Becoming a dancer: gotta dance!

Do you eat, sleep, and breathe dance? Do you want to become a dancer more than anything in the world? In her new book, Advice for Dancers, Dance Magazine's columnist explains the factors that make a dancer--and how you can choose the most appropriate technique to bring out the true dancer in you. Here's a sneak peek.

Falling in love with dancing is magical It feels predestined, as if you were meant to be a dancer first, then a human being. But why? is it your temperament, your character, your physiology? I get letters all the time from frustrated dance students who don't know what it takes to "become" a dancer.

WHAT MAKES A DANCER

Many factors are important in dancing, from developing sufficient strength and flexibility to simply executing the steps, If you want to progress, you need to set specific goals and then find the best way to achieve them. But first, it's important to know where you stand on the following points: Do you have a sense of "calling" (c passion for dance)? Do you have kinesthetic intelligence including athleticism, grace, and talent)? What kind of dance training will you have (consider the age at which you start, the number of classes per week, technique)? Who are your teachers (do you have competent instructors)? What kind of personality and temperament do you have (think about your drive, resiliency, willingness to take risks, and optimism)? Do you have the right anatomy (which is your genetic destiny)?

As you can see, there's a lot more to dancing than just willpower. So let's take a closer look at the various ingredients? that help create the dancer in you.

A SENSE OF CALLING

Your passion for dance is important, because it helps you look beyond the immediate blister or missed social event to a higher couse--becoming a dancer. In many ways, a calling keeps you on track. While your friends are hanging out at the mall, you are on a mission to transform your body into a finely tuned instrument. Dancers who ore wishy-washy about their work rarely succeed, even if they're talented. In foci, many gifted children get distracted by social interests in opalescence. What makes a true believer?

The answer can often be found in early childhood. Many dancers report a crystallizing experience before the age of five that led to a deep commitment to dance. Some of these dancers grew up in families where the arts were a large part of their lives, others had parents who were amateur or professional artists themselves. At some point these children had the good fortune to see a dance performance, hear beautiful music, and--voila! They knew that dancing was it.

This was certainly the case for me MY mother was a violinist and my father pointed portraits, so I was sun rounded by the arts from infancy According to family lore, I announced my decision to be a dancer at the age of two after seeing the Royal Ballet perform. The Sleeping Beauty on television! By age four I was dancing regularly before a mirror at home and giving impromptu performances at New York's City Center theater during each intermission of the ballet!

Early exposure to the arts can make a big impression on children in the formative years, laying the groundwork for serious training. Still, it's possible for people to fall in love with dance at any age--through a touring modern dance troupe, an old Fred Astaire movie, a friend who takes ballet, or simply by serendipity. Students may also develop a passion for dance after the fact. I've known dancers who stopped taking class only to discover that something important was missing; other dancers were inspired when a special dance teacher came into their lives. However it happens, a sense of calling is key to your future success, because it gives you a powerful motivation to dance.

KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE

What makes dancing feel as natural as breathing? According to Dr. Howard Gardner, author of Multiple Intelligences, the answer lies in your innate ability to express yourself through movement. This ability, which varies from person to person, occurs along with seven other forms of intelligence: linguistic, logical, musical, naturalist, spatial, and too personal intelligences that help you understand the motives of others and know yourself.

Kinesthetic intelligence allows you to move gracefully, while demonstrating your athletic prowess with variations in speed, force, intensity, and direction. If your capacity is deficient in this area, if you are awkward or clumsy or lack rhythm, dancing is an uphill battle, Although all dancers can improve with hard work and extensive training, your raw physical potential will determine how far you can go in dance. So pay attention to your natural strengths. If these are outside the kinesthetic realm but you have a knock for logical thinking, dance research may be up your alley. Verbal skills, on the other hand, could make you a savvy dance journalist or an advocate for the arts.

