Don’t force it, or Top-Down Approach

She once was asked to join a dance company. Apparently it is a place where passionate dancers get together and do these amazing performances! Or so they would like it to be. Actually, it was their promotional video that sold her on joining this dance company (if it is on YouTube — it must be true, right?).

After some time with the company things became very clear — the company wants to be called a “Dance Company”, they think they do dance performances but in reality the majority of people are not dancers nor do they really want to dance, be dancers, live in a dance.

Dancing was becoming popular and being a dance company that does performances sounds hip and trendy. “Alright chaps, do we have people that can swing side-to-side or at the very least move their feet in a motion resembling a dance?” — asked someone above… “Positively, mate! And even more so — we should call them all dancers and get ourselves some choreographers. It will be great!”

One thing they forgot was to ask, those who didn’t mind an occasional party, if they in-fact want to be dancers… And so it began — the waltz of assumptions, expectations, resistance and dysfunction.

People got told that from now on they will be called dancers and there will be now expectations of putting on exciting performances. The dancers hoped that “it shall pass” but then choreographers showed up and started teaching routines that are based on the notion that “we are a dance company and that we are here because we all love to dance, want to dance and get better at it”.

Naturally dancers started asking questions like “Why are you here, choreographer? I did not sign up to be a dancer, I didn’t ask for anyone to teach me routines and help me grow, so why should I?”

And they are right. They did not naturally progress and grow that desire to become dancers, they were told to be dancers. And if there is no passion for dancing — no amount of choreographers will make them in to a word class dance company.

Surround yourself with people who want to be dancers driven by passion and supported by those above who share the love of dancing and believe in the beauty of dance. Only then you should enlist help of choreographers to guide and streamline that love in to a wonderful dance.