We all know the drill—the raging theatrical storyline we each call "teaching dance.
I am blessed to be connected with numerous studios, dance companies and conventions throughout the country where I spend a healthy portion of my life teaching. As I land at different schools and speak to teachers across the globe, the similarities are striking.
Dance Teachers Are Dramatic Directors!
As much as I would love to say that we instruct children and teenagers on how to neatly align their sweet little kneecaps over their toes and jump like Baryshnikov, our jobs rarely seem allow us to focus their energy all in that direction. We spend hours of our valuable day in the classroom creating magnificent (and sometimes mediocre) choreography, counting from one to eight in an amazing variety of high and straining vibratos, stretching muscles on our bodies that refuse to cooperate like they used to and re-issuing a great assortment of the 'best sellers' of our correction book.
When we are in the classroom, our jobs seem so straightforward and simple. But we all know what lies beyond those very scary classroom doors:
A world of Mommies-Gone-Mad, with their faces pressed to the viewing windows like they have been deprived of food and the only buffet in the world is inside.
A world of Teenage Science, where raw hormones and immature emotions mix to create the world’s most confusing breed of human.
A world of Tiny Tap Shoes, where their attention span is as short as the shoes on their feet.
And a world of Frolicking Faculty, whose needs for days off with an hour’s notice seem to multiply without warning.
When you combine mommies, teenagers, children and a staff you can hope for great things…but you better expect the DRAMA.
The word drama comes from a Greek word meaning "action," which is a rather humorous likeness to the word 'dance.' Drama invades all of our lives regardless of whether we make it ourselves or simply view it from a distance. How do we keep our professional place within our line of work when the drama that exists within a studio begins to close in and affect our own personal lives?
Many years ago, I was vividly recounting a story to a dancer friend from Los Angeles. I was aggressively telling him the ins and outs of how dramatic everything at my (former) studio was. The dramatic situations and precarious conversations were simply out-of-control. After my ranting and raving, he paused and looked me deep in the eyes and said, 'How much of this drama do YOU create?'
I remember quickly jumping to say what I 'didn’t do' and 'never said' in an attempt to defend my Southern goodness and great intent. But before I could go on, he asked me, 'How much of that drama do you LISTEN to? How much of that drama do you RESPOND to? How much of that drama do you PASS ON and FEED by telling others?'
It was a humbling moment that I have never forgotten. In an instant, I realized how quickly I had unknowingly become a skilled actress in the drama of my studio. I wasn’t creating the plot or directing the action, however my role in the drama was the energy and fuel it needed to live on. I began to see how I could be in complete control of the amount of drama that I took home with me simply by walking away at times, by not repeating what I had heard and by never contributing to its lifespan.
It seems like such a simple lesson that we all know, but yet we have all played the part. Sometimes we may have even had the starring role in the drama. But as we approach a time of year that can be full of raw emotion, numerous hours of togetherness, and overworked kids, parents, and faculty, it is important to remember how much control we truly have over the dramatic roller coaster we are each on.
Our studios are an extension of our hearts and families. We are barely the directors of our own lives, but we each have the power to shape the home we give to our students. So many of our students already come from homes that have more emotional issues and difficulty that we could ever imagine. Don't help feed the already overly dramatic, difficult world these children are attempting to grow into. Be the greatest example to each of them and you will always be the star and role model they wish to become.