toothlesstiger
Well-Known Member
Excellent points. Enjoying dance for itself is really only possible when you do it on your own terms. No one wants to be treated like a trained monkey.
Student Challenges Prevalent in the Pro-am Structure
- Thread starter latingal
- Start date
I like Larinda's description of the dancing at her wedding party, and that feeling is what I am referring to. Is it possible to have that kind of "fun feeling" when we are on the competition floor? Yes, we can have passion, a sense of accomplishment, and enjoy ourselves, but I do like the feeling of fun that comes with movement to music, and it can be hard to be in touch with that side during lessons and competition. The moment I start to embrace that side.. invariably there are errors made in technique or connection.
dancingirldancing
Member
Yes problem is when you go to these socials etc you are expected to do stuff like dancing with everyone who ask. Sometimes I just want to meet up and chat with friends while watching and enjoying the venue. Sometimes I want to just dance with DP, sometimes I don't want to dance at all, sometimes I want to dance with a couple of friends beginners or not.
But then you are branded that snobbish antisocial comp dancer who doesnt want to dance with beginners. So I stop going.
I am doing am-am atm but increasingly curious of doing pro-am. My friend do pro-am and it seems like there can be intense rivalries between students sometimes. Who gets the better choreography, who gets more time, etc.
But then you are branded that snobbish antisocial comp dancer who doesnt want to dance with beginners. So I stop going.
I am doing am-am atm but increasingly curious of doing pro-am. My friend do pro-am and it seems like there can be intense rivalries between students sometimes. Who gets the better choreography, who gets more time, etc.
This might be a great subject for another thread. I don't think that it is just a situation that occurs in pro-am, it could be asked of pros, ams and pro-ams as to what they actually feel on the floor while competing?
Pshh, don't let them stop you. Several of my dance friends (might?) be seen this way at local dances, aside from a few regulars we're friendly with. Do we care? Not really. We're there to dance. If someone I don't want to dance with thinks I'm a snob, that's their problem.
fascination
Site Moderator
as to rivalries between other students...hmm....I have not seen much of that...but I suspect it is because it is rarely dealt with directly between students ...I suspect that in some places there is some grousing on the side to a third party or to the pro.... I have seen students not so much feel rivalrous but compare the treatment they get from their pro to the treatment other students get from their pro...and unless it is really overt to the point of wanting to leave, I think it is not worth it and hurts that student themself the most...sometimes we all have insecurities and can then let those cloud how we percieve a certain set of circumstances and imagine a deliberate discrepency that really isn't there...and, even if there is a real discrepency lots of times--no offense here--we are talking about male pros...men....why on earth these men should be any more adept at complexities regarding women's perceptions than anywhere else in real life I cannot fathom....
but I think people pretty much fall into three categories regarding this;
pout, whine and feel like a victim
scream, shout and threaten
feel like doing all three but have an adult conversation instead
having said all of that, problems with fellow students has never been a large part of my experience
but I think people pretty much fall into three categories regarding this;
pout, whine and feel like a victim
scream, shout and threaten
feel like doing all three but have an adult conversation instead
having said all of that, problems with fellow students has never been a large part of my experience
fascination
Site Moderator
while I can't speak to what you are referring to directly, I will say this;
as a student who has the good fortune of being able to devote a good deal of time and money to dancesport...who has a top notch pro and significant goals...yes, sometimes....lots of the time....what I am doing looks and sounds like work to others and feels like massive work to my mind, body and soul....but it is a choice I have made that feeds my mind, body and soul as much as it demands....and it is but one way to do pro/am..... and, I imagine, not even the most common way...it is true that it is hard work that I am paying for...but, I think when anyone pays for top notch instruction and has lofty goals, one would have to be a fool not to give it one's all and work their heinie off...if one doesn't want that or isn't able to do that for whatever reason; great, that is another equally valid path
as a student who has the good fortune of being able to devote a good deal of time and money to dancesport...who has a top notch pro and significant goals...yes, sometimes....lots of the time....what I am doing looks and sounds like work to others and feels like massive work to my mind, body and soul....but it is a choice I have made that feeds my mind, body and soul as much as it demands....and it is but one way to do pro/am..... and, I imagine, not even the most common way...it is true that it is hard work that I am paying for...but, I think when anyone pays for top notch instruction and has lofty goals, one would have to be a fool not to give it one's all and work their heinie off...if one doesn't want that or isn't able to do that for whatever reason; great, that is another equally valid path
GGinrhinestones
Well-Known Member
This, exactly. To put it another way - Olympic athletes pay dearly for their training, work their butts off, often get frustrated and discouraged and injured and go through phases where it feels like a job...and they do it because they love it. Dance is the same for me. I wouldn't have it any other way. Very little worth having is easy...when it is, we don't often appreciate it like we appreciate those things that take hard work and effort. Because pro/am is so much more self-focused, I think, than other ways of dancing and competing, I think you get even more of this molding-into-an-athlete student/coach dynamic. Doesn't mean for a second that there is any less love or joy involved.
Or, to put it yet another way...I hear people complain about their spouses all the time...doesn't mean they don't love them any less. In fact, it usually is just the opposite.
JudeMorrigan
Forum Master
I imagine that'll vary from student to student and instructor to instructor. In my own case, my fellow students and I are all proud members of Team [Instructor] and are more of a mutual support structure than we are rivals. For me, it's actually an *advantage* of the pro-am structure.
Of course, the way things have worked out, we haven't had any cases yet where more than one student was wanting to do a particular event (ie, scholarships) at a given competition. I actually expect that to change somewhat next year, and while I expect us to manage just fine, I can definitely see how to could be a challenge to deal with in the long run.
novemberecho
Member
hahaha - awesome comparison!
I get this. Ballroom is the most challenging, enlightening, frustrating, and rewarding thing I've ever done. It is a lot of hard work and though I enjoy it, I rarely feel I can call it "fun". Some days it literally makes me crazy, but it also makes me happier than I've ever been. I wouldn't trade it or change it for anything.
scullystwin42
Forum Master
I'm curious - how does this work out? I may switch over to an independent instructor in 2014 (yes, I'm planning way ahead...), and he's most likely to have people in my (coming) age group, level, and style. What happens if both students are planning to attend the same comp and we both want to do the multidance scholarship for our level? I mean, i have on my to do list to get info on that when I call the studio, but what's the norm? First come, first serve?
(I think this counts as a challenge for Pro-Am, right, so I'm on thread?)
tanya_the_dancer
Well-Known Member
One of you could dance down an age group, or dance up a level. I've been in this situation a several years ago, when we were at a comp which had only one age group for all scholarships and he had two bronze students (myself and another lady). I danced silver and she danced bronze. If there's no more room for movement (i.e. you all do open) then you just take turns I suppose.
Sure. Or, the student who does more comps and has more experience gets all of the coveted events. Not the student who can't travel all over the country every few weeks and dance 30+ entries per comp. The one who stays local and wants to dance one level plus scholarship is outta luck, even if that person's dance ability is worthy of the opportunity. Not that I would know anything about such practices...
JudeMorrigan
Forum Master
I think there's a whole lot of variation out there. I've known students to take turns. I've known students to stay at a lower proficiency level longer in a given style longer than they strictly have to, waiting for a spot to open up with their instructor. I've known students who routinely volunteer to drop down an age bracket since they're a stronger dancer than the other student their teacher has at that level. I don't doubt that there are plenty of cases like nikkitta describes. I imagine student seniority can factor in. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules-of-thumb.