Submitted by Dance Extreme and photos by Richelle Hirlehey
There is a saying, “Practice makes perfect,” and while that isn’t entirely incorrect, at Dance Extreme we have adopted Vince Lombardi’s version of that quote. As we say to our dancers, “Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”
Athletes and dancers alike strive for perfection in the practice and performance of their sport. Without striving for this achievement, the transition from studio to stage can be a challenging one. The studio is a safe place; a place where one can rehearse, stop and start their routine over, isolate a specific element of the choreography, and perform their hearts out without the elements included in a live performance. There is an element of predictability within this safe place.
The same holds true for athletes, and while we as coaches and dance teachers work time after time to create the most ‘real’ conditions for our performers, nothing is as real as the real thing — stepping onto the stage, the field, the rink etc. The performers, while prepared to execute highly-choreographed movements, cannot always account for the real life challenges that they will occur while performing.
In the case of dance, this may mean a costume malfunction, lights going out in the middle of the show, forgetting choreography, or falling down on stage. There are many elements that can occur. We train our performers to be able not only to cope but to soar as they react to these unexpected moments in real time. No amount of training can ensure that each performer will be ready to rise above these moments, but we do our best as teachers and coaches to ensure that our performers are ready for the elements of unpredictability within their performance.
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