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Well, it's that
time of year again. Time for the Academy awards. Again,
another year when the judges will have to decide who
is the best of the best. I love to watch the Oscars,
even if I haven't seen all the movies. I enjoy watching
people be recognized for achieving their dreams, and
doing it at the top of their game!
It's really not much different from
our own business. Ballroom dance stars are not making
the big bucks quite yet and maybe there is no need
to have your own personal agent and your hand certainly
won't cramp up any time soon from signing all those
autographs but hey, it still has that Hollywood feel
none the less. I hope in our never ending pursuit
in gaining recognition as a sport we never lose the
glamour and glitz that our dance world has to offer.
My favorite part of the Oscars are
the speeches (no surprise there). Other than the usual
thanking of Mom and Dad for having me, it's always
interesting to see who the star feels is responsible
for helping to get them on that stage. Which gets
me to thinking...if I were to receive a dance Oscar,
who would I thank? Who do I think is responsible for
helping me to succeed in this crazy, ever-changing
business? It would be so easy to come up with a list
longer than Julia Roberts dress.
There are so many people that influence
our careers in so many ways, one of them being a good
coach, a coach who gives more than just a lesson.
One mistake I have seen dancers make is when they
try to work with too many coaches. They think, "If
we can get as many lessons from as many coaches as
possible, then we will be able to please them all"!
I know this is not a good idea. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.
If there is anything that will take you in the wrong
direction, it would be this. As the old saying goes:
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
I do think you should have more
than one coach, however. The idea is to find the perfect
blend of a few coaches that work for you. One coach
may be the right person to work with, right before
competition. They are your pumper upper! They get
you believing in yourself and are good at getting
you to dance at your highest and most confident level.
You definitely need a coach that
you can depend on to develop your technique and increase
your dance knowledge. Not always the most exciting
lessons, but the pay off is big, big, big! Remember,
knowledge is power and they are there to get you to
understand how and why it works the way it does.
Another type of coach that is a
must is your creative coach. They are good choreographers
and are driven to help their couple with expression,
personality and appeal. They love to shape and mold
and create the whole winning package and if they believe
you're it, you're lucky to have them!
Stay away from prima donna coach.
They will tell you to work with nobody else but them.
They are going to handle all of the above aspects
of your dancing. Personally, I can only think of a
few coaches who probably have the ability to do this.
Thankfully, there are not a lot of prima donna coaches.
A good "main" coach should also be your
advisor. They will recommend other coaches that they
feel would benefit you and your dancing. They should
have a good idea of who you should go to for hairstyles
and costumes etc... but they don't claim to know it
all. If they do........RUN!
We may never make it to the
stage at the Academy Awards but someday, hopefully,
you will look back at your list of coaches and other
important people in dance and be thankful for how
you were guided and that you had them in your dance
education years. I know I am!
Dan
Messenger
03-26-2001
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