Get to Know Your Dance World
Everyone, Especially Instructors!
By: Nizana
I was making a purchase at Moondance at the 3rd Annual Spokane BellyFest and the vendor mentioned that no one she had spoken to at the event until me knew what Medfest was. This was at the very end of an all day event! Not to mention I have heard this sort of thing elsewhere as well. Ok, excuse me while I get on my soapbox. Not know of Medfest?? As an instructor who has cut back on class offerings partly due to the high number of area instructors, I have to speak to this.
One of the duties of an instructor is to inform and educate, not just teach how to do some choreographies and some moves. Inform about the past- for example, who contributed to this dance to build it up on local, national and international levels? Who laid the foundation for the acceptance of an art form to overcome obstacles of misperceptions? Who got the venues to start opening up for performances at the restaurants and on stage? Who were and are the most famous for their styles or contributions?
Inform about current events. There is more than what is in your own back yard, and it’s a good idea to at least know what’s out there if not full out go check things out for yourself! You can broaden your horizons and those of your students if you know what is going on in the dance world. Learning more about the art form is to your own benefit, and certainly is to your students if you’re an instructor! By venturing out, you expand the notion of dance “community” and can see what works and what doesn’t for your own style. You can find creative synergistic energy and inspiration by watching and studying with others that enhances your overall dance expertise. You can be supportive of others and in turn, they are more inclined to be supportive of you and your events. You can be in awe of those events that have been ongoing for several years. (Some events in Washington have been running ten to twenty years or more!!) Appreciate these people for their diligence and hard work at providing a place that dancers and others can join together to dance and shop and enjoy each other‘s company. You can enjoy watching others, enjoying the entertainment that they have to offer.
There are many ways to learn about your dance world. It is bigger than just you and a friend in your living room with some videos and then deciding to perform or teach. Yes, there are excellent dance videos and DVD’s out there, and there are also some that might be better to pass on. There is learning from others- and obviously, good recordings of past and present dancers are a valuable tool. Workshops and classes are extremely valuable and come with the benefit of instant feedback. There is the internet, with groups, and websites and web rings and all sorts of connections there. There are magazines and books. There are festivals, competitions, showcases, haflas and other events. Make the connection- support your dance communities, or at least make the effort to learn about them and be familiar with them, especially if you have chosen to teach! Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox...
