You have just arrived in a new city by plane.  You collect your luggage and exit the terminal.  You see a line of taxis waiting for clients.  You hire one of the taxis to take you to your hotel.  You make a series of assumptions in this process.  You assume the driver understands your need, you assume he knows the best route to your destination, and you assume his vehicle is able to transports you to your destination.

 

A similar thing happens when you decide to enroll in dance lessons.  You assume the studio or teachers understand your wants and needs; they know the best way to help you acheive these wants and needs; and their teaching can help realize your wants and needs.  There are three words that describe this process.  They are philosophy, theory, and method.  The philosophy is the destination.  The theory is the route taken to the destination, and the method is the mode of travel that helps you arrive at your destination.  Another word to describe method is technique.

 

Sadly though, when a teacher is asked, "What is your philosophy of dance?", the result is a blank stare.  It is almost as if you asked them, " What is the gravitational constant of the universe?"  They do not seem to realize that method comes out of theory and theory comes out philosophy.  If the philosophy is non-existent, then the theory will be inconsistent.  If the theory is inconsistent, then the method will be haphazard at best. 

 

Whether teachers realize it or not, they all make certain philosophical assumptions that govern the way thry teach.  These assumptions determine whech areas of theory are taught at each level and when and how they are taught.  There are at least six areas of theoretical study.  They are the study of figures, the study of partnership, the study of movement or technique, the study of character or styling, the study of rhyhm, and the study of improvisation.  These areas  of dance theory effect the methodology or techniques and what the emphasis will be   All three combine to form an approach to dance.

 

Now, there are at least three approaches to dancing.  These approaches are derived from the common evolution of a dance form.  All forms of dance, from ballet to ballroom share a similar evolution.  They first begin as social activities.  Even ballet began as a social outlet for the royalty of Europe.  As some dancers become more proficient other prople enjoy watching them perform.  Exhibition dancing is the result.  Eventually, the exhibition dancers begin to compete with one another and competitions are organized.  Every studio or dance school will approach their teaching from one of these three approaches.  They may teach the other forms but will teach them from the context of the principle form.  For example, a teacher that utilizes the competition approach may take a student who only wants to dance socially, but the teacher will still teach the social dancer from the context of the competition form.  Each approach takes at least two forms.  Interestingly, it has been my observation that teachers for each approach consider their particular approach as being the highest manifestation of the dancing art.

 

The Competition Approach

Generally, teachers that use the competition approach will focus on the study of figures emphasizing the precision of the footwork, and they will focus on the study of character emphasizing both personal and generic styling traits.

 

In the competition approach to ballroom dancing, the two forms are serious and non-serious.  In the serious competition, the competition is real. Someone will win first.  SOmeone will win second and someone will win third.  There may be only a fraction of a point between first and third.

 

In the non-serious competition, the student competes against the judges ideal of perfection.  The student competes unopposed.  In these cases, the student need only to score the level necessary for a first place award in order to win first place.  I have actually seen competitions where you can win first place merely by showing up.

 

Now out of the forms of dance, the easiest to master is the competitive form.  This is why many studios specialize in this form.  This may sound surprising since many people assume that competition is hard because it is stressful but in a competition, every aspect is controlled.

 

1.  The student knows what the tempo of the song will be.

2.  The student knows how long the will probably play.

3.  The student knows what movements will be expected.

4.  The smart student will pre-choreograph all the movements in the dance.

5.  Every person on the dance floor will know how to dance and will probably be at a similar level of expertise.

6.  The partner's will have practiced many hours together so they will be familiar with their partner's movement style.

7.  The audience that counts in a competition are the judges and they are educated as to how the dance should look.

 

The assertion that the competition form is the easiest to master is not a criticism, but rather an observation.  A dance competition has to be controlled so that it can be as objective as possible.  Otherwise, it becomes like many competitions judged by amatuers, a display of politics, nepotism, and payoffs.  These are competitions sponsored by nightclubs and local organizations where the judges have little or no education in the dance they are judging.  The judges choose their friends, relatives,or patrons who contribute the most to the organization.  I have had students who entered these subjective competitions who were disqualified for dancing too well or being too polished.

 

The Exhibition Approach

The next approach to dancing is the exhibition approach.  Generally, the focus will be on the study of character or styling with an emphasis on poses and lines.  The exhibitionists look very good on stage and have a lot of personal charisma.  I once knew a man who was a proficient performer and was very popular amongst ordinary spectators even though he could not dance on time to the music even if he had a gun to his head.

 

In exibition dancing, there are two forms as well.  These two forms are competitive and non-competitive.  Several years ago, in response to the desire of the dancing public, competitions added an exhibition form called showcases.  The student performs a choreographed exhibition and the judges will award a placement based on a skating score.  These dance routines will have various restrictions placed on the length, music , and/or content.

