"Plié
is the first thing you learn and the last thing you master." -Suzanne
Farrell
As spring performances and recitals
conclude and summer plans begin, students will begin receiving information
about level placements for the next school year.
Since the educational system
normally advances students each year, dance students and their parents have
grown to expect the same type of advancement when studying dance. The U.S. educational system offers twelve
grade levels while most dance schools only offer five or six levels of dance
for students ages 8-18. Clearly this
system cannot accommodate level advancement each year nor should it.
Life has become a race to advance
and achieve as quickly as possible, and parents often beg for checklists of
what steps their children must know to advance to the next level. It is difficult for parents to understand
that simply knowing the steps is not enough for dancers to advance. Dance is not simply about doing the
movement. Since it is a performing art,
just as much, if not more, emphasis must be placed on how the movement is
performed. A plié is one of the very
first steps a dancer learns, and although it is a bending of the knees, there
is much more involved to execute a technically sound plié. In a correct first position plié all five
toes must remain stretched on the floor, the dancer’s weight must be centered
over the balls of his or her feet, the outward leg rotation must be held from
the hip, the knees must track over the toes, the pelvis must align with the ribcage,
the ribcage must remain closed, the shoulders must be open and dropped, the
sternum must be lifted and the head must be held high. Once that is all accomplished, the dancer can
begin adding port de bras, or arm movements.
Dance steps can be compared to a
cake. Just as a cake must be put
together and baked before frosting and decorations are added, steps must be
learned and performed correctly before timing can be changed, variations of the
step can be taught, the steps can be used in combinations and arm or head
movements can be added.
Moreover, dance steps build upon each
other. That same beginner plié is what
must be used for preparing for and landing from relevés, turns and jumps. There is a definite difference between
learning a step and executing it well enough to be able to build upon it. Sometimes the difference can be subtle and
difficult for parents and even the dancers themselves to understand.
It is of no advantage to a teacher
to hold back any student who is ready to progress. When a teacher recommends a student remain in
the same level for another year, it is either to perfect certain movements, to
wait for the body’s muscles to develop more strength and/or flexibility or to
prevent the frustration that will occur if the dancer is advanced too quickly. Dance movements are so difficult to master
that there is always a challenge available no matter what level class the
dancer is in.
Although a dancer may be
disappointed when asked to remain in a level after working hard, it is
important that the student learn to cope with this disappointment. The student will have to face future
disappointments in life and in the dance world.
There will be summer camp rejections, roles not received, contracts not
offered and promotions not granted. The
small disappointments along the way will teach the dancer how to face and cope
with the larger ones that may be encountered in the future.
Lastly, repeating a level can, and
should, be seen as a confidence building opportunity. Dancers who have already learned the basic
steps at their level can begin to embellish them and work on performing
them. These students will be seen as
role models in the class, and as a result, they will develop the self-confidence
and determination that is a large part of dance education and is necessary to
perform and succeed in the dance world.
