Finding the Love for ALL Styles of Dance this Valentine’s Day
February is always a time for love! And focusing on what you love the most feels good, but when it comes to dance styles, we don’t always share the love with every style out there. Contemporary is the cool kid, always asked to the dance and has their choice of a date. But Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Lyrical end up sitting in the corner, not getting as much attention, and looking longingly at Contemporary out there on the dance floor. This Valentine’s Day, show every style some love!
Being a well-rounded dancer is key to a long life in this industry. Being exceptional at one thing, sure, but being great at many things, that is the ticket! A plumber doesn’t go to school and comes away only being able to unclog a toilet. They also can plumb pipes, install a garbage disposal, and more plumbing specific things that are relevant to this argument. When it comes to dance, although one style might be our favorite, we must show the love to all the styles equally.
Dancing our favorite style of dance feels good. And who doesn’t want to feel good? But growth happens in the uncomfortable and the awkward. If we all walked around doing only the things we were good at and knew how to do, we would be extremely limited. Trying out every style, and failing, yes failing at it will teach you more about yourself, dance and the discipline.
Dance can never be perfected, it is a constant journey, another class, a new teacher, and more choreography. When you take a class not in your preferred style, you would be amazed at what it opens up inside you. Tap is often the first style let go. It’s hard, intricate, and doesn’t always feel good. When money or schedules are tighter, tap is the first style dropped. It is so unfortunate when it can offer you so much as a dancer. Rhythm is not something we all intrinsically have, or timing. But tap teaches us this over time. Settling into rhythms, finding the pocket of the music, and mastering 16th notes in sounds can only benefit you. Your Tap/Jazz combo class when you were 7 is not enough to sustain you into a career. So often dancers quit the style before it gets really interesting and provides the long term benefits to a dancer.
I encourage everyone to stick it out, keep pushing, and be ok being not good at something. Dance is all about feels, the obvious contemporary and lyrical feels, but also the foot hitting the floor feeling, and the levels you use in Hip Hop without looking at yourself in a mirror. We make decisions on our feelings all of the time. But they are not always right, or informed. Being uncomfortable leads to growth. I guarantee that if something is hard today, it will be easier tomorrow, not perfect, but easier. Perspective can teach us a lot about ourselves and taking a breath, trusting the process and sticking it out can really add to our value. You won’t see the change immediately, you might not even see your change over time, but others will and they will be impressed that you are trying it all, willing to adapt, and pushing yourself into the uncomfortable, because that is where success happens.
Don’t limit yourself to what feels good or looks good. Challenge yourself, prepare yourself and take a class that you don’t normally take or excel at. It will feel weird, and uncomfortable, but I promise you, if you stick it out, the benefits will be overwhelming. I look forward to seeing dancers showing the love to every style that shapes them into the versatile artists this industry needs!
Chris Suchan
Executive Director
Platinum National Dance Competition
Instagram-@suchanchris, @danceplatinumco
TikTok-@danceplatinumco0
Podcast – The Great Dance Debate
