As we prepare to head into our busiest time of year for dance performances, we thought it was the perfect time to highlight how dance is a team sport. Whether you are part of an elite dance team, or participating in a weekly recreational dance class, dance class is made up of a group of devoted team members who practice and perform together - as a team!
Yes, dancers practice their technique exercises as individuals, skill testing is individual, and dancers work extremely hard to get solo and featured sections of choreography. But most dance team performances are done in groups, and the dancers they perform with are their teammates. And while there are no game plays to memorize, there are so many things dancers do as a team that help them succeed.
Dancers Win and Lose Together
A group of our dancers were watching video play back of one of their performances. One of the 9 dancers in the group had performed a move at the wrong time. Another dancer said, “It doesn’t matter who it was, we all need to work on that part to nail it next time”. Needless to say, the dancers knew one person made the error, but as a team they all needed to work together to fix it.
When dancers go on stage to perform, it doesn’t matter if one dancer falters or if four dancers do. When mistakes happen, they affect everyone in the performance. Dance teams can’t pass blame on one team member, because they know a fall, performing a wrong move, or forgetting a piece of choreography can happen to anyone. That said, for dancers in a group, those mistakes matter because, whether they win or lose, they do it together, and each dancer’s move along the way impacts the performance.
Dancers Build Trust and Communicate With Each Other
Group performances do best when the dancers in the piece trust each other. Learning to communicate in practice and on stage, developing connections, and building a family-like bond is an essential part of a dancer’s training and performance. As dance teams spend more and more time together, their ability to communicate, read, and trust each other in practice and on stage grows, enhancing their overall performance quality.
Dancers Are Accountable to Each Other
Dancers in a group are committed to being a part of the team. This includes coming to class, on time, ready to work hard. Dancers have an unspoken agreement to learn and perfect their choreography, and put in 100% effort into every class and performance. This group commitment ensures everyone on the team does their part to make their dance amazing. And when one person starts to slack, the team is there to pick them up and get them back on track!
Dancers Encourage Each Team Member to Succeed
At Maples Academy of Dance, our dancers come together before going onstage. They make an "M-circle" to give each other a pep-talk. Having taken the corrections and tips from their teachers, they focus on what they have to do, as a team, to perform well. While we know there is always a healthy dose of competition among the team, team encouragement is also an integral part of succeeding as a group.
With more competitions coming up, and recital right around the corner, we look forward to watching our entire dance team come together and perform like stars. Go Team!