Competition: Keeping a Healthy Perspective

With competition season fast approaching I wanted to touch base on keeping a healthy focus and perspective not just for the dancers but for teachers and parents as well. Our school is not what I would call a competition school. I have nothing against them but it just isn't what we wanted to focus on when defining the driving force of our school. I was brought up on the idea that ballet is an art form. Yes, there are certain technical aspects that could be subjected to adjudication but I feel it is more about communication and sharing our feelings and ideas with the audience. It is about creating a shared experience that transports us to another place. Like most art, it is also subjective. While one viewer may prefer the sinewy, languid dancer, another will be drawn to the quick and bright dancer instead. It's like comparing apples to oranges. How is it to be judged?

There are a few ballet competitions out there that hold some value. For example there are the Prix de Lausanne, and Varna which are highly regarded within the ballet community and offer scholarship and even employment opportunities to young aspiring dancers. There is also the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) which is similar but not quite the same. YAGP also offers scholarship opportunities but unlike Lausanne, where you have to audition to compete, YAGP allows anyone to participate in a semi final round. Some of our students like to participate in the YAGP and we see the value in it but there are also dangers to be avoided.

What I do like about our students performing at YAGP is that it gives them a goal. They have a variation or two that they work on over the year, one on one with a coach, and the improvement I see each year is wonderful. It is so valuable, that one on one time, to help a young dancer develop and for me that is the greatest value found through this competition. It is also a chance to perform, wear a beautiful costume, travel with your fiends, and see other young dancers of the same age. All of this can be really fun and inspiring so long as we can all remember that it is not about "winning". This is where my concern lies. Of course it always feels good to win. I can't deny that even I love the feeling of hearing my or a student's name called. It is a difficult instinct to put aside. It is fine to enjoy those moments and also fine to feel disappointed if one doesn't place but that doesn't mean that you didn't win in other ways or that you have no place in this industry.

Dancers all develop so differently. I, for example, was a really late bloomer in my training years. I went from really tiny to really tall in a short amount of time, loosing much of my strength, and had to relearn with my new physique how to dance. Had I been competing at that time, and probably not placing, would it have deterred me from carrying on? I hope not. Some years are good and some years are tough and that is all part of our development which already takes patience and strength to endure without the added pressures of competition. We try to bring this front of mind to our dancers. The win is the little improvements made throughout the rehearsal period. The win is getting on stage and performing in front of an audience. The win is knowing that you grew as both a dancer and a person through the experience.

It makes me so sad when I see a young dancer deeply discouraged by the competition results. I want to tell them that I never did a ballet competition and it certainly did not stop me from having a wonderful career in ballet. I have also seen many competition winners who have burnt out young and never make it to the professional world. I believe that everyone supporting these young dancers needs to keep perspective on what really matters. Hard work, learning through our experiences, and trying to see the positives in any situation so that we may continue to grow and develop as both dancers and human beings. If we can do that then there can be some lovely benefits to adding the right competition or two to your school season. We just have to remember that ballet is an art form and what is "best" will always be subjective to the taste of the viewer. We should be proud of our students and children no matter what the competition outcome happens to be. As teachers and parents, we need to watch our own reactions in the presence of these young dancers to make sure they know that we see their value, their hard work, and everything they have achieved.