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I have some performing experience with a regional ballet company, here in Southern California, but my great love is for teaching what I refer to as 'novice adult dancers.' Sure, one must start at the beginning, and one must learn the basics, so either of those terms could be used for the purpose, but I prefer the term 'novice.'
Perhaps it is just semantics, but I feel strongly that the Dance is a Calling, and anyone who feels the draw in that direction, no matter their age, is undertaking an endeavor which can be likened to joining a Holy Order, (but unlike the Christian Orders, I do not require saintliness of my students, only that they have an unfaltering desire to dance to the best of their individual abilities!).
You see, I always emphasize to my students, the spiritual and artistic aspects of their undertaking. (I am also a sculptor/visual artist, as well as being a certified fitness trainer.) I mean, sure, adult novices are not likely to become professionals in the field of dance, but that does not make their need to receive first-class training and encouragement any less important.
The key is to acknowledge that their endeavor is fueled by an underlying passion/spiritual connection, and to structure training so that the students never lose sight of that which drew them to dance: the transcendence, the other-worldliness, the sublimity, the beauty.
I have had students respond well to my outlook. I tell them not to be impatient, disappointed, or discouraged, because they are, after all, works in progress. They are literally sculpting themselves into a Thing of Beauty, and must not to forget that it takes a lot of time and perseverance to become a Masterpiece.
Also, I make sure that it is not about competition or comparison to others, but only about self-improvement and fulfillment of personal potential. Students’ only limitations are in their own minds, and not in their bodies.
I always remind them that, for instance, a perfect cou-de-pied position is aesthetically much more pleasing than an askew passé, or that a strongly held passé relevé is preferable to a sloppily executed pirouette. There is no need to rush things in order to be able to do tricks. They can go to a Dolly Dinkle studio if they want to learn gimmicks. Ballet is about artistry, and that striving towards perfection is a lifelong process.
Also, I make sure that none of us ever takes ourselves too seriously. There is a lot to be said for the interjection of just the right amount of comic relief into the proceedings, but not, of course, at the expense of dedication and discipline.
As a novice adult dancer myself, I have great empathy for others in that situation. I feel fortunate that I was strong (self-deluded?) enough in the certainty of my Calling to sustain me through all the years of derision I endured.
Two: Motivation
Ballet is a very difficult undertaking. Those who commence their study of this art, even as children, find themselves at times challenged beyond their expectations.
So what of those of us who did not discover our affinity for this uncompromising discipline until we were well into adulthood? How can we muster ourselves to face odds in a milieu which is not geared towards us who dance as an avocation? How do we motivate ourselves in a world that is set up to cater to only the very young, who might yet still have the chance to become professional dancers?
First of all, let me just explain that I classify anyone with a passion to express him or herself through movement as a Dancer. Whether or not one is paid for one’s dancing is not the point. The point is that one feels a calling to dance, and dedicates a part of one’s existence to pursuit of the calling, and anytime one is unable to dance, one feels a palpable emptiness. Now that is what makes one a true Dancer!
It is unfortunate that so few resources exist presently for novice adult dancers, and so tools for self-motivation are harder to come by. In all actuality, however, motivation is not something one gets from the outside. It must come from within you, and you alone. Unless you have an unwavering drive to dance, no matter the odds against you, then you do not have what it takes to be a Dancer.
Only you will know in your heart of hearts if you can live with or without dancing. If the answer is that you can take it or leave it, then it is likely not something that you have an undying passion for!
How does one know if one is really passionate about something? Well, in my case, my heart quickens a bit whenever I hear the music from a ballet score, I devour my issue of Dance Magazine as soon as I get it out of the mailbox, I go to classes religiously, and if I have to miss, I feel incomplete.
When I had two surgeries for nerve damage in both my feet, about three years ago, I would sit in front of the VCR, with my crutches at my side, watching ballet videos, and do port de bras, and head movements along with the dancers. I never let my injuries stop me from participating in some way, any way, with what I love doing!
One must understand, that actually being in class is only very small component of being a Dancer. A true Dancer practices his or her art every spare minute, be it marking steps learned in class earlier, or reading dance history, or talking about dance to others who also love it, or anticipating the next class.
That is true motivation -- a deep and abiding passion for dance. Having dance be such a real presence for you in your life, that it becomes like another person to you, something with which you develop a strong relationship, for better and for worse.
Yes, having enough love for what you do, to be able to work through the bad times, injuries, and times when you feel like a cow. Working through NO MATTER WHAT!
No matter if the others in your class are better, older, whatever. Because when you dance, nothing else matters but the here and now. No one else exists because you are so involved in what you are doing. The roof could cave in and you won't notice because you are working from the depth of your being.
That is motivation, and it must be there, within you. It can not be purchased or gotten from others. Either you have it or you do not. Ego gratification has no place here. True motivation transcends all trivial and peripheral matters. Simple as that.
I have such definite ideas on this subject, that I sometimes find myself worked up to a fevered pitch about it! I fought like a dog to find a place for myself in the world of ballet, and I have, after my share of struggle, in my way, succeeded.
My past detractors, and those who once looked upon me as a pitiable wannabe have had to do an about-face: a former instructor who used to stop class occasionally, to tut and muse aloud that perhaps one such as I might be reincarnated as a dancer in my 'next' life. Or the ladies of leisure who shunned me in class, because my low-paying social service job forced me to purchase my leotards and tights at (sniff) thrift shops, and I (shudder) cleaned the studio to pay my tuition. Ha! I 'showed' them! Although that was not at all my motivation for dancing. I just wanted IT really badly.
So, just what was IT to me? To become strong and graceful, to appear to be poised (I was painfully shy in younger years), and to have an elegant presence. And you know what? I have all those things, and more. And I will have them for the rest of my life.
But the best thing is that, for instance, when I find myself among other dancers, such as when I go backstage, as an audience member, to congratulate performers afterward, and I am introduced to someone I have not previously known, the new dancer invariably will look at me and without a moment's hesitation ask where I have danced, or who I have studied with. It is such a great feeling to be acknowledged as One of Them! And it is incidents such as that which suffice as my reward for all the struggle and years of dedication.
-- Danczarina