DANCE TRAINING

As we've discussed so for, you need to be deeply committed to dance and possess a natural talent for movement in order to excel in the field, The next step in becoming a dancer is to train your body through repetition and practice. One sixteen-year-old girl told me that he had no idea about how much 'dance training to get or at what age to get it. This is a common dilemma for dance students, because each technique has different requirements.

For example, if you want to be a professional ballet dancer, it helps to start classes between the ages of eight and ten, when your body is unusually limber. Eight years of intensive instruction will maintain your natural flexibility, increase the capsular stretch in your hips for turnout, and make other, more subtle changes in your anatomy. There is no way to hurry these changes or force your body to adapt. Consequently, dancers who begin ballet training after the age of twelve often have limitations, a fact that can be emotionally devastating to dedicated students.

The only exceptions to this timetable are adolescent male dancers, students with a background in gymnastics, and the rare "natural' dancer. In the case of men, there is still a negative stereotype in this country that equates dancing with being effeminate. Surveys that I have conducted for Dance Magazine [see our November 1996 and February 1997 issues] show that significantly more parents encourage girls to take dance classes than boys, with the result that more men wait until they are beyond adolescence or are even in their twenties before they become dancers.

At this point, anatomy is the biggest obstacle to a dance career. If you have had to fight your parents to take dance class, chances are that you also have moments when you are plagued by insecurity. In my book, I discuss how you can turn this situation around and gain confidence. For now, be aware that if you've had a late start you can turn this into a plus by focusing on techniques that you con learn in less time. Any dance technique can take a lifetime to truly master, but most dancers con acquire a fundamental technical basis of modern dance, tap, or jazz in about four years. Ideally, all dance classes should increase from a minimum of two per week to eleven or more at the advanced level.

GOOD TEACHING

Another piece of the training puzzle depends on your teacher, because dancers learn by watching others first, and then put what they see into practice. The best dance teachers understand the relationship between basic kinesiology and injury prevention, the special needs of children versus adults, and the importance of inspiring dancers to reach their potential by building their self-esteem rather than tearing it down. They should also model exemplary technique, since training is based on imitation.

How do you find a qualified teacher? The easiest way to find a good dance instructor is by attending a well-known academy, on arts magnet school (a specialized school that draws from a larger geographical area than the usual school district), or a university-affiliated dance program. The next best choice is to find someone who has trained at one of these institutions and, ideally, has experience as a performer.

Word of mouth can also be a good source for finding a qualified teacher, although it pays to audit a dance class first to make sure that the classroom is safe from abusive teaching practices. I know one emotionally damaged girl who refused to audition for a major American ballet company after being repeatedly humiliated by her dance teacher, a famous ballerina. Because bad teaching can ruin a dancer's career, an entire chapter of my book is devoted to this important topic.

Dancers from Alaska to New York have also told me of their difficulties in finding good teachers because of their financial limitations or the lack of dance schools in their area. If you are having a difficult time with these issues, the resource section of my book provides information on arts magnet schools, scholarships, and summer programs.

PERSONALITY AND TEMPERAMENT

Just as certain body types are more suited to dance, certain personal qualities con make you more suitable, For example, strongly motivated dance students have a big advantage over their peers, because they are able to train even in the face of distractions. Typically, dancers between the ages of fifteen and sixteen are more achievement-oriented than nondancers of the same age. Add to this recipe an optimistic nature and you will become resilient; you will bounce back from misfortune (like an injury) rather than fall into a quagmire of depression.

In contrast, dancers who are perfectionists often put excessive pressure on themselves. They think, "If I make a mistake on this step, I'm a failure." Yet the fact is that no one is perfect, so demanding a flawless performance is not only impractical, but contributes to low self-esteem. Likewise, a pessimistic attitude will limit your ability to cope with the day-to-day stresses of dance, because your expectations for success are too low.

In my private practice, I often work with dancers who have become their own worst enemies. A sort of self-sabotage affects 16 percent of dancers nationwide, according to the Dance Magazine surveys I mentioned earlier Many underachieve because they have developed a fear of failure or feel unable to live up to a previous success. I know of one fifteen-year-old dancer who refused to return to the School of American Ballet after being promoted because of her fear that it was only a' matter of time before the administration would ask her to leave.

