Pre Read Warning: Some of you might find some of my opinions insulting. I remind you that they are just that – opinions AND they are what I see from my side of the coin.
You know the old saying – those that can’t – teach? Unfortunately – that still rings true in a lot of places throughout our industry. Being an accomplished artist does not necessarily mean that you have the ability to teach. I was watching a class being taught by one of Canada’s premier ballet dancers and this woman really didn’t have a clue about what she was doing. Her directions to the class were “Do a couple of these thingies and some of these whatchamacallits.” I found it amazing that she could have spent her entire life training and working in dance form built on technical terms – yet couldn’t recall the names of most of the steps. Another principal dancer turned teacher (of the same company I am sad to say) couldn’t explain the physical aspects of most of the movements – you know – what muscle group you are working, etc. Every time he was asked a difficult question in the class he was conducting, he would turn to me for the answer. He’s still teaching – but I’m happy to say that he has improved immensely.
Many years ago – I became, along with hundreds of others, a professional dancer at an early age. Many of us didn’t finish high school – and none of us attended university at the age when most of our peers were going. We were too busy doing what we had trained to be – professional dancers. Dancers who didn’t make the cut into the professional field but who still had a passion for the art form went on to university, enrolling in the growing number of dance degree programs. Originally these university programs were entirely staffed by ex-professional dancers, but as time progressed and the universities started to churn out hundreds of accredited dance teachers – they came across a problem. Where do all these accredited dance teachers go? Back into the educational system. Now that ratio of the ex-professional dancers turned teachers to the university accredited dance teachers has dramatically changed. There are more of the latter and less of the former. Universities now demand accreditation to teach in universities and other educational systems. What this means is that many of those who have never experienced the professional dance environment are now teaching others how to become professional dancers. There are real big differences in the lives of professional and amateur dancers especially in terms of theory and execution – differences that are not in the codified dance instructional manuals. You learn these essential nuances from teachers who have worked in the field, your peers working in the field and by your own professional experience. Even with the wealth of information that I was given by all my teachers, there were a lot of things that I had to learn on the job.
I know that dance is for everyone and I know that the definitions of what constitutes dance have changed a lot over the past couple of decades but there is still a part of me who wants to know that there is some definable physical and mental level of excellence out there. I am distressed that I am continually running into third year university dance program students who ask me to explain the basics – basics that any professional dancer learned before they reached their teens. This group of clueless students are about to be accredited to teach dance to others. Inclusive is one thing but inclusive to the point that standards are gone – that’s something else. Someone recently asked me why I don’t go back to university to get a degree in dance – so I can expand the areas where I can teach. That is sooo not gonna happen – for two reasons. One – I would probably end up with one of the aforementioned idiots as my instructor (where I know more than they do) and Two – I would get a university degree so I could teach….in a university? Somebody shoot me. I’d rather quit – I need mental stimulation to survive. Thank god for private schools.