People have been dancing almost since the world began. Dancing began as a means of self-expression and it was only later that it began to be used to entertain others. Today dancers are trained to have a technique that they can use as a vehicle to express themselves and to connect with their audiences. The majority of the dancers we train will never go on to make dance their profession and those that do may never make it to the top of the ladder. Why is it so difficult to become a dancer? Consider the wide-ranging qualities needed:
1. A good physique
2. Physical beauty
3. Technique
4. Musicality
5. Intelligence
6. Personality
7. The power to project
First let’s take physique. A dancer is like an instrument in an orchestra. All musicians strive to possess the finest instrument they can. They know that all their years of training and study will be better displayed if they have a perfect instrument to perform upon. The dancer’s instrument is his or her body, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. The great dancer must be born with a perfect instrument that must, in time, be trained and developed.
Next is beauty. Physical beauty is certainly desirable, but does not have to be the type of beauty that movie stars have—it is much more than that. The dancer must be able to convince the audience that she is beautiful or that he is handsome. They must be able to express beauty not only in their faces but in their entire bodies. Some famous dancers are not typically beautiful, but they manage to convince us onstage that they are. With their training and their stagecraft they are able to make us believe that they are truly beautiful.
Dancers must learn the technique of their art before they can begin to fully express their natural gift for it. Technique is only a means to an end. It is a means by which dancers can convey their emotions and perform every step that the choreography demands. Technique should never be obvious. The dancer should appear to dance effortlessly. As I tell my students, the audience does not want to be shown how difficult the steps are—they almost want to believe that they could do it, too. If you watch any of the great dancers, you will not be aware of the technique as it is only part of what they use to achieve an outstanding performance. Technique can be absorbed by most dancers, providing their training starts early, but there are definitely some things that cannot be taught. Training can improve whatever talent is present. The training we give our dancers should always develop whatever natural qualities a dancer possesses. A good teacher will see the qualities or physical strengths and weaknesses of their dancers and train their students accordingly.
Musicality is an important factor for any dancer. It is my belief that music is an essential part of dance. There are some choreographers who create without music, but perhaps they are hearing music in their heads. The problem you run in to is, how do you get the dancers to hear the same music? The dancer has to have a sense of rhythm and much more. They must be able to interpret the music to the audience. Sometimes with young dancers, there are feelings of inhibition and they find it hard to express their musicality—and that is why it is so important not to separate technique from performance. I try to instill in my dancers the habit of performing from their first plie at the barre to the end of class. The more the dancers learn about the music and listen to it, the more they will start to feel it.
Intelligence is so important in a dancer. Dancers must use their minds as well as their bodies. It is definitely not only physical training that makes a dancer. Acting is an important part of using their intelligence so as to create a character or role—you have to be able to become that person. I encourage my students to study their characters, to come up with a story that will let them fully absorb the background and personality of the person they are portraying. It also makes it easier to step away from just being them. Young dancers, especially teens, are often worried and insecure about showing who they are, so it makes it easier for them to slip into an acting role.
Projection is vitally important to any good dancer. It is the ability to communicate their emotions and feelings to their audiences. The personality of the dancer depends partly on the qualities they have inherited and partly on the way these natural talents have been trained and developed. Add experience to this and it will help to produce the kind of personal magnetism that is projected to the audience the moment the dancer steps on stage. It is the 'it' factor that makes a dancer a star.
Striving to attain all these qualities will teach life lessons and will benefit all students, even those who do not go into dance as a career. The poise, grace, appreciation of music and understanding of working hard to master technique will stand them in good stead no matter what career path they take, and the coping skills that dance teaches are invaluable for everyone. For those students who are destined for a life in dance, learning these skills will separate them from the rest.
