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Why do we feel the need to call dance a sport? To somehow justify it?

If anyone questions our wish to commit to a childhood steeped in dance training, with a dream of becoming professional, here are some thoughts we can bring to the table.

Roughly 90 or 100% of dancers who attend ‘company’ affiliated pre-professional dance schools will likely become professional dancers.

Roughly 10% of dancers at regular dance studios will likely become professional. Roughly 10% of all professional dancers have an Arts Degree.

Now let’s compare these statistics to sport. Which people have no problem investing in.

Youth ice hockey players have roughly less than a 0.11% chance to play in the National Hockey League

Roughly 0.6% high school baseball players will get drafted by a Major League Baseball team.

Roughly 0.04% high school basketball players will get drafted by a National Basketball Association team 

Also, we have a habit of claiming that a dancers career is short, yet the average NHL player plays on average 4.5 years. The average NBA career, also 4.5 years.

The average professional dancer can perform for 25 years. As a career: teaching, coaching, mentoring; directing; choreographing til our chosen retirement age, we can continue for a lifetime.

I truly believe investing in any childhood Sport is worthy.

It is hugely valuable for children, regardless if they will go pro or not.

I just think could we be taking dance just as seriously.

Interesting ..what are your thoughts?

• STATS sourced from-
• hockeyanswered.com
• dunkorthree.com.
• hometeamsonline.co
• stickhandlingpro.com
• danceparent101.com

I often ask my students…” Have you watched birds murmurate? How they seemingly read each others minds, weaving through the atmosphere as one?”

I explain “ This movement is not led by one. It is led by all. It is synergy, a unified goal to achieve together. Did you know…Each bird hones into the rhythm of the seven closest to them”

How is this relevant to dance?

Think of any choreography made for a group of dancers. If each individual tries to stand out by dancing in their own explosive little bubble… the ‘murmuration’ (spacing, connection) cannot be put into effect. The whole piece becomes disjointed.

Students must experience dancing in groups over and over. Paying attention to the magic number of dancers around you, whether it’s seven or two…This is such a vital part of a professional career and of life itself.

Imagine if our students take this ethos into everyday life? How truly connected they become to the world around them?

In a human-world that can be obsessed with leaders… I remind them, the world also yearns for times of connection, for collaboration. And the answer to that, is right there, staring us in the face.

Nature.

Nature is where we learn. How grateful I am

for Nature.

Where does discipline come from?

To discipline a child seems old fashioned. It is far more effective to encourage self discipline.

We have learned so much about child psychology. We have learned that boundaries are terrific. A safety net if you will, a stretchy barrier made of elastic that can be pulled and pushed to encourage the child to form their own ideology. Their own understanding of where the ‘edges’ of security lay.

Instead of disciplining my class… I set boundaries. The boundaries are clear and concise. They protect the child and they protect me.

If the boundaries are clear, I find the need to discipline becomes almost obsolete.

How do you discipline a child?

Put the axe away! Set kind boundaries. I promise it works.

Why a blog? Why write atall?

Well, due to happenstance, I am taking a year off (A story for another day). Therefore, I am compelled to spill my thoughts onto the page.

As an educator through and through, I feel like, hmmmmm, if I know stuff that can help future generations, it is my duty to share.

With an idyllic childhood, in a Countryside village….with my Mum, there were Roosters at Dawn, Enid Blyton books and a ‘dolly pink’ bedroom. There was also, an undertone of chaos. The term ‘Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll’, was alive and kicking at ‘Rose Cottage’ whenever my dad was around. He was animated and told tales like an Oscar winning actor. Being born into the presence of his Canterbury music movement and among pioneers of his prog rock obsession….home could prove to be completely bonkers.

I found a ballet school, with a wise man named Leo Kersley at the helm. Student of Cecchetti himself, this Ballet Pioneer was an enigma. He was a terrific story teller and I am still living by his teachings today.

See, I was born among pioneers and sharers.

As we know, children do what they see. I was destined to shake up the world and be a pioneer and story teller. So here I am.

Hopefully you agree with most of my musings. However, if you disagree, please comment and chat! I love a good debate and a, open to learning and having my mind changed…the wisest women are often full of doubt (right?!)

I do hope you see that I care deeply…

I yearn to see change and lift the friends I see that are making it.

That is why I write….

Thank you so very much for reading by the way. I’m really grateful for our connection.

Education, is not a race.

I remind my students often; It is ok to sometimes just do the class, just go through the motions. We don’t have to ‘win at taking class.

It’s all money in bank…slowly building interest over time.

We don’t put 100% of our wages into the bank 100% of the time. We need to eat!  We need to pay bills, play a little and invest little.

It’s the same with education.

We can put energy into it, but we need save some energy for ourselves. We as humans, are more important than the task at hand.

If I could go back and talk to my younger self….I would encourage myself to slow down just a little and take it all in, instead of constantly striving to be ‘the best or surely I’m worthless?!’. Ah how it would save the disappointments the injuries and burnout.

This can apply to any intensive course we take.

Chip away, slow down, enjoy. These are the years we can achieve the most beautiful foundation to slowly and safely build on.

