On the Fence About Competing? The Truth About the Pros and Cons of Competitive Dance
The world of dance competitions can be daunting, especially because the word competition implies there will be a contest where someone wins and someone loses. This fact alone brings panic for some and excites others. Studios are often deterred from attending dance competitions because they are expensive. There are many costs including entry fees, costumes, travel to the competition, possibly staying overnight, dance gear and event programs. Some have criticized that dance competitions focus too much on winning. Others worry that they are too commercial, focus on tricks and take away artistic merit from the art of dance. Still others feel that dance competitions have their place, but choose not to participate.
Erin Lopez, artistic director of Variations, A Dancer's Studio in Huntington, Long Island, says, "We don't do a recital or participate in competitions because I prefer using the classroom time to teach the art of dance, not rehearse a number. There's so much to learn. For performance opportunities, we choose community performances." The good news is that studio owners decide on their type of studio, and there is no rule that says you should or shouldn't compete. However, if your studio has never attended a dance competition and you are taking it into consideration, here are some thoughts that might help you decide if it is a good choice for you and your students.
The benefits of attending a dance competition can be profound and invaluable. But it is extremely important that dance educators teach their students and their students’ parents how to use the structure of the dance competition to make it a positive and educational experience. The basis for dance competitions is to provide an opportunity for dancers to perform for an audience and a panel of judges. Judges have professional dance experience, whether that means as a successful studio owner, a master teacher and choreographer, or a dancer who has pursued a professional career. The dancer is given a critique of his or her performance—it can be with pencil and paper or recorded on tape or CD. Some competitions have progressed to DVD critiques with audio and visual simultaneously. Judges’ critiques are important because often a judge will say something in a special way that just clicks with a student or will re-enforce points you have been making in the studio. Judges’ comments might also provide insight for teachers about artistic elements including music choice, costume selection or choreography. These critiques are very valuable for you and your students.
Photo courtesy of Beyond the Stars
Because the performance of a dance piece is the central aspect of a dance competition, it naturally fosters and helps develop a child's confidence. It also improves a child's command of the stage, helping dancers overcome stage fright. Young dancers also learn how to work in a group and to set goals as a community of dancers while rehearsing in preparation for a competition. Being part of a team encourages students and their parents to follow through with the commitment made to the group. It teaches discipline and accountability. Participation in competitions teaches students the basics of stage craft; how to do their make-up and hair, how to do a quick change, how to deal with elements that change from stage to stage like a slippery or sticky floor and how to find center stage and to negotiate space.
Attending a dance competition prepares dancers for challenges they will encounter in the future, whether they choose to pursue dance or another career. Most importantly, dance competitions teach children how to lose gracefully. There are times when the dancers have worked their hardest, but another studio wins. This is not the time to cry and make a scene. Rather, it is time for dancers to hold their heads up high, congratulate the winners and even become friends with them. Use competition as an educational tool by encouraging your students to watch other dancers. See how they perform, how they warm up and watch the strengths of their technique on stage. Also, watch other teachers prepare their students for the stage and see what works for them. Using competition to learn from other dancers and teachers can inspire you and your students to work harder in the studio.
If becoming a professional dancer is your students' goal, networking becomes a critical component of dance competition. As a young dancer, I attended many dance competitions. I studied other dancers, especially the ones who were better than me. I would say hello to them and over time got to know them. Eventually we became friends. I was fortunate enough to attend national competitions and become friends with young dancers from other states. Now pursuing a professional career, I still see some of these friends in classes and auditions. I have known some of these people for over a decade because we met at a dance competition long ago, and I have always thought that was a very beneficial thing.
Additionally, if your students are on the track to becoming professional dancers, long days spent dancing and performing can prepare them for long rehearsal days where stamina and focus are essential. This skill of surviving long days while staying energized and focused was invaluable to me in college during intense training and academic classes at New York University's CAP21. I watched as classmates who were not dancers struggled to get through the day. I was able to persevere because I was prepared from my challenging days of competing. The same is true for being able to get through long days of auditions when it is essential to be your best at all times.
If you are thinking about taking your students to competition, these are some of the things judges look for in dance performances. Technique and performance quality are the most important elements I look for when judging. I also look at choreography and age appropriateness. Together, all of these elements create the dancer I want to watch—the dancer with the total package. Each dancer develops at his or her own pace, and I always take that into consideration when judging. I also look at the elements the dancers are missing and encourage them to work on them. Judges need to create a positive critique, while really being honest with dancers and their teachers. This is definitely a hard balance to strike, but both positive reinforcement and honest criticism needs to be the goal in each critique tape. The best judges are professionals who care about young dancers, about helping them improve and who adjudicate with an open heart and an honest mind.
Each competition has a different philosophy, structure and style. I recommend researching each competition to see what fits with your students’ and your needs as a teacher to push them, motivate them or encourage them. If you are just beginning to take your students to competition, start small and work your way up to the bigger competitions where there will be more studios and therefore more competition. As your studio grows and your students improve, try taking them to a competition that is out of their comfort zone, exposing them to other dancers, other studios and other competition styles. At some competitions, you may be one of the stronger studios, and at others, you may be weaker. You, as their teacher, must expose them to all kinds of situations to educate them how to win and how to lose. "If it is your first year competing, take your students to small, local competitions to get your feet wet. Then if your kids get the ‘competition-bug’ continue taking them, but explore your options. Don't be afraid to call the competition director an ask what caliber of studios they generally have and then decide if that is a good place for you," says Kiera Regan, owner of Star Essence Performing Arts Academy in Edison, NJ.
If you are an established competition studio, I recommend changing it up a little each season. Go to the competitions that you and your students and their parents enjoy, but don’t be afraid to try something new—for example, a bigger competition, a competition with workshop classes, etc. No matter which competition you choose, always go with an open mind. And remember, no matter how long you've been competing, the most important goal at a dance competition is to learn from the judges’ critiques as well as the other dancers. But most importantly, make sure the focus for your students is to do the best job they can while on stage. After all, isn't the point of performing in front of an audience to move the people watching? If your students can accomplish this, then they and you have done your jobs. Now get out there and break a leg!