Teaching responsibility

Even though my dancers are not my kids I still love them and treat them like they are. I feel personally responsible for treating them as I would Vin and for helping them learn to become responsible, self-respecting adults.

Perhaps its the way I was raised by my dance teachers or maybe I am just a prude but I require my dancers to dress in a way that allows them to not been seen as just a body. At a convention a few weekends ago there were many, many girl dancers that were only dressed in little (and I mean little) booty shorts and sports bras. This is irritating to me for many reasons, one it doesn't keep the body warm enough. Your body is your instrument and in those large cold ballrooms if you stop moving for a few minutes then you are going to start to get cold, not a good way to keep your muscles in tune. Even more important than that is a dancers self-respect. What kind of image are you protraying when you are half naked. I do inform my dancers about what is proper for special instances such as an audition. You should dress for the kind of audition you are going to, but for a learning situation such as classes you should dress appropriatly.

The other night I had my oldest dancer, a girl of 17 about to graduate and go to college, tell me that she is stressed out and doesn't "hate" dance but isn't sure she wants to do it anymore. This is the same girl that in one year auditioned for and got the role of Clara in our Nutcracker, is working on 2 solos (including one she is choreographing for herself), is going for titles in competitions, went out for the Fine Arts festival and is going to college for dance. I have a hard time believing she "hates" dance. Its my job to show her that she is 2 months from freedom and that this too shall pass. Ahh to have 17 year old problems again!

In my career as a dance teacher I have gotten a microcosm glimpse of the downfall of morals in this world. Somewhere along the line parents started to let things slide as far as behavior, morals, responsibility and other skills it takes to create a responsible adult. Its sad because that is why the world is on a downslide in some aspects. Even if it makes me uncool I will continue to teach being a good person and respecting yourself to my dancers and my kid alike. Maybe they can make the world a little better place.