While no dancer likes to fail, real progress comes from seeking out new challenges and learning from past mistakes. In fact, any worthwhile pursuit is usually a struggle until you get it right. Dancers who are afraid to explore and take risks on the road to progress are less likely to achieve long-term success. The good news is that everyone can learn effective coping skills that enhance performance. In my book I discuss how to handle competition, promote personal growth, and increase self-esteem so that you can perform at your peak.

BASIC ANATOMY

Your natural anatomy is the most important factor in becoming a dancer, but also the one that is least likely to under your control. I've known for too many ballet dancers who were heart-broken because they locked turnout their weight didn't conform to the ballet "look." While it is possible to improve these problems up to a point, few people fit ballet's ideal body.

Jazz, top, modern, and other dance techniques have different anatomical requirements, with some body types more naturally suited to one technique or another. How do you decide where your body fits in for dance? One twenty-two-year-old dancer with knock-knees told me that she took four ballet classes a day to improve her turnout until she hod a serious kip injury that ended her career. If you are always injured, it's time to visit a dance medicine specialist and find out why. Sometimes the problem is weakness or a muscular imbalance, in which case you could benefit from a regular exercise program. Anatomy, on the other hand, is destiny, so get feedback from an orthopedist who understands dance.

I often get letters from dancers asking for advice about changing their turnout, flexibility, arches, and muscle mass. I offer suggestions in the chapter of my book that covers injury prevention. Meanwhile, you can do wonders for your body image and self-esteem if you stop comparing yourself to some kind of "ideal" ballet body. The reality is that few dancers conform to this particular image of perfection. Certain anatomical problems, such as poor turnout and insufficient flexibility, are only partially under your control.

FACE THE FACTS

You can realize your potential in dance--if you're realistic about your expectations. First, you need to identify your strengths and weaknesses, which means being painfully honest. The next step is to set challenging but realistic goals that are attainable. It sounds easy enough. Why is it so difficult?

When I suggest to frustrated dancers that they take another look at their expectations for success, many panic because of their beliefs about how a "good" dancer should think. They think, "Changing my focus means that I failed." "Willpower is always the answer." "I'll be lost if I don't reach my goal." "If I change, I'll lose everything." "I'll never be happy except as a professional dancer." But this is not the case.

The dance world teaches us that we can overcome every problem through hard work. This belief makes dancers stand out from the crowd, because many of us are willing to put out maximum energy to achieve our goals. The downside of that dedication is that it places all of the responsibility on you--even if your body lets you down. Professional athletes who try their best but fail to reach their goals feel less productive. The some goes for dancers whose expectations clash with reality, another reason that it pays to select the best dance technique for you.

TO SUM UP

Remember, dancing depends on many factors: passion, kinesthetic ability, dance training, competent teachers, personality, and anatomy. Some factors, such as your drive and motivation to dance, are under your control. Others, such as your body type, are less likely to change. To avoid the pitfalls in dance, you need to set realistic goals and select an appropriate dance technique.

RELATED ARTICLE: WHAT MAKES A DANCER?

* A sense of "calling," or your passion for dance

* Kinesthetic intelligence, including athleticism, grace, and talent

* Dance training, considering the age at which you start and the number of classes per week

* Teachers, having competent instructors

* Personality and temperament--your drive, resiliency, willingness to take risks, and optimism

* The right anatomy, which is your genetic destiny

RELATED ARTICLE: TERRIBLE TRAPS

* Changing my focus means that I failed

* Willpower is always the answer

* I'll be lost if I don't reach my goal

* If I change, I'll lose everything

* I'll never be happy except as a professional dancer

Linda Hamilton's Advice for Dancers, from which this article was adapted with permission of the publisher, Jossey-Bass, Inc., will be in bookstores in July.