The Structured Approach to Dance

In conventional ways of teaching dance, verbal instructions are the norm. Often these instructions are first explained and repeated while the dancers attempt to follow them.

Interestingly, there are no instructions given in the process of learning to walk. Perhaps because of the failure of language. Even if walking instructions could be accurately verbalized (it can’t), the child’s language skills could not interpret instructions adequately. Dancing can not truly be learned from primarily verbal instructions either. Each move, step, nuance must be experienced, over and over again.

Continuing with the analogy, the benefits of walking are immediately obvious to a child. Making mistakes like falling down are all part of the process. Criticism and self doubt never enter into the picture. But the benefits of dance (joy, happiness, a sense of freedom as well as consecutiveness) are not forthcoming until well after the students are proficient at dancing, if they ever get there. Most drop out, which reinforces their belief that they “can’t dance.” Joy and fun must experienced right from the beginning with listening to and enjoying the music, it’s rhythms and the beat if the learning is to be sustained.