Guest teaching in public schools is difficult.\u00a0 The laws that have made the world a safer place for children – have made the life of the dance teacher a precarious one.\u00a0 Teaching dance is a hands-on process.\u00a0 As a dance teacher, you use your hands to correct body positions.\u00a0 It is essential.\u00a0 Telling someone to use a certain leg muscle is one thing, but putting your hand on that specific place of the student\u2019s body is much more effective.\u00a0 They can physically feel the muscle that they need to use.\u00a0 Dance engages all the muscles: Inner thighs, stomach, butt, etc., and let\u2019s face it \u2013 outside of the dance context \u2013 an adult touching any of those areas would get into some serious trouble \u2013 as they should but the question still remains \u2013 how can one effectively teach and maintain a safe environment for children?\u00a0 The male teachers have it the hardest.\u00a0 I had one colleague who was accused of inappropriate touching when he took a child by the shoulders and moved the child across the room to a line.\u00a0 Was there any inappropriate touching?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 How do I know?\u00a0 I was there.\u00a0 Today, I still teach occasionally in public schools but I am very careful not to touch any of the students.\u00a0 I sometimes wonder if we are accomplishing anything beyond possibly generating an interest in dance for some child to the point where they might enroll in a proper dance school or go see a dance performance.<\/p>\n
Many of my weakest dance students in the private professional dance sector all had one thing in common \u2013 they had all attended one of city\u2019s public performing arts schools.\u00a0 Imagine my sadness (after attending one of their school dance performances) when I discovered that they were among the best in their school.\u00a0 Then again \u2013 I\u2019m not sure why I was surprised.\u00a0 When I was a kid \u2013 I attended several summer dance programs with students from New York\u2019s famous performing arts school.\u00a0 A lot of those kids couldn\u2019t keep up with us either.\u00a0 We used to joke that the school taught all of the dance program kids how to walk like ducks before they taught them how to dance \u2013 at least they looked like ballet dancers when they were strolling down the streets of New York.<\/p>\n
Since when does setting the achievement level to the lowest common denominator do anyone any good?\u00a0 There are a lot of delusional people in the educational system (students, parents, teachers and school boards).\u00a0 I\u2019ve worked a few times for a performing arts school – as a guest choreographer – which means I go in for a set amount of time and create a work on the students.\u00a0 I ran into problems on my very first engagement.\u00a0 A small core of students skipped as many classes as they could.\u00a0 When you are trying to create a work on an entire class \u2013 it becomes difficult to work when you are always missing a portion of the students.\u00a0 After several frustrating rehearsals, I decided to take the missing students out of the piece.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I came up against school policy.\u00a0 I was informed that ALL students must be in the piece \u2013 regardless of attendance.\u00a0 Interesting \u2013 as a professional \u2013 if you miss a rehearsal without a good reason \u2013 you lose the role, get fined or get fired.\u00a0 I\u2019m still unclear as to what the school was teaching these students \u2013 that there are no consequences for their actions?\u00a0 I complied with the school – with a slight variation.\u00a0 I put the missing students into the piece \u2013 just in a different position \u2013 as background movement – my version of \u201cmoving trees\u201d.\u00a0 Well \u2013 at least I learned my lesson.\u00a0 Now when I work for the performing arts schools \u2013 I go in assuming that some part of the class will be missing and I create the work that is fluid enough to deal with a vacillating cast.<\/p>\n
The saddest thing about performing arts schools is the plight of the good teachers in these schools – teachers who have had professional careers and who know what it actually means to be a dancer.\u00a0 Within this idiotic system \u2013 their hands are tied.\u00a0 They cannot touch, they cannot reprimand, they cannot nurture excellence.\u00a0 University accredited teachers with no professional experience are their bosses.\u00a0 Their frustration grows.\u00a0 In this idiotic system, these talented people have to make a choice – Go along with the system and they receive a paycheck with benefits OR – Try to make a difference and they\u2019re out on the streets.\u00a0 It really is a shame to waste their talent and knowledge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Guest teaching in public schools is difficult. The laws that have made the world a safer place for children – have made the life of the dance teacher a precarious one. Teaching dance is a hands-on process. As a dance … Continue reading