At Tournseol there is more to progressing from level to level than moving up based on just what physical skills you have learned. Here, as a school of dance, you should also be progressing through various mindsets from the complete novice (or debut dancer) all the way through advanced. Think of these just like ballet building blocks, we don’t ever achieve a stage and leave it completely behind, but rather we explore it deeper and add to it as we grow.
For our beginning dancers (Debut level – 2B), we know you are brave because you are here with an interest to learn something new! You have a level of curiosity and an open-mindedness that is crucial to being a newbie at something. Here we have our “embrace curiosity” as well as a little of “embrace the suck” type of mindset. We aren’t saying YOU are bad at ballet but as humans we are typically not experts the first day we try something new. Someone who is ready and willing to try something as new, rewarding, albeit challenging as dance has a certain level of perseverance that we want to continue to see as you level up!
Now, for the advanced beginner (levels 2C-3B), you already know a lot of the building blocks to what makes up a ballet class. You have heard some of the same corrections a lot and might be getting a little mental frustration starting and wanting to try more advanced moves but also feeling like it’s taking longer than you thought to improve. It is important here to have the mindset of improving our basics so that we CAN move on to more technically challenging parts of ballet. Stay in the curious mindset! Focus on progress, NOT perfection. How far have you come since your first day of the debut program? Would you tell yourself on that first day of class the negative things you’re thinking about yourself in this moment? No! Because that version of you would be so proud about how far you’ve come already! It is easy to get discouraged when you’re starting to move through levels but still see how much more there is to learn. Understand that mistakes are part of learning, you would never get corrections to grow if you never messed something up. Every difficulty is a chance to learn something new!
Intermediate dancers (Levels 3C-5A), we know you can see just how far you’ve come but I also know that many of you are starting to feel frustrated with the division between mind and body. How many times have you thought, “I know what you WANT me to do, but I just can’t make my body do it”? Setbacks, even mental ones, are all part of the learning process. We need to celebrate small victories, remind ourselves of how our single pirouette was once something we thought was a long way off and now fine tuning our turnout AND spotting in 3c might seem like we are slowing down or “picking on the small stuff” but it is the only way to be technically aligned in order to make those multiple turns appear effortless.
Now, the advanced dancer (Levels 5B – 6). You versus you is the biggest mindset battle you are facing. You need to balance embracing curiosity and bravery like a dancer stepping onto marley for the first time with the dancer who truly has taken on the ability to correct themselves mid-exercise and therefore becoming your own worst critic. Here is where we may need to work on shifting our feelings and leaving an exercise behind mid-class. How quickly can you let things frustrating you in class go? How long can you hold onto a win from something you’ve been working on for ages? So often advanced dancers see progress as expected and they don’t celebrate themselves when something is accomplished. While still celebrating progress you need to have a focus of continuous improvement as opposed to “once I can do THIS, then I am really an advanced dancer.” At advanced stages, consistency remains key. Even experts continue their practice regularly, as learning is a lifelong endeavor. Focus on the joy of the learning journey itself, not just the end result.
For all dancers:
- the temptation to rush ahead can be strong at almost all stages, but it’s essential to be patient with your process of refining and deepening your knowledge.
- the “outside world” can impact our performance in class. At Tournesol, we know that we are all adults with lives (baggage, injuries, a messy day at work, maybe sick kids) and dance is where you come to find some joy. Sometimes, you need to tell yourself what you did well even in plies to remind yourself you aren’t “sucking out loud.” And here is where we also ask that maybe you consider giving your teacher a head’s up before class. Letting us know you have an injury or a huge mental load for the day allows us to know how better to show up for you.
What is Contemporary Dance?
Contemporary dance combines the strong but controlled legwork of Ballet, with elements of Jazz dance, focusing on the contract and release of the body, and the unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed and direction. It also employs floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation characteristics of Modern dance.
Key components of contemporary dance class:
- Strength and Flexibility: The contemporary dance style focuses on core strength for flexible movement, and it emphasizes muscular strength in the torso. Having a strong base in Ballet and Jazz can be helpful when learning this style.