 

In the non-competitive form of exhibition dancing there are no restrictions.  Unfortunately, I have encountered teachers who take the restrictiions in competitive exhibition dancing as the absolute gospel.  They assert that exhibitions should follow such restrictions like being only two minutes in length. They say that people will not watch a dance routine longer thatn two minutes.  They fail to explain why a ballet is more than two minutes long and why a show like "Burn the Floor" is longer than two minutes.  The truth is that people will not let you bore them for more than two minutes.  I once saw a six minute bolero performed that told a story and resembled a ballet.  The audience was spellbound.

 

The exhibition form of dance is slightly harder than the competition form because of the audience.  Audience appeal is the one aspect of an exhibiton that cannot be controlled.  The people who watch exhibitions may not be educated in the nuances of a dance.  They only know what they like.  If a couple is entertaining then they have appeal.  There have been times at competitions where the morew proficient dancers are less popular than the entertaining dancers.  I have seen the judges booed at competitions when the audience's favorite couple failed to win.

 

The Social Approach

The final approach to dancing is the social approach.  This approach is based on the assumption that the vast majority of students are not interested in competing or performing.  They are only interested in surviving in a social context.  THe focus here is usually on the study of partnership, since leading the lady is vital to success in a social context; the study of movement, since efficient movement amplifies good partnership; and the study of improvisation, since the dancer must be ready for anything to happen on the floor, form untrained dancers ignoring dance etiquette to drunks staggering on the floor.

 

The two forms of this approach are the scientific and the non-scientific.  In the scientific form of social dancing, the dancer attempts to learn the most efficient and effective was to perform the movement..  The Laws of Physics and thepriciples of Kinesiology are studied and incorporated into the dancing.  Practitioners of the non-scientific form do not concern themselves with such things as posture, balance, or ease of movement.

 

The scientific social form of dance is the most difficult form of dance to master for several reasons.

1.  The tempo of the music is not known in advance.  The tempo of the song may change suddenly, especially with a live band.

2.  The duration of the song is unknown.  It may last for several minutes.

3.  The movements will no be standardized.  A lady may not be familiar with the moves the man performs.

4.  The partner's may not know each other very well.  They may not never danced together before.

5.  The dance cannot be pre-choreographed.

6.  The other dancers on the floor may not be very skilled so the couple is forced to improvise to avoid collisions.

7.  The audience watching the dancers perform may not be well trainined but will know what they like.

 

Proficient practitioners of the scientific  social form of ballroom and social dance put on a show with every song.  They are the jazz musicians of the dance world.  Improvisation is central to their performances.

 

What Does it all Mean?

Now, you may ask, "What does all this have to do with me as a dancer looking for a school?"  Knowing these three approaches to the art of ballroom and social dancing will help you, the student, undrstand how your teacher is working.  SOmething the teacher may n ot know himself.  If your school emphasizes competitions and uses a methodology that prepares thier students for competitions, then the school's philosophy uses the competition approach.  Likewise, if the school emphasizes showcases, the instructors take time out of their weekly parties to dance exhibitions, or they focus on teaching you how to show off on the dance floor then they are most likely using the exhibition approach.  If the teacher prepares you for survival in nightclub or focuses on partnership and improvisation over styling, then they probably use the social approach to teaching.

 

If you are considering dance lessons, then this knowledge of the various philosophical approaches will help you find a good school and not waste a lot of money on lessons that are not  helpful.  If you want to compete, then find a competition school.  If you like to perform then look for an exhibition school or if you are pirmarily interested in the learning to dance socially then by all means find a social school.

 

Once you have decided your destination, that is, what approach suits your needs, then call the prospective school and ask them about their philosophy of dance.  Don't be surprised if they don't know.  If you cannot receive a satisfactory answer, then visit and look for yourself.  If you  see advertisements for competitions then they probably use the competition approach.  If they talk about their showcases, then they probably emphasize the exhibition form.  If you hear the students and staff talk about outsie dances or if the teachers show you how to lead or read the lead and they also teach you how to improvise on the dance floor then they probably utilize the social approach.

 

If you don't want to visit the local studios because you are afraid they will treat you in the same way as a used-car salesman;dragging you into a close office and pressuring you into buying a lot of lessons, then try attending some local dance club event like a USA DANCE; at a USA DANCE event, you can get acquainted with local teachers and students.  Be careful though, being organizations full of people with prejudices and preconcieved notions, they may be political in nature. (I have heard some refer to them as dance Nazis.)  Sometimes they will only promote a favorite studio; one that happens to be where their board members take lessons.  Those schools may not be suited to you.  Always be watching and listening to others.  When you see someone who dances in a way you like, then ask him or her where they take their lessons.

 

Once you find a prospective studio, then only enroll on a small program at first.  This will accomplish two things.  In the first place, it doesn't commit you to a large investment in a place that may not meet your needs.  In the second place, it forces the teacher to treat you nicer, since he has to sell you again in a month or so.

 

Understanding how a school's philosophy influences how dance is taught will help you discern whether the taxi you hire to carry you to your destination can acheive the results you desire.  It will help to receive the instruction you desire and it will also help the industry avoid bad publicity from students who were not happy with their trip.

 

 

© 1998 by Kenneth Howard- All Rights Reserved