A Response to The Technique Problem

danceadvantage | Feb 15, 2009 | 2

A recent post by Lindsay Live got me thinking and writing! My comments to her words became too long a response for just a comment. So, I'm taking it to my own blog! Read my response to Lindsay, after the jump...

Lindsay, you are brave for taking a strong stance on this. I would like to add to your thoughts though.

I have a growing concern for students competing in dance, not because I have a problem with competition but because I've found that most schools competing are not prepared to do so. Adjudication, rather than being used by teachers to help students fine tune their abilities, is being relied upon to try and correct them. Recreational students (or, as you mentioned, those that do not have a strong focus on technique) would benefit far more from putting their money into workshops/conventions/master teachers.

It is often said that studios choose to compete to see what others outside their studio are doing, to push or motivate students, to interact with other students/teachers, to garner credibility, and/or to offer additional performing experience. All of these things can be gained through the non-competitive avenues listed above. And, it is often forgotten that studios can look to their own communities and find or create opportunities (beyond recitals) that will enrich the town/city in which the studio calls home (which in turn generates business for the studio). Also, I realize that the feedback offered in the adjudication process can be beneficial, however, so can feedback from great teachers, so can participating in a challenging workshop with dancers perhaps a notch or two above your students (talk about motivation!), so can watching professionals in a live performance. These types of experiences help motivate students from within.

Lindsay, our opinions differ in the use of negative reinforcement for getting results. I don't argue that your teacher got results from you but I'm not positive we need more of that kind of motivation. Teachers who know their stuff? Yes. Teachers with high expectations? Yes. But teachers who use embarrassment or worse tactics to get what they want from a student - we'll have to agree to disagree. It is possible to push and challenge students without pushing them to a breaking point or beyond their limits just to watch them fail. In fact, I see little difference between your examples and the "drilling" techniques often used in competitive dance. There are healthier and more positive ways of getting the best out of students.

At times in which I've worked within competing recreational schools, I have typically been given the task of instructing ballet (I'll admit, not because it is my specialty but because as a degreed dancer, I have more knowledge and skill in teaching technique than most of the other teachers). My frustration with the lack of emphasis or complete disregard of technique in other classes is similar to your frustration with what you've seen on stage. However, I want to make some additional points. I found the students had become lazy regarding their technique (after all they received golds or platinums regardless), sported severe knee and back injuries/problems from performing large jumps or other skills that they couldn't back up with technique, and were more limited in their view of dance than many non-competitive students I've taught (because the only dance they ever saw "outside the studio" were other studio dancers all trying to reproduce the winning steps or winning look of other competitors).

Teachers absolutely need to be more responsible for the bodies and minds in their care. And I do think it ultimately starts and ends with the choices teachers make, but there is so much more at work here. Competitive dance is becoming a huge and lucrative industry where any level of competitor (shoddy technique or not) can win a high-placing medal somewhere, at some competition. We also have no standards for dance education in the U.S. (not debating whether this is right or wrong but it does contribute to a lack of solid foundation in training). There is also lack of general education surrounding the art form of dance. Perhaps because of this, parents are often left to mistakenly assume that competing schools with medals will provide better training than non-competing schools. Ideally, I suppose, that might be the case but it is simply not the way it works in our current environment. My sincere hope for the future is to see more schools consider carefully their decision to compete and for better education all around on dance and dance training.

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