Answer 4 dancers.

TONY AWARD-WINNING CHOREOGRAPHER GROVER DALE IS EDITOR OF DANCE & FITNESS MAGAZINE. FOR THIS COLUMN, HE DRAWS ON HIS EXPERIENCES AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH 16 BROADWAY SHOWS, 8 FEATURE FILMS, AND OVER 100 TELEVISION SPECIALS.

WHY DO I HAVE TO TAKE BALLET?

I'm a 13-year-old girl from Scotland and I've always wanted to be a choreographer. But I have a problem. I don't like ballet. I did ballet from the age of 3 up until a few years ago. The only dance I enjoy is hip-hop and pop. I'd love to do choreography for a band someday. Is ballet necessary? I really don't enjoy it, but I'm willing to start classes if it will increase my chances of becoming a choreographer. Please give me some advice ... any advice?

Julie

Oh my. Like you, I never enjoyed taking ballet. Frankly, if l never have to do another plie, releve, or fond de jambe again, I'll be a happy man! So there, I said it. Ballet (barre work and across the floor included) never felt like fun. It was always hard, difficult, tedious work. Then why did I do it?

Truth is, something inside knew it would help me. It gave me what I needed to become a well-rounded professional. It taught my body how to make connections between the choreographic highlights. (That's where the real dancing is!) It taught me how to leap, turn, and jump without injuring myself Because of it, my body learned how to take off and land properly. Sudden transfers from one direction to another became effortless. Falling off balance rarely became an issue. Double pirouettes (to the right and left) became solid. The training not only gave me agility, it contributed to my ability to pick up and retain choreography. Muscle memory became instinctive. My jazz work benefited. It not only gave substance to my movement, it liberated it. I was able to deliver what any choreographer asked of me. These outcomes were enough. I didn't have to enjoy ballet; I just had to accept the good that came from applying myself to it.

Ultimately, the tools you use are up to you. It's your future; if you choose to maximize yours by studying ballet, get the best training you can afford. Find a teacher who explains the value of plies, releves, and ronds de jambe and helps you understand why your muscles benefit from doing them over and over. If you're really lucky, you'll find a teacher who will show you exactly how ballet contributes to performing and articulating jazz and hip-hop forms of dance as well.

FOLLOW UP:

Julie's dilemma reminds us, once again, that resistance to studying ballet isn't new to the dance world, especially in the field of commercial dance. What's behind the resistance?

A couple of thoughts: Is there a perception out there that ballet training interferes with developing the vibe or styles that choreographers expect to see at auditions ? Yes, there is. First, the jazz/hip-hop vibe: Choreographers want it, they want it fast, and they want it "real." The same requirements hold true for vaudeville, burlesque, Latin, swing, Graham-based, Fosse-esque, etc. Too often, dancers show up at auditions unable to deliver anything but the classroom technique they acquired at their home studios. When those dancers attempt a jazz, hip-hop, or Latin combination and the movement screams out "ballet dancer, ballet dancer, ballet dancer," the case against ballet training zooms to the surface. Stop it with the ballet!

Ballet training, my friends, is not at fault here. It's the reluctance to developing one-self--or one's students--into becoming well-rounded dancers. Those dancers can walk in the door, free themselves of classroom technique, and deliver whatever vibe or style the choreographer throws their way. Period.

Learning environments are critical if we ever hope to get beyond recreational dance and pursue successful dance careers. Those environments help form us into the kind of dancer we're to become. My own early experiences remind me how fortunate I was to have a teacher who stretched and showed me how to make use of the talent I already had before going off to New York and Broadway. Her own love for dance showed in every move she made. Somehow, I got it ... even if it was by osmosis. I may not have come away with flawless technique, but I did come away from Lillian Jasper's studio in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, having experienced a healthy dose of every style of dance she experienced in her lifetime. I was as comfortable doing a classical pas de deux as I was doing the shim sham. That environment gave me a range of styles that would benefit me for many years to come.

CONTACT GROVER DALE AT www.dancemagazine.com, www.answers4dancers.com, www.auditions4dancers.com.