Everything I needed to know…..
Forget Kindergarten -the dance studio is the classroom life.
There is a famous book that claims that everything we need to know in life can be learned in Kindergarten. Dance training and exposure to a good dance teacher can enhance a child’s life in immeasurable ways. We build confident minds, open hearts, and sensitive artists (who occasionally learn to move well!). Here are the lessons learned in every dance class, along with a few old sayings that help make the point.
Stop, look, and listen before you cross the street - and move your feet. Dancers learn early on that they must listen carefully and watch attentively to get all of the information they need to move well. Learning to be patient is a huge part of the dance process.
You are in charge of your destiny. No one can make someone do anything. Motivation is an important factor in dance training, and less talented dancers often surpass those with more natural ability because of their personal desire to excel.
If a first you don’t succeed, try, try, again! With dance you get out of it exactly what you put in it, and hard work really does pay off. A strong work ethic tends to carry over into student’s lives outside of the studio and is reflected in their approach to schoolwork and other challenges.
It’s not always about you. Teamwork is a big part of the picture in dance training. In preschool classes, the first lesson the little ones learn are how to cooperate, sit in a circle, stand in a line, and wait their turn. They find out that classrooms have rules and that rules in life ensure that everyone is comfortable and has a good experience.
For many children, life revolves around their own desires and immediate comfort. The dance classroom might be the first time in their lives that they must consider the comfort of others.
There are no do-overs. Dancers cannot hit the rewind button. They learn quickly that frustration and tension only make things harder and that they have to leave their mistakes behind and forge ahead.
Be Yourself. Every body is built in its own unique and perfect way, which makes each dancer deliciously special. Dancers learn to find their own excellence and to admire and emulate the talents of others without making negative comparisons.
A teacher who helps students identify and develop what makes them special is giving them a true gift. Students cannot be allowed to take over a class or, worse, become invisible. All students deserve at least one correction as well as one compliment in each class they take.
It’s all in the details. In dance, basics are all-important and details make details make the difference. This explains the constant need for repetition found in a dance classroom. Training is about developing good habits that stack together to form the technique that dancers can rely on.
Fast is not always best. Whether it is the tap dancer who forsakes the rhythmic phrasing for breakneck speed, the acrobatic dancer who attempts trick after difficult trick, the lyrical dancer who never stops spinning, or the jazz dancer who draws a movement out to it’s complete end, dancers eventually learn to love changes in pace and the occasional quiet moment.
This rule also applies to the learning process. Getting a dancer from point A to Point B requires slow, tedious work and a great deal of patience from everyone. Putting dancers on the fast track toward learning a skill can lead to injury and frustration.
Variety is the spice of life. The great thing about dance is that there are so many avenues for expression. The dance world is like a huge ice cream store with millions of flavors. Whether this week you love ballet and next week you prefer tap, there is always the opportunity for change.
Dancers should be encouraged to take more than one dance discipline to develop all facets of their training. Everyone benefits from respecting diversity.
The future belongs to us. Dancers are taught to respect the past but not to be afraid to create the future. We understand that the masters laid the groundwork for what we now know, and we accept our responsibility to develop this information for generations to come.
By: Diane Gudat