| In order to run a day care or nursery school, one | | | | market-driven society. However, it is difficult for a |
| needs to be certified. To teach in the public schools, | | | | parent, uneducated in the field of dance, to make an |
| one needs at least a bachelor's degree, preferably a | | | | informed choice. |
| master's degree. College dance programs require their | | | | Unfortunately, many parents view the dance |
| faculty to have college degrees in addition to | | | | teacher's role on par with the baseball coach or the |
| professional experience. So, what do you need to | | | | cheerleading coach. Most coaches for youth baseball, |
| teach at a private dance studio: nothing. Anyone can | | | | soccer, and cheerleading were not professionals or |
| throw up a shingle that says "Dolly Dinkle's Studio of | | | | professionally educated. And even fewer have been |
| Dance" and be in business. | | | | educated in how to teach. This is fine for youth |
| Is there a need for standards in dance education? | | | | sports. What they are not taking into serious |
| Dance is a physically demanding activity. Taught | | | | consideration is the fact that the demands of dance |
| incorrectly, it can lead to injury. Improper training | | | | training on the body, at even the youngest level, can |
| causes long-term damage to the ankles, knees, hips, | | | | create great growth or great damage. The seemingly |
| and lower back. In addition to the damage it can | | | | harmless decision of finding a dance studio for your |
| cause physically, poor standards in dance education | | | | child can be harmful to their young bodies. It takes |
| lead to low expectations and even lower opinions of | | | | time and energy to research which dance schools live |
| dance in the eye of the public. Exposed regularly to | | | | up to high standards. |
| low quality dance, students and their parents grow to | | | | If you pick up your local phone book and flip to the |
| see dance as something trivial and frivolous. This | | | | dance school section, you will find ads for a number |
| trivializing of dance is dangerously subversive to the | | | | of dance studios. Chances are, the majority of those |
| profession. After sitting through never-ending recitals | | | | ads claim to provide "quality" or "professional" |
| of fringe and sequins, parents are unlikely to | | | | instruction. Who is going to be honest enough to |
| voluntarily see a live professional dance concert. | | | | admit "below average" or "highly amateur" instruction? |
| Even on the occasion that they do venture to a | | | | The term "professional teachers" is loosely tossed |
| professional performance, they are often | | | | about in these advertisements. The average parent |
| disappointed. After being accustomed to frilly recitals, | | | | assumes that "professional teachers" are ones who |
| a professional dance performance can seem mentally | | | | danced professionally or were at least educated at a |
| challenging, intense, and even dull. Every dance studio, | | | | professional level. But often, the justification for the |
| show, or organization that adheres to poor standards | | | | term is nothing more than claiming that the teacher is |
| diminishes the larger dance community by turning | | | | paid for teaching. Using that definition of "professional |
| potential audience members, supporters, and | | | | teachers", I would like to the see the studio with |
| emerging dancers away from dance. | | | | "non-professional teachers" who work for free. I |
| So, why not create national standards for private | | | | doubt they exist. As a parent searching for a dance |
| dance schools? | | | | school, you want the best for your child. |
| The American psyche is still very much a cowboy (or | | | | Nevertheless, how can you decipher one school from |
| cowgirl) at heart. We do not want rules and | | | | another when they all claim to be "exceptional?" |
| regulations encroaching on our precious freedoms. | | | | What can we do? |
| Many dance studio owners' and teachers' jobs would | | | | I believe the education of the public is the dance |
| be threatened if they were required to meet national | | | | community's top priority. We must teach students |
| standards. To their credit, they point out outstanding | | | | and their parents the importance of proper dance |
| individual teachers who had amazing performance | | | | education: |
| careers, then became excellent teachers, but never | | | | 1) Teach them about proper fundamentals that 'do |
| received degrees. The fear is that standards would | | | | no harm.' 'Knees over toes' is the most fundamental |
| not only regulate poor teachers, but also punish good | | | | safe practice in dance education, yet many |
| teachers. While a legitimate concern, I believe that | | | | uninformed teachers force turn-out on dancers who |
| teachers who are truly passionate about dance | | | | are either too young to properly execute it or |
| education would, or already do, embrace standards | | | | physically unequipped to handle the demands. If |
| as a chance for self-improvement and not as an | | | | parents know what practices are safe and which are |
| obstacle. | | | | not, they can make better decisions in choosing a |
| Where the United States fears to regulate itself, a | | | | dance school |
| higher percentage of private dance school educators | | | | 2) Teach them the value of a progressive, structured |
| in England and Canada have adopted professional | | | | curriculum. 'Slow and steady wins the race.' There is a |
| standards and established curriculums in their | | | | place and time--a sequence--to learning dance. |
| practices. From my experience working in Canada, I | | | | Rushing children to do pointe work or to try technical |
| found the dance education in the country to be more | | | | tricks before they are ready is detrimental to their |
| consistent from studio to studio than in America. | | | | education as well as dangerous to their bodies. If |
| They do not have the plethora of poor quality dance | | | | parents know how a properly structured curriculum |
| studios that I have found throughout the United | | | | works, they can find a dance school where correct |
| States. The acceptance of professional standards | | | | education is the focus. |
| and established curriculum has raised the bar of the | | | | 3) Teach them respect for themselves and for the |
| average small-town dance studio above that | | | | art of dance. Age-appropriate themes, choreography, |
| currently practiced in America. | | | | and costumes not only teach students self-respect, |
| However, there is another side. Canada does not | | | | but also helps them learn the vocabulary of dance in |
| have as many exceptional, innovative dance | | | | the proper order. Inappropriate choreography applies |
| education organizations as the United States. It would | | | | equally to the jazz teacher showing young students |
| seem that standardization runs the risk of stifling | | | | suggestive movements as to the ballet teacher |
| creativity. Dance in the United States continues to be | | | | showing professional variations to students who are |
| the leading innovator for the world. The concept of | | | | not prepared. If parents know what is |
| national standards in dance threatens innovation, our | | | | age-appropriate, they can better choose a dance |
| cowboy/cowgirl spirit, and our qualified, yet | | | | school that adheres to higher standards. |
| non-degreed, teachers. These factors lead to a | | | | Educating students and parents on what proper |
| resistance to accept standardization in the United | | | | standards are in dance education is the only way to |
| States. | | | | ensure a future of healthy dancers, create informed |
| We need standards but we're too stubborn to | | | | audience members, and promote a new generation |
| accept them...what now? | | | | of qualified teachers. The responsibility for standards |
| While the American spirit is unlikely to bend to | | | | in private dance school education will not fall on some |
| national standards created by a governing board, | | | | national governing board. Rather, it spreads out from |
| there is a group of individuals that already | | | | each of us to our students and their parents. The |
| unknowingly sets the standards for dance schools: | | | | responsibility is ours. |
| the parents. Parents drive the level of quality in our | | | | |