Syllabus for Dance Schools
You may not realize it, but many parents and students are entering your studio expecting to be graded. They can't help it. The American education system constantly bombards students, parents, and the media with talk of testing. Schools explain that assessments will be rigorous and regular. Test scores determine progress of the child and the success of the school bond levy. Students are so overwhelmed by meeting standards in school, why would they want the same tensions in the dance studio?
In over fifty years of operating dance schools, my family has witnessed an increase in the competitive nature of students and their parents. While a winning attitude is emotionally healthy for a student, taken to the extreme, it doesn't always translate well in the dance school. Some families cause problems for teachers by arguing about class content or insisting that their child be placed in advanced classes. These same people create hard feelings for other students by spreading gossip or complaining about the teacher to other parents.
The surge in competitiveness is the result of many factors. The dance, baton, cheerleading, and pageantry competition business has grown considerably in the last twenty years. Images of 'number one,' 'beyond compare,' and 'simply the best' permeate our media experiences. Hollywood feeds us a non-stop diet of entertainment about winners. And the federal government's No Child Left Behind act, the driving force behind education's testing mentality, recognizes the arts as core curriculum placing dance, music, theatre, and visual arts in the crosshairs to be assessed like math, science, and social studies. Positive exposures independently, these reasons come together to create a constant barrage of "win, win, win" that many families misinterpret to mean "win everything all the of time no matter where you are."
In the study of dance, an excessive competitive nature can be detrimental to safe, steady physical growth. Students and parents need to understand that dance is a systematic and developmental process. Regardless of style or type, dance progress relies on firm foundations followed by graded approaches that are age appropriate and physically sound for the students. Overzealous parents may not realize that dance fundamentals taught progressively and thoroughly are the secret to advanced achievements and success in dance regardless of whether or not the student chooses to dance professionally or for pleasurable physical improvement.
What is the answer to taming the "hurry up and win" dance student and their well intentioned parents? How do you answer the father who, "...wants his money's worth!" without loosing the client to another activity or school?
Joy Held is the author of Writer Wellness, A Writer's Path to Health and Creativity (2003) from New Leaf Books. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher-500 and
teaches for Marietta College and in her private studio. Her family has owned and operated dance schools in West Virginia for over 50 years. She can be contacted at www.writerwellness.com or greatmoves@hotmail.com.