I have been focusing on my son’s journey toward hearing loss in this blog, but I would like to switch gears for this post. I am going to talk about my chosen profession.
I own a dance studio. For those of you that do not dance, or have never danced, your only exposure may have been the bad press that the dance world has experienced in recent years; from ballet companies only accepting dancers who are a size 0, to little girls dancing and dressing like “prostatots”, to shows like Dance Moms who choose only to portray the dramatics for ratings.
In this post, I’ll be discussing my personal views on school, eating habits, the use of everyday makeup vs stage makeup, and our bodies, specifically when it pertains to our dancers’ costumes.
I am going to be frank here. The dance world, especially the competitive world is not all rainbows, puppies, and sunshine 24/7.
It is hard work.
It takes discipline, focus, training, and sacrifice.
Competitive dancers spend most of their afterschool time at the studio, all week long, and are often asked to give up entire weekends, from sun up to midnight, only to have to get up for school Monday morning.
Let me pause here for a moment. There are competitions that start as early as Thursday morning. If this was the summer time, I would not have any issues with this whatsoever, but competitions are from January through May, so dancers sometimes have to miss school in order to attend a competition.
School Comes First
I do not personally condone competitions that require dancers to miss entire days of school. For those of you that do not know, we don’t get the schedules until the week before the competition, so we do not know how early the competition will start and fees are non-refundable, so it may be unavoidable. I do, however, avoid competitions that consistently start at 7am as early as Thursday morning.
I believe that school should always come first. I will stand behind the parent that needs to keep their dancer home from dance one night because they have a mountain of homework. I will back the parent that needs to take dance away for a time so that a dancer can pull their grades up to acceptable levels. A dancers’ schooling dictates their future. Most dancers will not continue dancing beyond high school or college, so I would never wish to jeopardize their grades.
Healthy Eating Habits
Dancers work hard. They need to be physically capable of handling the stress it puts on their bodies. This means that they need to keep them fueled.
I will never ask a dancer to starve her/himself. In fact, I encourage the opposite. I encourage my dancers to eat. I have a snack cupboard and a change jar for the dancers that are at the studio for long hours. I encourage water breaks. I’ll let the dancers finish their snacks while they stretch so that they will have the energy to dance full-out.
I do, however, encourage healthy eating habits. No, I am not trying to turn dancers into rabbits. (yes, I have heard that one before). Our bodies need protein as well as fruits and veggies. Even those who choose veganism need protein, and can get it from many different plant based sources. Greasy, fatty foods are to be eaten in moderation. A triple meat pizza with extra cheese every day is enough to make anyone, dancer or not, very sick. So, no, I will not condone pizza for dinner every night, even if it is easily accessible. Sub shops are just as easy and quick to pick up and bring with you and are a much healthier alternative.
Stage Makeup
Walk into any middle school and high school in the country and you will see girls wearing makeup. It is simply the age in which girls are developing, noticing boys (or other girls, I love everyone), getting pimples, and generally caring about their appearance more than they had in elementary school. This has nothing to do with dance.
I was the same way when I was growing up. I wore makeup every day – mostly to cover my freckles – and that was just part of my daily routine in the mornings. At dance, I sweat it off and that was fine with me. Water proof mascara was my friend.
As a dance studio owner, I know that makeup is necessary for performances. But for performances only. I will never force a dancer to wear makeup. Every single dancer I have ever had at my studio has known and accepted that makeup is essential for performances, and most think it is fun to get to wear makeup on these occasions.
Let’s talk about why.
The main reason is the lighting. It washes out a dancer’s features. Brown eyeshadow, false eyelashes, and eye liner bring out a dancer’s eyes, so they don’t look tired. Then add the blush and red lipstick to bring out a dancer’s expressions, so the audience can see the joy and anguish being portrayed.
Stage makeup has absolutely nothing to do with stealing a person’s childhood. Stage makeup should be natural colors only. Used only to enhance a dancer’s features while on stage. Every dancer is more than welcome to wash it right off as soon as they are done performing, and most do.
Every dancer knows this and accepts this. Most of my dancers rip their false eyelashes off as soon as they’re done for the night and decorate their mirrors with the “caterpillars”. It is a fun ritual that makes everyone laugh.
Costumes
Yes, costumes are tight. Yes, they are often two pieces. No, I will never force a dancer into a costume he/she is uncomfortable wearing.
(I understand that not every dancer will “like” every costume they have to wear, but this has nothing to do with feeling uncomfortable, it is simply that their taste is different from their teachers’. And in this case, they just have to suck it up and wear it).
My true meaning: that if a dancer is not confident wearing a two piece, I will do my best to either find them a one piece, or I will allow them to wear a nude colored leotard underneath so that they can be comfortable with their bodies while wearing their costumes.
Costumes are often tight because dancers need to be able to move freely. A dancer needs to be able to kick her highest, turn to the best of her ability, and even flip over, without being bogged down by a loose or heavy costume.
This is the part that some people may not like, or agree with. Costumes need to be tight enough for a judge to see their lines. Meaning, they need to see if the dancer’s leg is straight in their tilt, or their foot is actually connected to their knee in pasé, etc.
Dancers work hard. They put in long hours and endless amounts of practice to learn proper technique, and if they have a costume that hides the technique they have worked so hard at, they won’t be judged fairly because the judge can’t see those lines.
My dancers are required to wear tights with every costume. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is because showing your “private parts” to the audience is never acceptable.
My Two Cents
Dance is a choice. Let’s make that very clear.
It is an afterschool activity, exactly like a sports team, that the person chooses to participate in.
There are drop in classes, where the dancer will never be required to perform. They can simply come, take the class, learn some fun moves, and be on their way.
But a majority of dancers, if you were to ask them, absolutely love getting the chance to perform. That is why most of them choose (yes, choose) to compete.
The main reason my competition minis love to compete is because they get to wear their costumes five times, rather than just once at the end of the year recital. It actually has nothing to do with winning first place, or even performing their routine perfectly, it is simply that they get to wear sparkly costumes.
We are not stealing their innocence.
This is my disclaimer: I cannot speak for every studio in the world. I am simply stating my views on how I wish to run my own studio in my little corner of the world.
I train my dancers in proper technique, while encouraging them to have fun with it. I promote teamwork, as well as achieving individual goals. I encourage my dancers to eat and stay hydrated. I show all of my dancers, regardless of their size, that they can dance and they can excel at it. I give them choreography and costumes that flatter their bodies, and have always, and will always strive to be sure they are comfortable with their bodies in their costumes. I give age and skill level appropriate choreography to my dancers. I allow my soloists to choose the style, and sometimes even the song and costume for their dance because I believe that they should also feel connected to their dance. If a dancer wants a sad contemporary piece, I will help her express her emotions in an appropriate way. If a dancer wants an upbeat musical theater dance, I will encourage expression and technique while allowing that dancer to have a blast becoming the character.
This has been a long-winded post, and if you’ve made it all the way to the end, thank you for reading. I feel very strongly about my studio and wish for it to be a place that dancers want to come to to learn the beauty that is the art of dance.
Try not to get caught up in the ugliness that some have created.
I truly believe that dance can be used not only for a good workout, but to express yourself in a safe environment. Dance your happiness, dance your tears, dance your anger, dance your fears.
Just dance. Dance for you.
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