreographer teach.
8. Ask questions!....all kinds of questions. This is your studio and these are your students. Feel people out before bringing them into your business. Always be upfront with your needs expectations. If you don't ask, mention it, or discuss it, the person on the other end has no idea. Outside teachers and choreographers are not mind readers.
9. All the points above has been about competition and special classes, but it's also time to think about recital. Plan your theme now and start working on those music selections. If you do this, you can already think about your program design and t-shirt design. Get ahead of the game!
10. The sooner you make your fall class schedule the better! When potential clients contact you, you will be able to give them all the necessary information for the new dance year! Also, remember how long it takes to find and hire good, loyal, and qualified teachers. If you know you need new teachers for next dance year, look now!

In full disclosure, I owned a studio. I had all of the normal studio responsibilities and recital stress. I brought guests into my business, so I understand all of that and what I had to do to make it happen. I currently travel as a guest teacher and choreographer. I can honestly say "been there, done that", on all levels. All of these things can bring on anxiety, but with early planning, upfront and honest communication, it can all be so much fun and incredibly rewarding for your dancers!

Cheers to next dance year!

Dance hard. Dance smart.

Meredith

thecompetitiveedgebymeredith.blogspot.com

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