Dance Training, competitions and the conundrum of a career ….

[Kat09]

I came across this article today which was of particular interest to me as I look to the merits or otherwise of the increasing number of ballet competitions.

 

http://dancemagazine...w_competitions/

 

It appears that many of the young competitors are schooled extensively for these competitions which can offer great rewards in terms of cash prizes, scholarships and even contracts!!

Many influential people are sitting in the audience and, it seems, actively scout new talent.

 

I'd be interested to know the thoughts of Mums and contributors to Balletco  - do competitions enhance our children's training or are they at odds with the long slow process of vocational training. Are our hardworking talented children sacrificing opportunities by not pursuing possible  immediate  rewards thru the competition circuit ?

 

I am sure there is no right or wrong answer - as I ponder the question myself, I would love to hear the thoughts of others …. I'm rather hoping that ' all roads can lead to Rome"

Edited October 16, 2015 by JulieW
Edited to remove personal reference

[Cara in NZ]

We've just finished our first year of competitions - DD is 11 and  in 5 years of ballet training, she only got to perform once a year in the recital. She is a reserved child and being asked to do private lessons to learn solos at first filled her with horror. But she now loves the lessons, and every time she goes on stage it becomes less scary and she learns more about performing. We go to a supportive studio with great teachers, and mothers who are (mostly) friendly and helpful. So it has worked well for us. DD isn't super-flexible, doesn't do tricks, and is certainly not a natural performer. But it has added a lot to her dancing as she has slowly learned about dancing for an audience. She also works very hard at her RAD ballet syllabus, earning Distinctions every year. You can do well at competitions without ever wanting or being suitable for a dance career. We are just going to do comps while she enjoys it, and she certainly has fun with dance friends at them. Group dances have also been good for her, as she doesn't play team sports. Others may have completely different experiences and opinions but that is ours. Competitions have 'rounded out' her dancing and been encouraging for her

[Lucinda]

I struggle with the whole concept of ballet competitions because I consider ballet an art, like music or fine art. They are all extremely subjective which makes choosing a “winner” a  personal preference. I am particularly uncomfortable with ballet competitions that reward prizes to the dancers who display the most flamboyant tricks and disregard conventional choreography, particularly age inappropriate routines.

The goal for a pre-professional dancer is a paid contract with a ballet company. Most dancers are selected via conventional auditions not from competitions. Yes, a dancer who has performed in competitions may have had preliminary exposure to AD’s but this can be both to their advantage and disadvantage!

The total monetary and time cost spent in preparation for competitions can be considerable. An adolescent dancer is already flat out trying to keep up with an academic schedule as well as complete the required number of ballet hours per week to keep on track to have any hope of a professional career. Most of the students I know of who competed heavily in competitions, studied by distance education/home schooling and danced at least 25 hours a week. Many of these students only gain the minimum high school education.

I consider the following as advantages of competitions, students learn how to be confident on stage and interact with the audience/ adjudicators; they have a goal to work towards and gain increased confidence and self esteem when they accomplish their goal; they learn how to handle the stress of competitions and lastly learn that the judges decisions made are subjective!

However I feel that many of these positives can be gained by adequate performance opportunities via school end of year concerts and exams etc. 

Once a student is at well regarded pre-professional school, the exposure to influential people, AD’s and others is by way of summer schools/intensives and performances as well as networking. Also if a school is affiliated with a company it is likely that the AD and others will have seen the student over an extended period and gain a comprehensive opinion of that dancer and of their personality. 

It seems more appropriate for a pre-professional student to work with their teachers and narrow down companies to which they are most suited and then focus their training and energy to achieving that elusive contract with one of those companies.

It is only a minority of competitors that are awarded prizes and most of the time they do not have the luxury of choosing what their prize is. 

The other article regarding judging competitions on the same web site was interesting too: http://dancemagazine.com/inside-dm/dance-by-the-numbers/

Edited October 21, 2015 by Lucinda

[primrose]

I think that competitions such as Prix de lausanne can be very adventagious to students as the best ballet schools and companies are watching the dancers and contracts can be offered or scholarships for upper schools. These competitions are very selective.

