The Funnel

In today’s world of social media and search algorithms, once you signal an interest in a topic, you are recommended more and more about that topic. As a competitive dance parent I follow dance competitions, conventions, studios and dancers. As a result the algorithm suggests the ranting of current and former professional dancers bemoaning the competitive dance environment.

I admit that there is room for improvement in competitive dance, but one topic that gets attention and seems way off base are the rants about competitive dance not mirroring a professional dance experience and not preparing dancers for the world of professional dance. 

Some background for those outside of the competitive dance arena. (Dance competition experts please skip ahead.)

A studio with a competition team will require dancers to audition for a spot of the team where the dancer is placed into competition dance routines covering many dance styles. The dancers take studio technique classes, like ballet, tap, and jazz, but they will also have classes focused on their choreographed competition routines. Competition routines are performed at dance competitions and conventions during the dance season, typically January through July. The routines are adjudicated (scored with points) and then grouped, think gold tier points, silver tier points and bronze tier points, but given fancy labels like diamond, double platinum, and triple gold. The routines are also placed or ranked, 1st through sometimes 20th depending on the size of the competition. The judges are typically former and current dancers/teachers/choreographers who receive judges training by the competition organization, but are not standardized across the competition industry. Dance competitions are weekend events starting as early as Thursday and ending on Sunday. A competition day may start at 8am and end at 10pm. 

And now you are jr. expert in dance competitions, except I left off two major components. The cost…for another musing and the dancer levels.

I am a competition dance parent today, but decades ago, I played sports. I started on the middle school basketball team, later adding track, cross country, tennis to my athletic accomplishments. I was a solid athlete. My efforts helped the team to win meets, games and matches. Way before high school came to end, I knew that I was not going to be a professional athlete and only a few small colleges wanted to know if I had an interest in continuing sport.

What does my middle of the road athleticism have to do with competitive dance? Well at no point during my athletic “career” did anyone tell me that youth competitive sports were ruining professional sports because I wasn’t performing like a professional basketball or tennis player.

Dance is unlike youth competitive sports. In youth sports, your coach or specialty camp coach is unlikely to have reached the level of professional athlete. The funnel to professional athlete is very narrow, so former high school, college and weekend warriors teach youth how to dribble a ball, and shoot from the free throw line.

In dance studios and specialty intensive/convention classes, there is a higher likelihood that the person in front of you is a current or former professional dancer. They have seen things. They know what it is like on the outside. They might think competition is silly and nonsensical. That fancy acrobatic move you have in our routine, well they think that is dumb because no one in the professional world outside of cirque du soleil is doing that. 15 pirouettes, why would you do that? Practicing a routine for six months…no, no, no, we professionals must learn quickly and be ready to perform. Competitive dance is not teaching dancers how to be professional dancers, they say.

Well, I say that is okay. I promise it is. Don’t forget about the funnel professional dancers. Like in youth sports, even the standouts on a competitive dance team will not become professional dancers. 

Let’s circle back to competition levels, but not the part about how unleveling routines allows studios to win more. That too is for another day. Competitions levels allow dancers to compete in levels from beginner to advanced, but just like the adjudication naming, expect the levels to be called caterpillars to butterflies rather than Level 1, 2, 3, 4. Competitions even have categories for dancers with different abilities. Because movement is beautiful (my opinion).

When you love music, moving your body, learning choreography and being on a team, competition dance is available (cost for another musing) whether or not you are on the path to be a professional dancer. Ask seven year old competition dancers if they want to be a professional dancer when they grow up. I’m guessing that most will say yes. Ask a sixteen year old competitive dancer if they want to be a professional dancer after high school, and I’m certain the response is much lower. Just like the youth sports funnel, a person's understanding of their current and potential abilities becomes clearer in their teens, and the scope of your world broadens. Competition dancers who become professional dancers will study and learn what it takes to be a professional dancer. The many other dancers at the top of the funnel will not become professional dancers, but they will continue to dance at social events, recreational classes, and teach youth dancers. Just like we need non-former professional soccer players to teach youth soccer, we need former competition dancers to instill the positive aspects of dance in the next generation, encouraging movement and joy.