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What to choose when there is so much selection and not enough time!

Updated: Jun 17

So many options!




When I was growing up there was only a few options to supplement my weekly dance classes. There were dance festivals, some associate programs and there were a few workshops. No way was there the amazing choice that our young dancers have to choose from these days! However, this amazing array of choice sometimes means that young dancers are wishing there was more time in their weekends, dance parents are longing that they had enough money to fund all the extras and dance teachers are racking their brain how they’re going to fit in additional classes for exams or shows around all the extra things their students are getting up too over the weekends.


There’s varied research that overscheduling children is bad (often leading to teenagers who are bored, noted lack of play and exploration within these busier lifestyles) and then lots of research stating overscheduling is good (usually reducing children’s screen time and them learning the ability to time manage younger). But, when it comes to overscheduling the dance timetable is it good or bad? I’m not here to tell you what to do but I do know that we all thrive with balance. Balanced diets, balanced lifestyles, balanced hormones- balance brings out the best of us, there is no doubt about that and I believe it is the same with the any dancer.


Dance Conventions have bought the buzz of large classes and exhibitions of what the future looks like for young dancers; they’re a fabulous place for networking, meeting new choreographers, scouting out suitable further education establishments and of course purchasing a new leotard or three.


Dance festivals, competitions and championships have exposed young dancers to the effect  hard work has when reaching their goals and performing to their maximum potential. The events allow them a chance to see and bounce their talents off of others, often followed by titles and prizes which really elevate their confidence in their abilities or help fund their dreams.


Workshops, online learning platforms and masterclasses give dancers and teachers the chance to enhance and supplement their training and teaching methods often leading to improved form and understanding as well as keeping up with the current trends and fashions within the ever evolving professional industry. Online learning has revealed a demand for structured practice at home and means that more specific training is available in an easier form for those who can’t always travel to events.


Associate programs and intensives are a perfect place for alliance within dancers who share the same passions and also to streamline excellence within genres allowing for further growth.


So how do you choose what extras you’re going to add to your or your dancers dance timetables? Well, I recommend asking yourself these three questions before booking;


  • Am I doing this because I am genuinely interested in what this event is going to do to benefit me or my dancer personally? And not because someone else is doing it and it’s on trend to be seen doing this.


This is authenticity to our self-improvement.


  • Does this compliment and coordinate with the current training that I or my dancer is receiving from my home studio?


This is commitment to your teachers and teams.


  • Is there anything else I’d rather be doing?


This is honesty to yourself.


If the answers to these are yes, yes and no…then whatever is gained from the additional activity is a bonus – book away! If the answers fluctuate then maybe it’s worth re-evaluating the ‘extras’.

 
 
 

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