Every year at about this time (when the team is finalising preparations for Medal Tests), we observe something that we all agree on:
The growth and improvement in our Middle School students is remarkable.
It fills us with pride and joy seeing them remember their exercises, the development of their technique and the results that their hard work is showing.
However, around the same time, and to our surprise, we also get some students expressing they are not "having fun anymore because things are easy". As educators, we understand what is happening in a developing brain that is thirsty for constantly learning new skills. That's natural and necessary. But at the same time, we see some students giving up when they are finally progressing and improving, and when they are ready to move forward.
This is actually a perfect opportunity for us adults around these kids (both at home and at the studio), to teach them the power of grit and commitment. They won't learn that any other way.
There is huge satisfaction and great reward in mastering a skill, perfecting a step, polishing technique... but that requires consistency and repetition. Of course we are all here to have fun and that will always be priority number one, but repetition can be tedious sometimes. And that's okay. Some days it will feel better than others and it will be affected by many factors that may or may not be related to dance.
As we always say "Dance is just the vehicle. We learn so much more". And there are so many important life lessons to be learnt at the studio, but kids need the support and guidance of their grown ups.
Some students will find joy in finally having control over that specific move, or pride in the fact that they understand musicality better and need less counting from the teacher. Others will finally see results after a hundred plies and will realise they jump higher or will see their kicks look better because of the many tendus they have done not really knowing what was the point.
Some children might realise that dance is not for them after a while, and that is also okay!
This a world full of instant gratification, which is not helping children deal with emotions like frustration or anger.
Dance is one option that presents, once again, an opportunity for self-regulation (while also taking care of your body, which LOVES to move).
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