Should My Child Compete?

One of the most asked questions we encounter is "Should my child compete?" Some parents worry about the experience not being a positive one. Others are sure their child will do fine in competition, but worry about the travel and competition costs. We look at this situation a bit differently.

If your child has siblings at home, participates in the city sports league, enters essay contests at school, takes a playing test in band for chair placement, they already compete! They are already in a training ground position to learn to compete as an adult for scholarships, job placements, job advancements, etc. Competing in dance is actually about learning to perform at the highest level of competition available to them.

There are many different ways to compete in dance. Some think that the easiest way to learn is to just jump in and learn a dance and go to the competition. The idea in this case is that the dancers will become better just by getting the experience. 

Another method of getting to competition is to "hold auditions". That way you place them on a "team" that the abilities matching up with other dancers. Some feel this is the most successful way. Or they will group everyone in age groups, but use the audition process for lead parts or "who goes on the front row".

And yet another, is based on how many classes a child takes per week as to if they can be on the "competition team". The majority of these methods of dance team placement never bring in the personality and personal strength of the child.

We would like to suggest a different way of preparing for competition on the dance stage. One that we have found great success with for  our dance teams. It is a way of grooming, empowering and teaching them about performance first. One that allows us to help the child to find their place on the team rather than be told which team they can perform with. 

The method we use is four steps:

1. Regular weekly classes for a strong dance education.

2. Participation in master classes and conventions (we are highly selective about the conventions).

3. Community performances through out the year and recitals. A lot of community performances!

4. Competition team placement and work.

By using this method, the teachers and director has a chance to get to know the child better. We learn what a child's strengths are and what we need to work on to help them through the process. For instance, a lot of time is spent on just entering and exiting the stage that demonstrates confidence. Without confidence, the routine is not going to go well, no matter how much practice and training on the routine has been done.

Personality in performance is important as well. Getting to know the child better helps with building the choreography around the students personality, instead of pushing them into roles that they cannot pull off. As a dance adjudicator, I can say it is very evident when the personality of the students has not been considered and used to set the choreography. 

Music selection is also key to success, and again can be a part of the personality situation. Too mature or immature of  music for the dance group can mean that the dancers never really connect with the music and are unable to deliver a great performance. 

Participation in master classes, conventions, workshops and community performances is an opportunity for the student to grow not only in their dance, but as a person and performer. It is an opportunity to find out personally what their strengths are and not just be told by their teacher or parents where they are strong. It is also a way for them to face any fears in a supportive environment, without anxiety that they may "mess up" the team". It is a way of truly growing a team to work together at different ability levels.

Is your child ready to compete? Probably. Probably because they have already been competing and trying to get to the front row in class already. But the real question to ask is, "Is your child ready to grow and discover who they are?". 

*Mary Myers is the Director of Academy of Fine Arts in Woodward Oklahoma. She is a teacher, choreographer and adjudicator. 

Mind and Arts Connection

For many years we have promoted the Mind and Arts Connection as well as the Mind and Body Connection to our students, their families and our social media families. More and more research truly indicated that both theories have great value for consideration.

The arts most often mentioned for great benefits is dance, music, theater and art. These benefits do exist and are highly recognized so much now, there is a call for more people to train in Dance Therapy, Music Therapy and Art Therapy by major hospitals. The arts have been found to beneficial to those who have suffered strokes, closed head injuries, cancer and much more.

Researching the internet, you will find article after article on these subjects. Some are informational and others are based on research. And then there are those that are just opinions. Sorting through all of the information is time consuming, but some will say well worth the time.

We ran across a video on the PBS website that is informational and offers research as well. It is about an hour long because there is so much to share. So if you are tired of television or cannot find something interesting to watch this week, maybe tune into this video and learn more about the mind and arts connection. You just may find it to be an investment of time that benefits your family in some way.

Here is the video link :    http://video.pbs.org/video/2271028439/

The PBS website is a gold mind of information about the performing and fine arts. BE sure to check other articles out when visiting.   www.pbs.org

Miss Oklahoma, Alica Clifton, was named 2nd runner up on Saturday at the Miss America Pageant 2013 in Las Vegas. Alica has been dancing most of her life which includes taking weekly classes, competing in regional, state, natiopnal and international competitions.

Although Alicia dances several methods and styles, this dance teacher was very happy to see her tap dance in the pageant finals. Alicia has placed in the top three in an international tap dance championship two different times. And at a very young age. Tap is where she really shines and is propbably one of the best tap dancers in the nation.

When she was taking classes at Karen's Kids in Midwest City, Ok at a young age, her parents had already bought in to the commitment to Alecia's passion to dance. I remember standing in Karen's studio at the time and recall Alecia's parents talking, at the time, that they had just put in a dance floor, barre and mirror into their home for her to practice.

I am sure there did come a time that she did not want to train anymore, but only for a short time because of her support team of family, teachers, coaches and friends.  What people saw in this young lady was the joy on her face when she performed, and not the times she would possibly come home and complain about being too tired. Not the times she might of been discouraged or frustrated, but again the joy on her face when she performed.

Alicia did not get this far by herself and only on joy. She got this far because others saw her joy and decided to be there and help to push her and support her through the hard times. Dance performance is not easy, especially for those who are considered some of the best.

And dance is not always easy for the student that parents have said " just take it for a year or two and see if you like it". The difference is that the parents that see the joy, will not let them give it up for anything. The parents that cannot see the joy, go to the next great thing hoping they will find the joy. Not because the child does not like it, but because the parent is still looking for something they cannot see.

Congratulations to Alicia, her parents, teachers, coaches and trainers along the way that took the time to see the joy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB5bAJODUig&feature=share&list=PL5E66C4DC4E0B85A8