Professionals Make Mistakes, Too

Stacie Strong | Aug 05, 2008 | 0

How many of us suffer under the delusion that our heroes and heroines are in all ways perfect?  At the closing performance of CHRP's JUBA, I saw an example of one of the most critically and popularly acclaimed dancers of our generation messing up - but there was an incredibly valuable lesson in it.

Read on for the more serious discussion, but first take a look at this clip, which shows that "whoops" moments happen to us all....

I don't know about you, but sometimes I am firmly convinced that I'm the only one who misses a beat, mumbles a step or falls out of a turn.  While I expect it to happen in rehearsal, I can get very down on myself if it happens in performance.  This last weekend, I saw one of the stars of the tap world miss a step (an incredibly fast series of toe taps with the left foot).  Rather than let it go, the dancer tried again (we tappers just can't move on sometimes, especially if it's an improv where we have control over what we choose to do!).  Again - no joy.  The soloist - visibly amused at the misbehaving toe - tried once more.  Still not perfect.  In a great display of humility, humor and good sense, the dancer literally stepped away and said, loudly enough for us all to hear, "I'll go fetch it," meaning that perhaps the step was waiting somewhere else on the stage.  We all laughed and applauded as the dancer went on with the performance.  Though the soloist - and I'm not giving the person's name on purpose! - looked a bit bummed, there wasn't any anger or embarrassment or shame - it was just the knowledge that today, the series of toe taps wasn't there.  

We've got to remember that our bodies are our instruments, and they can break down in the same way as other instruments.  Guitarists break strings, pianists battle with sticky keys, vocalists struggle through head colds.  If we've done our preparation properly, there's no shame in making a mistake, even on stage.  I had a coach in high school who used to say that there were physical errors and mental errors.  Mental errors drove him insane - throwing to first instead of second, for example, which left an unforced runner at second.  Physical errors - bobbling a ball, slipping in the dirt, etc. - were absolutely fine.  They happened to the best of players.  That generosity of spirit has served me well in my dance career.

The other thing to remember is that so-called mistakes - especially in improv performances - can lead to incredibly interesting results.  Jazz musicians recognize that they will never perform mistake-free - for them, like us, the more interesting response is to take the mistake and make it into something musical.  In fact, that's what differentiates the amateurs from the professionals - how they deal with the unexpected.

We all have our whoops moments, and as much as I respect all the professional dancers at JUBA this past weekend, the performance with the so-called mistake is the one that will live with me the longest, as a shining example of how a class act handles life's unexpected blips.

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Studio, Competitions & Conventions, Performance (all tags)