Here at Prestige Dance Studio, we have just started our competition season and we couldn’t be having more fun! Although we love to bring home ribbons, medals, and sometimes even titles, that is NOT why we do competitions. Dancers gain so much from putting themselves out there and challenging themselves competition after competition. We have found that this practice gives our dancers boosted self- confidence, helps them roll with the punches, allows them to deal with disappointment, and to top it all off, teaches them to become more open-minded.
For each competition, our dancers challenge each other to improve. We set specific goals and work hard to accomplish them. Each time we do, it teaches us that we CAN do what we set our minds to. It also takes guts to get out there and perform for an audience full of other dancers. Not to mention in front of a panel of judges (like we mean FEET away) who will examine our technique and performance abilities right in front of our eyes! Every time a dancer goes on stage, their confidence will get a good healthy boost, we love that!
If you have ever attended a competition you know that they can be unpredictable. They may run early, late, skip around, you just never know until you are there. Of course, this is NOT our favorite thing about competitions. It does, however, teach our dancers a valuable lesson: being flexible (with their MINDS) and being able to roll with the punches is a good thing. Getting flustered will do nothing but ruin the experience and jeopardize the performance. Like any skill, practice makes perfect and lucky for us we get lots of practice at this skill! hehe.
At some competitions, we get special awards, titles, and 1st place trophies. At others, we just do OK with no special recognition. That can be tough to swallow, even for me! But knowing how to win and lose gracefully takes practice. I am so happy that our dancers at Prestige know (or are at least learning) how to not let disappointment crush their hopes and dreams all in one swoop.
Finally, during competitions, we are surrounded by other dancers. These dancers come from different places, dance different styles, and have different perspectives on dance. Being exposed to this time and time again helps our dancers learn to appreciate things and people who are different than them. I am so proud that our dancers here at Prestige can see the value in any type of performance and are becoming open-minded young adults.
As you can see, dance competitions are about so much more than trophies and titles. The skills that are learned there will last not only for a season but for their whole life! We are so excited for the rest of our competition season and cannot wait to see the great things our dancers will accomplish, on and off the stage.