Erin, this is such a great topic!

At a competition I recently judged, the contestants were asked to name the person they'd most love to take class from, dead or alive. Almost everyone said Mia Michaels. Now, Mia's great, don't get me wrong. But these kids were given the chance to name ANYONE, and I didn't hear one person say Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Ruth St. Denis, Isadora Duncan, Katherine Dunham, Gregory Hines, Paul Taylor, Agnes de Mille, Merce Cunningham, Bob Fosse, Twyla Tharp, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe or any of the number of influential choreographers out there.  

Am I shocked? No, not really. I didn't hear most of those names until I went to Barnard and studied dance history (many thanks to Lynn Garafola). Looking back on my dance training, I wish my teachers would have taught me more about the history of the art. In order to do something well and help push it forward into the future, you have to understand where it came from. That's the reason I love teaching and judging... to educate. In my critiques I like to add little tidbits about things they most likely have not been taught.

There is a world of dance out there beyond SYTYCD, and it's really a shame most young dancers today don't know that, especially given the accessibility we have with the Internet. Really baffles and saddens me.

Recognition of this same problem in my own students was one of the primary reasons I started my own dance blog. I wanted to try to share the knowledge which I fortunately accessed as a student with other teachers and students.

There are gaping holes in our passing-on of the legacy of dance, its creators and pioneers. Because, for the majority of public and private schools, dance education is not in the mix (heck, general arts education is barely hanging on in many schools), it is left to private studios and nonprofits (utilizing limited funding) to educate young people in ALL aspects of dance (not just physical training). Many teachers, themselves, have not been given the gift of a broader dance education and need the reasons, resources, and tools to do so.

I appreciate that tv shows have created a certain awareness of dance, but now what do we do with that awareness? My wish is to someday see true study of dance (and the arts in general) as part of our public education system, as well as in our dance schools. (Why must students wait until college to receive an education that will allow them to engage with and be exposed to art?) Until then, I'd love to see more dance studio teachers bringing at least a taste of the wider world of dance into their classroom - it is possible!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!

Ok, so as a dance educator, I now know it is MY responsiblity to educate the students I teach.  Each year we have a "Dance History" week, but I always talk about Anna Pavlova, which is great fun.  BUT, now I really know that I am going to expand the depths of dance history to my students!  I have some great ideas and I can't wait to incorporate them.  Thanks Erin.