Take a look at any magazine on dance, and judging by the number of ads for competitions, you would think that every school attends them. Many do, but there are also plenty that do not. Each side of the discussion has points of merit, and of course there are extremes on both sides.
School owners who do send their students to competitions cite reasons that range from “It keeps students motivated,” and “My students and parents really want to do them,” to “It helps me to see how my dancers compare to dancers from other schools.” The reasons school owners give for not competing are equally varied and valid: “Dance is an art form and should be cooperative, not competitive”; “I would rather have students spend their money on more classes than costumes, entry fees, and travel”; “We’ve seen dancers win who perform their dance well, but that’s all they know—that one dance”; “I don’t like the behavior and examples that I see at some competitions.”
Despite the pros and cons of competing, most people won’t argue the fact that it can be a great learning experience for students. If your school doesn’t compete, or if you’re considering cutting back or stopping completely, it’s a good idea to think about what you can do to provide your students with same kind of benefits that competition provides.
Performing groups or companies
Including a performance group or youth company among the options at your school can provide many of the advantages offered by competitions. Throughout the process of learning, rehearsing, and performing choreography the dancers will face challenges that build strength in many areas. Auditions for the company provide school owners and teachers with a wonderful opportunity to discuss each student’s strengths and help them improve in the areas that need work. To keep the audition process objective, Diane Gudat of Indianapolis-based The Dance Company, Inc. suggests bringing in an outside teacher to act as a judge. This is a great way to take the pressure off you and your staff and reduce the chance that people will think that any favoritism is involved in the selection process.
Gudat also recommends using the word “and” instead of “but” when speaking to students about the need to work harder or improve in a certain area. For example, saying, “I’m so pleased with your progress on your port de bras, and now I’d like you to apply that same focus to your posture” has a far more positive tone than “but you still need to work on your posture.”
In addition to having students audition for membership in the group or company, you might choose to have them audition for parts in specific dances. This can be a formal audition or simply an understanding that the choreographer will choose the dancers who are best suited to the piece. By working in a range of choreographic styles and being exposed to multiple instructors, students will expand their performance abilities. Also, studying various styles increases their ability to pick up choreography quickly.
Participating in a group or company is an excellent way for students to learn the value of commitment and responsibility. They learn that being absent for a rehearsal or performance affects the whole group. It also teaches them to adapt to continually changing circumstances; if someone is ill or injured, an understudy must fill in or the choreography must be adapted, sometimes with little advance warning. Another life skill they learn is time management. Dancers learn to make the best use of their time when they must add the responsibility of rehearsals and performances to the time they set aside for schoolwork and social functions.
How you set up your school’s performance group or youth company and select the kinds of activities it does can be simple (taking a class or two to the local nursing home, mall, or fair for mini-performances, for example) or as involved as setting up a nonprofit corporation (which requires recruiting community board members, writing grants, and seeking bookings). Think about how much time you have and want to devote to the group. Will you establish a small, one-person operation or will you need the assistance of others? Will you involve parent volunteers or restrict their participation and input?
Depending on the structure you choose, you may want to consider offering some performance options to those students who cannot make a yearlong commitment to a company. By doing so, you open participation to those students who have other obligations that might extend for one to three months. Perhaps breaking the performing year into seasonal commitments can provide that possibility. Whichever method you choose, your students will gain confidence in their abilities through successful performances.
Informal performances
Once you get the word out that your students are available to perform, you will discover performance opportunities at every turn. Fairs and festivals are a part of every community, and most of them are looking for entertainment. Malls, libraries, and social clubs often have programs that showcase the arts.
Sometimes you don’t even have to go outside your own school. You might want to hold informal performances in your classroom space and open them to the public free of charge. This not only gives your students additional performance opportunities but allows members of the community to observe your students, facilities, and choreography. This kind of community awareness is good for your school’s reputation and can be especially helpful at registration time.
Student-choreographed performances
Another great learning experience is to have students of a certain level, age, or group choreograph a short piece. Set a time limit (we say one minute) and any rules, such as number of dancers, types of music allowed, whether or not the choreographers may dance in the piece, and whether costumes are allowed. (If you say yes to costumes, set a limit on the cost.) Those dancers who choose to include others in their choreography also experience the challenges of teaching and directing.
Limit the audience for this casual performance to all students in the group, plus their parents and the school’s faculty. This provides a supportive and nonthreatening atmosphere for the dancers. We found that this was a very popular event with both students and parents, and the students gained new appreciation for the work that goes into choreographing. One even said, “Do you know how many hours it took me to choreograph one minute of dance?”
Workshops: a chance to branch out
One of the benefits of competitions is the exposure to other dancers, teachers, and choreographers. Teachers often talk about how helpful it was to see their students in comparison to those from other schools. Taking the students out of their “home” sometimes clarifies which areas need attention or improvement. It’s also a humbling experience for dancers who are the big fish in a little pond.
The same benefits can also be obtained by attending workshops that do not have a competition component or those that include competitions as a minor part of broader educational offerings. Exposing students to a range of performance and teaching styles not only expands their learning experiences but can reinforce the material that has already been presented to them. Many teachers have smiled and said, “That’s great!” when a student relates a comment or correction from a workshop teacher that they themselves had given repeatedly.
The educational benefits for students aren’t limited to their own participation. Teachers who attend workshops also contribute to their students’ learning. It’s great to see inspiring choreography that will thrill your students, but being exposed to various teaching methods and theories can help educators accomplish even more of their teaching goals. Those who attend continuing education classes bring enthusiasm and a feeling of renewal to the classroom, along with new techniques and choreography.
Another advantage to workshops is the camaraderie and outreach they offer to both students and teachers. Meeting students and teachers from other schools can be inspiring and supportive. Sometimes the ideas teachers share are worth the cost of the workshop. It’s also great to receive validation from people in your field whom you respect. Continuing education programs allow teachers to build a network of associates who can lend a hand in all kinds of situations. Likewise, students can build friendships that can last for years, with people they may even reconnect with at colleges or employment situations.
Guest choreographers or teachers
Depending on your school’s enrollment, location, and budget, you may want to consider hiring guest teachers to offer master classes or set choreography. If the cost is prohibitive, you may be able to exchange services with a teacher from another area, maybe someone you met at a workshop or seminar. For the most basic option, merely having students take class with someone else on your staff helps to broaden their outlook on dance.
Attend professional performances as a group
Exposing students to quality performances in dance and musical theater is another chance for development. Organizing a group outing may take some effort but is worthwhile. If no one on your staff has the time, consider enlisting a parent volunteer to handle the details. If possible, discussing the performance with the students as a group will help them analyze many aspects of it and give them the perspective of others in the group.
Dance educators who want to provide their students with growth opportunities other than competitions have many options available to them. All they need to do is look around at the resources available to them, both close to home and at more distant sites, and determine which ones are best suited to their circumstances. Anything that takes students and teachers out from behind their studio’s doors and exposes them to the greater dance world is bound to have benefits.