Fitting in, stepping on toes, goals and patience
This has been a topic I've been asked about of late, and is something interesting to ponder, as time, egos, personal ambition, gigs, all get in the way....what does it mean to support a community or be part of a group of dancers?
Sometimes dancers move from one place to another....and find that landing in the new home is an opportunity or challenge to what they've known. How to overcome this, without stepping on others toes is an interesting quandry.
I'm a firm believer in treating others with respect, in contact with other dancers and other teachers...and researching your scene before jumping in with declarations of performance ambitions or troupe suggestions, sometimes these opportunities can give us a chance to reinvent oneselves, to get on the treadmill of learning again...time and time again I've pondered the what-ifs I was to uproot and move to another city where one of my dance sisters was....would I seek to recreate what i have now, or would I be able to be a sponge and learn and shape my dance into a new creation?
I often think of what my dance future will look like, and I dont know that I'll always do what I do now....I love to dance and hope to always have dance in my life but I look forward to a journey where I'll not always be the teacher, but hopefully the dancer.
But we all have just ourselves to answer for, and everyone has their own goals, their own path, and their own ambitions. I'm one about respect, and hopefully dancers who study with me also learn about that, and respect my teaching and recognise that when they move on...I've said before that as teachers we love to hear tales about what they've done next, but I know that sadly it doesnt always happen. Its not something I really understand as it's not something I follow but again people have their own ambitions and goals that may override...I've seen dancers attribute workshop teachers who they've attended along with 30 other individuals but not mention dedicated studies with one teacher in their own town who guided their journey...this seems to happen more often than not, with competition or personal issues I guess coming to play?
Time and patience are tools every dancer needs, especially when still being fresh on their path...it's not every dancer who can accomplish mastery of her dance in a short time, yet dancers may seek to perform/teach/attain goals that physically their bodies may not yet be able to deliver....the resulting frustration can hinder your journey.
We've all seen dancers strive to deliver classes in effort to meet their own ambitions...yet can only offer tuition for the basic dancer, and then seen dancers frustrated with their journey when they seek to learn more, and tackle more. I remember clearly wanting to learn zills, and sword, and more folkloric understanding of one of my teachers but being unable to find this within my teacher....and I had to move on and find a dance teacher who could assist my journey. At that point I'd been teaching a beginners class too, yet I know I wasnt ready to deliver more advanced movement breakdown for my students. I just wasnt ready for it, nor skilled up for it. I needed to invest more, and be patient....and hence I was able to move forward and learn, be that sponge....when I moved on I was offered performance opportunities that I found I wasnt ready for, and I was also mindful of wanting to immerse myself with the other students and not ingrate myself after others, who'd been devoted to two years of dance with that teacher may not be given that opportunity....
And that shaped my own dance approach, I guess sometimes its a trial by fire. But not necessarily how I want to shape my student's journey.
so what i'm saying is be patient, look for the opportunities and be creative, be respectful, be honest, especially with yourself and your limitations. And if you want to be part of a community research it and understand it, and balance that personal ambition.
Sometimes dancers move from one place to another....and find that landing in the new home is an opportunity or challenge to what they've known. How to overcome this, without stepping on others toes is an interesting quandry.
I'm a firm believer in treating others with respect, in contact with other dancers and other teachers...and researching your scene before jumping in with declarations of performance ambitions or troupe suggestions, sometimes these opportunities can give us a chance to reinvent oneselves, to get on the treadmill of learning again...time and time again I've pondered the what-ifs I was to uproot and move to another city where one of my dance sisters was....would I seek to recreate what i have now, or would I be able to be a sponge and learn and shape my dance into a new creation?
I often think of what my dance future will look like, and I dont know that I'll always do what I do now....I love to dance and hope to always have dance in my life but I look forward to a journey where I'll not always be the teacher, but hopefully the dancer.
But we all have just ourselves to answer for, and everyone has their own goals, their own path, and their own ambitions. I'm one about respect, and hopefully dancers who study with me also learn about that, and respect my teaching and recognise that when they move on...I've said before that as teachers we love to hear tales about what they've done next, but I know that sadly it doesnt always happen. Its not something I really understand as it's not something I follow but again people have their own ambitions and goals that may override...I've seen dancers attribute workshop teachers who they've attended along with 30 other individuals but not mention dedicated studies with one teacher in their own town who guided their journey...this seems to happen more often than not, with competition or personal issues I guess coming to play?
Time and patience are tools every dancer needs, especially when still being fresh on their path...it's not every dancer who can accomplish mastery of her dance in a short time, yet dancers may seek to perform/teach/attain goals that physically their bodies may not yet be able to deliver....the resulting frustration can hinder your journey.
We've all seen dancers strive to deliver classes in effort to meet their own ambitions...yet can only offer tuition for the basic dancer, and then seen dancers frustrated with their journey when they seek to learn more, and tackle more. I remember clearly wanting to learn zills, and sword, and more folkloric understanding of one of my teachers but being unable to find this within my teacher....and I had to move on and find a dance teacher who could assist my journey. At that point I'd been teaching a beginners class too, yet I know I wasnt ready to deliver more advanced movement breakdown for my students. I just wasnt ready for it, nor skilled up for it. I needed to invest more, and be patient....and hence I was able to move forward and learn, be that sponge....when I moved on I was offered performance opportunities that I found I wasnt ready for, and I was also mindful of wanting to immerse myself with the other students and not ingrate myself after others, who'd been devoted to two years of dance with that teacher may not be given that opportunity....
And that shaped my own dance approach, I guess sometimes its a trial by fire. But not necessarily how I want to shape my student's journey.
so what i'm saying is be patient, look for the opportunities and be creative, be respectful, be honest, especially with yourself and your limitations. And if you want to be part of a community research it and understand it, and balance that personal ambition.