- Freedom of Expression: One of the key elements that separates contemporary dance from other styles is the focus on expression. Contemporary dancers strive to convey emotion and story through their movements, making each performance unique. You might be asked a lot of questions to help you think through your intentions.
- Warm-Ups: A contemporary dance class is very physically demanding,Warm-ups in contemporary dancing are intended to enhance balance, coordination, alignment, and body awareness.
- Stretching: Flexibility is important for contemporary dances, which need the ability to create innovative shapes. The goal of these dance stretching exercises is to reduce the risk of injury while performing.
- Floor Work: In contemporary dance classes, floor work is an essential component. Floor work involves performing exercises while standing in the middle of the room or traveling from one end to the other across the floor. In contemporary dance you interact with the floor a lot, so be prepared to spend time down on the ground. These activities help to improve dancers’ balance, coordination, and strength. They also allow dancers to explore different ways of moving their bodies.
Because of all the key components of Contemporary Dance and it being paired with the adult body, we have decided to put prerequisites in place for our school. These prerequisites are in place to ensure the safety of all our dancers.
In order to take Contemporary Class at Tournesol, you must be in a level 4 Jazz and at least a level 4a ballet class.
A desire to progress to the next level in your classes is a common feeling in dance, maybe you desire to learn a new or advanced skill, or perhaps you want the challenge of a higher level, or maybe you feel like you are not learning anything new in your current level. Read on to find out how you can progress to the next level and become the dancer of your dreams!
Talk To Your Instructor About Your Progress
Your best starting point is your instructor. Your instructor is the one who makes the recommendation to move you on to the next level. Speak with your instructor about your progress and explain to them what you are hoping to achieve. They will be able to guide you with a realistic plan and time frame. Remember there is no ‘quick-fix’ or ‘fast-tracking’ in dance, so your progress will be a steady journey that will require commitment on your part. Each instructor is armed with a checklist of required skills you must have before moving up to the next level. You can get a copy of this personalized checklist by asking your instructor. This checklist is like your roadmap on how to get to the next level. Our instructors want to help their students’ progress, and they do so with care and at a rate that matches your ability, no matter how frustrating it may seem!
Consistency In Your Class Work To Help You Progress
If you are looking to progress to a higher level, it’s important to remember that all of your class work plays a part. If you are looking to develop your grand allégro, you still need your centre adage for strength and control. If you are looking to learn pirouettes, you need strength and control in your allégro as well as in your relevé. It’s easy to forget that your ballet class should be viewed holistically. So many barre combinations are the preparatory movements for more complicated steps in higher levels. Without proficient work across all elements of a level, it’s not yet time for you to progress. You know the element in your class work that you can’t wait to ‘get over and done with’ – it’s likely to be the part of your technique that needs the most attention and care.
Attending Extra Classes To Progress To The Next Level
When looking to progress, consider how much time you are putting into your practice. Have you missed alot of classes recently? Are you consistently making it to your class/es every week? Adding in another class, or taking advantage of your makeup credits will help give you the strength and practice in your technique that you need. If adding an additional class is possible, think about adding in an equivalent or lower level. Working hard to progress your foundational technique can never be overstated – it forms the basis of every step in ballet! For example, if you can’t hold your balance effectively on one leg then every other aspect of your class work will suffer. Think… landing from a grand jeté, or rising while holding an arabesque line. These two very different movements require strength on one leg. If you boost your foundational technique you will find that every aspect of your ballet will improve and give you the freedom to dance well and increase your chances of progressing.
Understand What This Progress Means To You And Why You Desire It
Finally, ask yourself why you want to progress beyond your current class. Understanding your motives for progression will inspire the commitment needed. Wanting to move to a higher level when you are unaware of your readiness (or because your ballet buddies have moved up!) is sure to end in frustration. Be realistic about your ballet progression – set challenging, yet achievable goals, and always remember to celebrate the small wins that help you in your progress. This is not a race, but a journey. And every journey is unique!
