Technically Strong
Technically Strong, no we don’t mean that our dancers “might be strong” or “could be called strong”, we mean that our dancers must have Strong Technique.
What we’ve covered in our past posts about our Studio Code is that our dancers are Safe and Healthy. Safe and Healthy all tie in with having a strong dance technique.
You can’t expect dancers to be safe if they aren’t dancing in a safe manner, or not using dance technique. You also can’t expect dancers to then be living a healthy lifestyle if they are continuously avoiding using their dance technique that will lead to harming their bodies.
Strong dance
technique makes sure that dancers start their training from the ground up. Each of our levels are skill based, not age based, so that we can make sure that each dancer is moving through the school at the pace that their technique grows.
Every person is different, which means every dancer is different.
We see all the time dancers who are the same age and start in the same level change levels or classes, because their technique is at different levels.
Here’s an example, picture you have are the teacher of a class and “Suzy Q” and “Molly May” have been in the same level since they started at 3 years old. As they’re getting older you can see how they’re changing.
“Suzy Q’s” takes after her father’s family and is growing very quickly for her age. She’s extremely flexible, but is
not quite as strong as some of her classmates since her body is growing so much quicker than she can strengthen it.
“Molly May” on the other hand is the complete opposite. She is more like her grandma’s side of the family and is very muscular and strong for her age. She doesn’t have much flexibility since her muscles are growing quicker than she can stretch them.
Both “Suzy Q” and “Molly May” are beautiful and creative dancers. They both work hard and love to dance, the only difference is “Suzy Q” has moved to the next level, while “Molly May” stays in the previous level another year.
Why did this happen you ask?
Because even though “Suzy Q” might not be as strong as some of her classmates that moved up with her, she takes great care on making sure that her very flexible body is in perfect alignment and practices at home to build her strength so that her technique doesn’t falter.
“Molly May” on the other hand goes through each combination without focusing on making sure her feet and legs are placed with care to avoid twisting and torquing her ligaments, she dances beautifully, but isn’t allowed to move up until she can focus on her placement and technique as much as she does the creative side of her dancing.
Technique is extremely important for a dancer. It helps them take care of their bodies, and also helps them learn the “stepping stone” basics so that they can progress through different steps and styles quickly.
Our dancers understand the importance of proper technique in their dancing.
Each dancer is in the perfect level for them, and since Virginia Academy of Dance is a team we offer several
events and programs so that each level can grow stronger within each other.
This way dancers can learn and grow at their speed, and dance with friends that they’ve known for years. We are very proud of our dancers, instructors, and parents for understanding the importance of having a strong technique and we all work very hard to keep our dancers safe, healthy, and happy.
We hope that you enjoyed Part 3 of our Dancer’s Code, make sure to check in next week for Part 4, Classy!
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