Discovering dance ought to be an enlightening experience for people of all ages because the learning process never really ends. There are always new ways to think about the basics of movement, more advanced skills and qualities to develop, and emerging choreographic approaches to appreciate.
A comprehensive dance education requires more than a narrow focus on perfecting technique. Indeed, Martha Graham declared that: “great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” To have passion suggests possessing a depth of understanding, interpretation and reification that can only be realised by being curious, asking questions and reflecting on what you learn.
Dancers spend countless hours practising in the studio, but it is important to remember that dance as an art form does not exist in a vacuum. Everyone in the dance community — students, teachers and audiences — ought to challenge themselves to really experience the multifaceted nature of dance by seizing opportunities to engage with it in different ways.
This might involve:
- delving into terpsichorean* history
- examining terminology
- getting acquainted with anatomy
- investigating dancers, choreographers, musicians and works of note
- pursuing personal research interests.
Quite simply, using your time outside of the studio to further your subject knowledge may be the best thing you can do to nurture your love of dance.
I have created a range of dance resources, which I hope will prove to be useful for learning and teaching purposes. The rest of this feature will look more closely at the benefits of lifelong learning for dance enthusiasts.