On the competition circuit, when a dancer executes a new “trick” successfully onstage, it is something that every other dancer must then aspire to, in order to keep up with the ever-rising bar that is set. The pressure to stay current is huge, as the dancer - and the teacher - then feels as though they are slipping away from the centre of the standard. With some dancers, this means they push, and are pushed to perform movements which are out of their age or flexibility range, so often pose dangers to what began as a competitive, yet friendly, activity.
On the other side of the table, the majority of judges would prefer to see simpler, cleaner lines and steps onstage in competition choreography than tricks, especially those that are not ready yet. Lengthy and systematic training are key to achieving the impressive movements and performing with awe: dancers faking movements and even being injured on stage when attempting things out of their reach is not what the industry should be promoting.
Many students attempt movements before the coordination and strength to support them is properly developed, in terms of muscle recognition and faster connections between the brain and body. Dancers’ bodies need time and repetition to successfully develop and sometimes older dancers are identified as having developed bad habits and injuries from been pushed too fast or having missed vital developmental training. Their struggle means they must go back to basics and re-learn.
When should difficulty override execution?
For the short answer, difficulty should never come before the execution of a dance move or combination. Whilst high level competitions demand more and more from competing dancers, ultimately it is more important to execute the dance well and with high quality, rather than struggle with something that is too challenging - it does not reflect well.
On the competition circuit, when a dancer executes a new “trick” successfully onstage, it is something that every other dancer must then aspire to, in order to keep up with the ever-rising bar that is set. The pressure to stay current is huge, as the dancer - and the teacher - then feels as though they are slipping away from the centre of the standard. With some dancers, this means they push, and are pushed to perform movements which are out of their age or flexibility range, so often pose dangers to what began as a competitive, yet friendly, activity.
On the other side of the table, the majority of judges would prefer to see simpler, cleaner lines and steps onstage in competition choreography than tricks, especially those that are not ready yet. Lengthy and systematic training are key to achieving the impressive movements and performing with awe: dancers faking movements and even being injured on stage when attempting things out of their reach is not what the industry should be promoting.
Many students attempt movements before the coordination and strength to support them is properly developed, in terms of muscle recognition and faster connections between the brain and body. Dancers’ bodies need time and repetition to successfully develop and sometimes older dancers are identified as having developed bad habits and injuries from been pushed too fast or having missed vital developmental training. Their struggle means they must go back to basics and re-learn.
On the competition circuit, when a dancer executes a new “trick” successfully onstage, it is something that every other dancer must then aspire to, in order to keep up with the ever-rising bar that is set. The pressure to stay current is huge, as the dancer - and the teacher - then feels as though they are slipping away from the centre of the standard. With some dancers, this means they push, and are pushed to perform movements which are out of their age or flexibility range, so often pose dangers to what began as a competitive, yet friendly, activity.
On the other side of the table, the majority of judges would prefer to see simpler, cleaner lines and steps onstage in competition choreography than tricks, especially those that are not ready yet. Lengthy and systematic training are key to achieving the impressive movements and performing with awe: dancers faking movements and even being injured on stage when attempting things out of their reach is not what the industry should be promoting.
Many students attempt movements before the coordination and strength to support them is properly developed, in terms of muscle recognition and faster connections between the brain and body. Dancers’ bodies need time and repetition to successfully develop and sometimes older dancers are identified as having developed bad habits and injuries from been pushed too fast or having missed vital developmental training. Their struggle means they must go back to basics and re-learn.