Each year there is a transition when the seniors in your school leave and go on to college or to pursue a career. Sometimes it can be devastating, because all of a sudden you are left with a very sparse performing group which appears to have all of the life taken out of it. Of course, generally those seniors have been studying with you for some time and it never fails that the year that they leave is the year when they finally seem to "get it"! You watch them perform and say to yourself, "finally they understand what I have been teaching them all these years!" It really is a great feeling to see dancers that you have trained over a period of time looking fantastic but of course, these moments are bitter sweet because you know that you are going to have to let go and help them to fly away to other teachers and schools.
We all have students that we see have potential and that we groom to move upwards but often they are not ready to step into the positions vacated by the seniors and that can lead to having a "down" year as far as performances go. Grooming the up and coming young talent is really important if you want to maintain the standards set by their predecessors. Obviously the level of technique is important and also talent is needed. As the old saying goes, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear", but talent alone is not enough just as technique alone is not sufficient, it is the combination of talent, technique and experience that makes the entire package work.
Some years ago I had a student, a young man who was very interested in pursuing dance but had a long way to go technically. I mapped out a series of classes for him to take to help him to strengthen and learn in the most efficient way possible. He was a good student and in a short period of time managed to master a strong base of technique however, it was not until I started having him take one class a week alongside of one of our best male dancers that he really started to emerge as a force performance wise. Something clicked with him and made him really want to perform when he worked alongside of this more advanced dancer. Part of it was probably due to the fact that boy dancers like the challenge of working with other boy dancers; it's that male competitive thing! The other part was that he was a smart kid and copied the more advanced boys' style, work habits and performance skills. Now, it is very important for any dance student to work at a level that is suitable for their knowledge and strength but it can really be helpful in the grooming process to sometimes let those less experienced students have the chance to work alongside the more proficient ones.
We have different levels of performing groups just like most other studios and each year we look at the students that we feel are going to benefit from that extra grooming. We have a junior company and a senior company apart from other performance groups and we hand pick the students from the junior company to perform in one number with the seniors. Not a group of them together, although we do that too, but just one at a time in a number full of the best dancers. Again, each time that we have done this the dancer has elevated their performance and managed to integrate themselves into the senior company number. Of course, they have to be technically able to handle the choreography but it has been great to realize that given that extra push and vote of confidence from us, their teachers, that they have really been able to step up to a much higher level. It has made the transition so much easier each year and has enabled us to keep the standard fairly consistent from year to year. So often the student is technically capable but does not have the style or performance skills gained with experience and time. Who you pick to take these steps up is of course important because you want it to be a challenge for them but not something that is going to overwhelm them to a point where they are not able to function. It gives the younger dancers a taste of what it is like to be in senior company so that when we do promote them they have a better understanding of what is needed both mentally and physically and it makes the transition easier for them and less noticeable from an esthetic point of view.
This year we have six seniors leaving and we will miss them dearly but feel good about the dancers waiting to step into their shoes knowing that they will not only be able to assimilate themselves into the senior company but will not feel overwhelmed or terrified by the prospect of it all.
