Successful Ideas for Contemporary Dance Educators Are You Losing Students to Perfectionism?
There's a bit in "A Chorus Line" where Cassie talks about not being able to dance in the line with everyone else because she was a little bit different in her style and movements. She could never quite "dance like everybody else" and that's why she struck out as a soloist. Oddly, when I interviewed Broadway star Donna McKechnie who originated the character in the award winning show, her own life was somewhat plagued by perfectionism. She had personal experience to draw on while creating "Cassie" because her own dance career had been a series of trying to dance perfectly or at least like everyone else.
There's no doubt that society pressures children to be perfect. Schools, test scores, clothing, and the soccer field are fraught with attempts to be the best, the fastest, or the most. Children are inundated with situations and examples of what it means to be perfect which to some schools and parents means the best, and above all, children want to please their parents. Parental approval is important to the developing child's self-esteem and success in all areas of life. If I'm perfect, I'm the best, and Mom and Dad will approve--and so will my teachers and coaches.
The line between a perfect shuffle ball-change in tap class and dragging the heel in a not-so-perfect shuffle is pretty clear cut. Without the correct technique of the step, dancers will have trouble progressing to faster, more advanced steps. It's the same concept in the study of most dance technique. If your belly hangs out and your back sways during a pirouette, you won't be doing very many. The pattern of repetition in the dance studio for the purpose of better, cleaner technique causes some dancers to leave dance when they feel frustrated about "not being perfect enough" when really all they need is another breakdown of the properties of the step and the opportunity to dance without the constraints of perfect technique. A good teacher will include "free dance" or "fun dancing" for a few minutes of every class a dancer takes.
Perfectionism can cause even the most seasoned of dancers to freeze up. The thought of making a mistake in a competition or a performance causes such anxiety in some young dancers that they know only misery and upset stomachs when they dance instead of the joy and liberation inherent in the practice of dancing. Too much emphasis on perfection in every class, every rehearsal, and every performance leads to a number of not so healthy choices for dancers. McKechnie's need for her father's approval of her dancing career caused her make choices at an early age about not finishing high school in order to get a jump on a professional career that she voices regrets about in her biography and in the interview we did. Today she encourages dancers to get an education and to feel confident about the happiness dancing brings to their bodies instead of the need for perfection.
Do some of your best dancers miss class for unexplained reasons? Do any of your dancers ask to leave the studio to go to the restroom or get a drink of water during the same exercise week after week? Do any of your advanced students critique themselves regularly saying things like, "My turns are ugly," when they are the best in the class? Some of these students are "attention junkies" and want you to compliment them in front of the class. I always keep a completely still tongue when a student says out loud in class that they are the worst ones or that they will never be as good as so-and-so. When I have the chance or make the opportunity, I speak privately with the student and tell them about the positive qualities they contribute to the class and that their negative comments are making the negatives come true, and I don't believe that the student is all that bad. In fact, I've just pointed out three or more excellent qualities about the student's dancing and I ask them to stop degrading themselves in class. I then ask for permission to remind the student out loud that we don't believe the negatives when they make the comments again. "I thought we agreed, Sadie, that you are a better dancer than that," is all I have to say and the self-degradation and attention hunting usually fade away. At the end of the semester or the year, students ALWAYS come to me and thank me for helping them rid themselves of the verbal self-abuse.
In the studio, everyone enjoys a chance to let go and "free dance" after a serious hour of technique and combinations. For young children, provide a safe, fun prop like scarves and play a variety of music from week to week and let them dance however they wish (except for running.) Older dancers like more structure but will always respond with smiles when given a motivation like the study of time and movement. Don't play any music but ask dancers to start in a standing position and go all the way down to lie on the floor and back up to standing as slowly as possible. Repeat the exercise trying the same thing as quickly as possible three consecutive times. Ask for comments afterward and be sure you do all the free dance exercises with your classes too. The physical and mental release these exercises provide encourages students to keep dancing because they uncover movement that satisfies and stimulates without the need for strict technique.
The key is balance. The right mix of structure and free movement and the correct amount of critique and compliments will help all dancers discover the true essence of the spirit of dance in their souls and in their hearts--forever.
Joy Held is a dance and yoga instructor and the author of Writer Wellness, A Writer's Path to Health and Creativity, New Leaf Books, 2003. Contact her at yogajoy@suddenlink.net.