Technique can last a lifetime. Routines last for a season. If we have proficient technique, we can reach great heights. And there’s no fast track. You get out what you put in, qualitatively.
Solid foundational technique will ensure a dancer’s physical longevity. It will get dancers into great dance programs or dance companies. If they become lawyers or engineers, they will have a valuable understanding of healthy body alignment and kinesiology.
It’s important to take a look at the time spent refining technique versus the time spent teaching and rehearsing routines. If dancers are spending 5 days a week at the studio, where is the time allocated?
Dance competitions can be valuable opportunities to learn to perform well and work as a team. When dancers start competing in 10, 11, 12, 13+ dances, it’s curious to know how the time is spent, and the reasoning behind money being spent on a dozen costumes and entry fees versus training.
When the season is over and the routines are retired, the costumes are done, the money is spent and the trophies are handed out, technique is the only thing we have left to take with us.
