The Downside to the “New Dance Industry”

     While in general, I am a supporter of the direction the dance industry is going in there are several negative aspects to it as well. There are shows out there that make a mockery of the dance industry, and make it seem much worse than it is. These shows are riding the coat tails of the positive shows out there that are truly relevant. The show Dance Moms is one on the top of my list. While I will admit I have not watched this show very often, seeing an episode or two was all I needed to have a negative opinion about it. The little girls on the show are fantastic dancers, but there are many inappropriate moves involved in the choreography as well as costume choices that are not age appropriate. ( Here's an article that discusses this..) Their teacher, Abby Lee Miller, is also incredibly hard on these young girls. The show makes the dance competition industry look completely ridiculous and encourages little girls to be put in these terrible positions. I spent five years competing in the same scenario as these girls, and will admit that there is drama and some “Dance Moms” out there that make things complicated. Luckily for me, I was not under such pressure. I feel that this show is giving some dance studio owners and Moms of young dancers the idea that this kind of behavior is ok, and I just don’t think it is.

       The absence of ballet in the industry is also a worry of mine. I do understand that in order to get a considerable audience on television, entertainment value is crucial. I also understand that ballet is not necessarily as exciting to watch for most people (especially for non-dancers).  That does not take away the fact that ballet is extremely important fundamentally for dancers. In this article, Jeremy Mcqueen, a dancer and choreographer discusses the importance of ballet. Contemporary has become today’s most popular style of dance. It allows choreographers the ability to tell stories, and is very out-side of the box. I am a fan of this style but I think that many Contemporary dancers are forgetting that ballet is still important. It is my hope that the relevant dance shows out there will emphasize this importance. If not, I fear that ballet will twindle in importance for dancers and in ten years we will have lost a certain amount of quality. Dancers make things look effortless, but even a fall or drop to the ground needs technique behind it to look graceful. Even Travis Wall agrees, he spoke about technique in the class I took from him. Denise Wall, Travis’s mom, also taught a technique class, which was probably the most important class of the workshop. It’s dancers that have ballet technique that are truly the best.

These are just a couple of the concerns that are possible, because with change there is always positives and negatives. I will discuss more of these negative periodically throughout my blog.

This is a subject I especially would like feedback on. Do you agree with me? Do you think I am base? Either way I would love comments.

<3 Samantha