Can a dancer continuously evolved at the same pace ?

[dancingirldancing]

Do you think that there is normally plateau in a dancer's development or can a dancer progress and evolve as rapidly in the first year as the tenth year given the same effort and quality of coaching ?

Do you think that the first few years of dancing is the most crucial to a dancer's development ?

What can someone who has been dancing for 10-15 years do to 'breakthrough' again and progress ?

 

[sambanada]

I believe that, as long as a dancer is open, you can always grow. Growing can be in dancing, in mind, maturity. So yes, I think so.

 

[Warren J. Dew]

Do you think that there is normally plateau in a dancer's development or can a dancer progress and evolve as rapidly in the first year as the tenth year given the same effort and quality of coaching ?

It takes much better coaching to keep a dancer progressing at the same rate in the tenth year as in the first.

Do you think that the first few years of dancing is the most crucial to a dancer's development ?

What can someone who has been dancing for 10-15 years do to 'breakthrough' again and progress ?

Change focus to a different aspect of your dancing. If you've been working on choreographic technique for too long, switch to athleticism or to lead and follow connection, for example.

 

[Piggles]

I think it's possible to keep progressing at the same rate throughout the years, but the "rate of progress" will be increasing discernable to only a trained eye. The untrained eye may appreciate that you're "marginally" better in your 9th year than your 10th year, but they won't understand the technical hurdles you've had to overcome to get there.

 

[Warren J. Dew]

The untrained eye may appreciate that you're "marginally" better in your 9th year than your 10th year

Or, hopefully, the opposite.

 

[ireniecat]

Do you think that there is normally plateau in a dancer's development or can a dancer progress and evolve as rapidly in the first year as the tenth year given the same effort and quality of coaching ?

I believe development has peaks, valleys and plateaus... Kind of like watching the ups and downs of the stock market every day versus over decades. Plateaus will happen, but they are not forever. Effort and quality of coaching are not the only factors. Your own mental, emotional and physical states or readiness and preparedness are also factors. I also agree with Piggles about later progress being only discernable to a trained eye.

Do you think that the first few years of dancing is the most crucial to a dancer's development ?

I believe they are crucial, but not necessarily the most crucial. They are crucial because it lays a foundation and a certain expectation. If you have a lousy first coach, you may then spend years retraining your body or attitude toward dance and competition. But I don't think they are the most crucial. I think the most crucial years of development are those when the dancer has reached as certain emotional maturity in her regard for dance and the kind of student of dance she wants to be. And that can happen at different ages and points of development for everyone.

What can someone who has been dancing for 10-15 years do to 'breakthrough' again and progress ?

I think that largely depends on what the dancer has been focused on in those 10-15 years. I would say try something entirely new like teaching, role reversal, studying for exams, creating own choreography, acting... really anything that will require using a different part of your brain

 

[suburbaknght]

It depends on how you measure progress. My first instinct is to say no. The difference between unable to dance at all and able to do something - anything! - is enormous. The difference between able to dance and able to dance well is significant but not quite so huge. The difference between dancing well and dancing really well is smaller still. Because the differences in the appearance of progress are smaller, one could say that the rate of progress must be smaller.

The other view is ability required to progress. Anyone can pick up a basic step within a single lesson, but it takes enormous effort to improve that step. The visibility of progress is less apparent to an untrained eye, but the trained eye understands that this is an immense improvement.* Perhaps even bigger improvement than from complete neophyte to beginner. With such a view, not only can the same rate of progress be maintained, but it must increase if one is to have any hope of reaching advanced goals.

* This is not to say the untrained eye can't tell the two apart, but such people are usually unable to articulate why one is better than the other.

 

[Piggles]

Or, hopefully, the opposite.

Based on my recollection of my newcomer days, I don't think I could discern the difference between someone who'd danced for 5 years versus 15. I just didn't know what I was looking at and everyone was better than me. Just seeing someone wearing a costume was a treat!

 

[Piggles]

I think the most crucial years of development are those when the dancer has reached as certain emotional maturity in her regard for dance and the kind of student of dance she wants to be. And that can happen at different ages and points of development for everyone.

So true!

 

[barrefly]

The difference between dancing well and dancing really well is smaller still.

If my daughter (whom dances very well) could only get past a "mental" hurdle, it would be the largest leap she has had in dance in her entire life. The trouble is, she has danced since she was 2 1/2 yrs old and hasn't ever discovered/developed a drive/ambition/passion that many aspiring dancers have. Yet, she "says" she wants to be a dancer, so I haven't given up on her.

She just started working with a pro (male) that seems to understand who she is as a dancer. He comes at a good time in her life and just may be the person to change all that.

 

[Warren J. Dew]

Based on my recollection of my newcomer days, I don't think I could discern the difference between someone who'd danced for 5 years versus 15. I just didn't know what I was looking at and everyone was better than me. Just seeing someone wearing a costume was a treat!

I meant that hopefully they'd look marginally better in their 10th year than their 9th year, rather than marginally better in their 9th year than their 10th year. I think you accidentally interchanged the years.

 

[Piggles]

I meant that hopefully they'd look marginally better in their 10th year than their 9th year, rather than marginally better in their 9th year than their 10th year. I think you accidentally interchanged the years.

Whoops - sounds like an edit is in order!

 

[fascination]

I find that no matter how awesome one's pro is, coaching almost always infuses a fresh focus that helps one look at one's own dancing in a different way that fosters progress

 

[Josh]

i find that no matter how awesome one's pro is, coaching almost always infuses a fresh focus that helps one look at one's own dancing in a different way that fosters progress

+1..

 

[dancingirldancing]

Do believe in a dancer's plateau that is a point in time in a dancer's development where no matter what he/she does, he/she can only improve very marginally or not at all due to maxing out on talent and/or physical ability ?