Education is not a linear race, it is a wavy spiral, an evolution.

Are gendered dance classes archaic?

The point is, dance does not have a gender, so why do we force it to have one?

The fact is, gender is a construct, so why force it on our students?

All genres are made up movements that all human beings are capable of. Dance itself is a great ally in the LGBTQ+ community.

Dance genres that are taught in a completely mixed setting, are: Jazz (look at Judy Garland and Fred Astaire); Modern (The Graham Dance Company) , all Hip hop crews, and Tap (look at Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds) and Contemporary Companies. The movements are exactly the same, only nuanced by the individual.

The only genre that will prove tricky to challenge for many reasons, is ballet. I remember teaching ballet mime…I had to show the male identifying students how to stand. Legs close together, arms firmly by their side or behind their back. It was unbelievable how restrictive it felt! I felt sad, minimized and repressed. When I switched to the female identifying students, I felt open, free, expressive. Big dramatic movements, arms opening and gesturing wildly.

The reason for this stereo typical way of miming, was in reference to the 18th Century, when ballet was invented. Why and how are we still conforming to this?

Must we refer to original ballet productions as museum pieces. Danced in the way that geneders were divided back then? Some ‘male’ steps are literally too dangerous and high impact for most cis females. There are exceptions to this though. Should we begin to take it as an individual by individual basis?

I will no longer divide mime into gendered movements for example. Or, I will allow the children to choose which gender role they encompass. I will experiment with them.

I worry that if it our attitudes to genders in the dance industry don’t change, we will lose a new generation of audiences and ballet, in particular, will fizzle out with the patriarchy. (Besides the fact that the original choreographers are famously noted for being misogynistic tyrants. Treating women like sculpting clay, without any idea of consent or autonomy for the dancer. More on that on another day).

This is a tricky subject, what are your thoughts?

Photo credit- Dan Brown

Becoming the perfect technician in dance can become an obsession.

Therabands, stretching bands, blocks and merchandise, pushed at us. Improve your splits! Get ‘better’ feet! Work your turn out!

What if.

What. if…

we didn’t do all that.

What if we took

time

off. (Gasp!)

Outside of class, is where we must work on who we are. As artists, we need to draw from life experience. It is vital that we run in meadows, camp out in forests and socialize with non dancer friends. Do puzzles and even get bored. Yes. GET BORED.

Dancers have it drilled into us that working hard ‘enough’ is an unattainable goal. We hear it drilled into us that we should always be doing more.

I say NO!

NO! To your constant package opening on instagram!

Take time to do less.

The world always needs more artists, the world always needs creators, the world always needs people who are connected to real life, (and create a world with more time for NAPS). Rest is not something we earn.

Playing and resting are a birthright.

Now stop reading this and let’s go outside to nap in a hammock or play in the grass.

The joy of nurturing failure…

When a group of children go on stage unprepared, their prop is unset, their wig falls off.

We don’t rescue them.

We make them stay on stage and live the feeling.

We don’t tell them how to fix their mistake, we don’t arrange the prop for them, pin their wig for them next time.

We ask them.

How will you ensure this doesn’t happen again?

And you know what?

It never happens again. 

Because they are part of the solution.

The pride they feel the second time they go on stage and the prop is perfect, the wig is held on. They feel such a level of success and fulfillment.

So when we are told we are cruel for ‘allowing them on stage unprepared’…For ‘failing to prepare their prop of quick change for them’.

I can strongly disagree, in knowing the opposite is true.

Actually, their own failure and maybe the slight act of humiliation they feel on stage… will lead them to face the consequences because they will care. They do not want that feeling.

Rehearsals with a few tears and failures; lead to performances full of joy.

Creating sense of true accomplishment for the student.

A true prideful moment for the student.

Because they fixed their own mistake.

That to me is teaching.

The joy of being a student, when the right teacher believes in you–

How we succeed as a student is intrinsically linked to how we succeed in the world itself. it takes more than just ourselves, it does take a village.

”How can we improve at dance”? 

Equals 

“How can we improve at learning”

Creating art and movement to music, requires emotional intelligence. It requires a connection from your cognitive self to your physical self. When are we most content and connected to our emotions? When are we likely to execute beautiful physical expression or movement to its fullest….?

…When we are safe, confident, in touch with who we are.

It is up to the teacher to create the safe space for the student to act naturally; Connect to the role; Connect to the character. 

It is up to the student to be open, brave and have a strong sense of autonomy.

As a child, in life, I was scared to talk, I was shy. I was stifled in speech, I had a lisp, I had anxiety, I had panic attacks. However, once I found the right dance school, I found a way to express my emotions, my feelings. It was my gentle and wonderful teacher that allowed me to dive in and constantly look at anatomy of movement, physics and my feelings. The why, the how , the result after a 1000 tries. he told stories, made it relate to life itself. he was gentle in coaxing our true personalities out. I realize, I was a natural student, however, it was most discovered when I had a natural teacher.

I knew the lessons that I learned by failing over and over, were vital. I knew I was safe to fail. Learning how NOT to do the movement, in a safe place, led me to be able to eventually DO the movement.’ Once can only achieve that, when one feels safe.