[sarahw]

The other issue is that most of our dc will never go to a top vocational school or be good enough to do the Prix. And even those at vocational school are not guaranteed a career. So if doing competitions is enjoyable and teaches life skills than why not?

 

Ballet is an art and I understand this may be difficult to 'mark' but ballet dancers are being compared all the time - who gets into vocational school, who gets into a company, who gets to be a principal etc etc.

[Cara in NZ]

I do agree to some extent with everyone above. However, we are not 'on the circuit' – the studio does choreo/private lessons and leaves it up to us to sort costumes and which comps we enter. Some girls learn the solos but never enter comps at all. Part of the attraction for DD is the costumes – usually we get second-hand tutus and online costumes on sale. I've cobbled together a national character costume from our country's equivalent of eBay, adding braid and ribbons. Barefoot dress is a Capezio number bought from eBay for £5, with sequins added. I see it as a great confidence booster for my DD, and it has brought out a whole other side of her personality. Seeing her eyes sparkle before she goes on stage – I don't see that in her everyday life and am glad she has these opportunities. I have no idea how long she will dance, but for now it gives us opportunities for weekends away and is hugely rewarding for her, even though her results vary according to the adjudicator!

[CeliB]

I think it depends very much on the competition and on the dancer. In the same way that you can't say for sure going to *any* vocational school is better than training through the non vocational route I think the value of competitions depends on the competition itself combined with what your personal aim is in going to it. 

 

Prix de Lausanne was really valuable for my DS, as it gave him a real insight into the level of technical ability he needed in order to get the kind of contract he is after. I think it was instrumental in his decision to do another year training despite getting contract offers from many prestigious companies who saw him there. I agree with Primrose it is invaluable as a place to be seen and I think this is true even if you are at a vocational school. It's certainly a lot cheaper than going to multiple separate auditions...

 

I would agree though that it often takes a lot of time and preparation (well, except in DS's case where he probably spent the sum total of 10 hours preparing - probably why he didn't do so well!!) so perhaps if you do multiple comps every year this can have a knock on effect on your normal training. Certainly DS said he wouldn't do it again because of this....

[taxi4ballet]

The other issue is that most of our dc will never go to a top vocational school or be good enough to do the Prix. And even those at vocational school are not guaranteed a career. So if doing competitions is enjoyable and teaches life skills than why not?

 

Ballet is an art and I understand this may be difficult to 'mark' but ballet dancers are being compared all the time - who gets into vocational school, who gets into a company, who gets to be a principal etc etc.

I agree, ballet is an art form, and many students rarely get the opportunity to develop their individual artistry and performance skills in the studio, or to receive one-to-one variations coaching. If competitions give them the chance to do this, and to develop their stage presence, then why not?

[ParentTaxi]

I think it very mch depends on the student, and the competition.

 

The 'competition' can be anything from the smallest of local festivals, through the All England circuit, up to the high profile competitions such as the Prix de Lausanne that can be for some a gateway to a professional career.

 

Equally, the student taking part can be anything from the young recreational dancer delighted to be 'doing their stuff' on a real stage in costume to an audience, to a fully-vocationally-trained young adult using a competition as a showcase for professional employers.

 

At all levels, I think it depends on the balance between 'preparing to compete' and 'high quality general dance training'. In the same way as some local dance schools may neglect routine technical dance teaching for preparing for festivals and shows, if serious senior students focus on competition showmanship to the detriment of their everyday technique, this is a bad thing. But as long as there is a balance, the opportunities that competitions at all levels give students to learn stagecraft, take winning and losing in their stride, and experience dance as a 'performing art' rather than as an endless process of training, can be of benefit.

[sarahw]

In many cases doing festivals is the only way to get non syllabus teaching at a local dance school.

[Guest]

Lets hear it for group dances at festivals! They teach team work, commitment and above all they are fun!!! They also provide performance opportunities for many DC who would not otherwise have a chance to dance on stage. Some my dd's happiest memories have been from the groups she has danced in from age 6. At least if you don't win you have plenty of friends to commiserate

with and the euphoria of getting through to regionals and finals is like nothing else I have ever seen.