Icks and Green Flags in Dance!

My Dance Icks & Green Flags 💚🚩

Every dancer has them… those little things in the dance world that make you think “please, just no!” 😂

In this episode of Amy Greaves: The Real Dance Chat, I’m sharing my biggest dance icks and green flags.

What makes a dance school feel like somewhere you belong? What instantly gives you the ick? And what are the green flags that tell you you’re in a genuinely great dance environment?

🎧 Listen now and see how many of my dance icks and green flags you agree with!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hey guys, and welcome back to the real dance chat with me, Amy Greaves. Today it's a solo episode, and I'm gonna show you well rather tell you my three ic in dance, but to balance it out, I'm gonna also be talking about my three green flags that I'm super happy about that's happening right now in the dance industry. So let's get into it. Number one, dance costumes. So my first ick is when dancers, especially very young dancers, have really inappropriate costumes. I don't understand it. So I don't like the costumes that look like little bikinis and they're popped on like a four or five year old. I just don't think there's any need for it. There are plenty of super cute, age-appropriate costumes out there that I think any little one would look beautiful in. So why are we putting them in barely their costumes and popping them on a stage? Let's stop it right now. The other thing I've seen recently is costumes that are barely there. So if you remember the Sia video chandelier, where the dancer is just in a beige leotard, and at a glance it looks like she's not wearing anything. Um, that's what I've seen lately. I was at a convention and the whole dance group had just beige, just a beige leotard on. That was it, and I just don't get it. Like, why are we trying to make dancers look like they're not wearing anything? They're this group, their dance was amazing, they were very talented, and I can see that the choreography needed kind of a simple outfit, but I don't get why they couldn't have just worn a nice leotard in maybe like a pink or a nice blush colour with some tights on. Actually, my dancers were on after these guys, and my dancers said, Oh, please don't ever put me in that costume, and I absolutely wouldn't because I just think it puts a dancer in a really vulnerable position, um, and I just don't get it. Another thing I've seen as well is an all-in-one cat suit, which is fine, but then with very weird hand prints in places that they just shouldn't be on young children. So I think we need to kind of think and make better choices for dancers. One, are they comfortable in what they're wearing? Two, is it age appropriate? And three, it doesn't need to be for provocative at all. So that is my first ick. Do you agree with me? Let me know. Number two is how dance split dances become very trick-based, and a lot of the guests that I've had on the podcast have have actually said this. Um, sometimes you watch a dance and you don't know what dance style it is, and it's just full of tricks. Now, I have nothing against putting a trick in a dance like a round off, a handspring, whatever. But when it's trick after trick after trick after trick, one your dance loses the emotion, it loses the storytelling, and two, we can't actually tell what dance style it is. And I really think when you've got a beautiful lyrical dance and it's just full filled full of tricks, you're not actually lyrically dancing, you're just doing trick after trick, so it just essentially becomes like a gymnastic routine, which again there's nothing wrong with gymnastics, but if you're meant to be doing lyrical, it shouldn't look like gymnastics. I mean, I even saw a cartwheel in a tap dance the other day, and I was like, No, it's gone too far now. So I think we need to go back to basics and think more about technique because for several reasons. One, if someone isn't very confident with tricks, it really puts them off performing, and you don't have to be amazing at tricks to be a brilliant performer, and number two, we're just losing that emotion and expression from a performer if you're constantly going from trick to trick. So that is ick number two, and then ick number three is why are dancer teachers still leading from a place of fear? So no dancer should be in a class and feel fear. If a child is fearful, scared to put their hand up, scared to ask a question, feels like they're gonna get shouted at, feels like they're gonna get shouted at if they do something wrong. They are not gonna perform to the best, they're not gonna learn to the best. So I think we need to provide a relaxed environment. That doesn't mean there's no boundaries, there's no rules, but a relaxed environment where a dancer feels comfortable and at ease, and they feel like they can openly make mistakes and ask questions. Now, to balance out my ix, I'm gonna give you three green flags which I am loving in dance at the moment. So, number one, links back to my costumes in the ix a little bit. I am so pleased that dance companies are now doing a range of skin colours in things like tights, leotards, and shoes. Why this hasn't happened before and it's taken so long, I do not know. But for example, in shimmer tights for ages there has only been toast or dark toast. Well, there are way more skin variations than two. So the fact that we are now getting tights, shoes, and leotars and things like that to match skin tones and have a range of them is fantastic. And may more dance companies do this, and more dance suppliers please get on board with this. So, number two, how we are seeing more versatility in dance companies. So, at one point, everyone in a dance company would look the same, same height, same look, even the same hair colour sometimes. Now we are seeing, especially in contemporary dance companies, a range of different people, different builds, different ethnicities, different ages, and people with different strengths, and it is honestly refreshing, and it is fantastic. May this continue and may this get even better. And number three, my third green flag, which I am absolutely loving in the dance industry at the moment, is the way dance teachers are becoming more collaborative. There was a time in the dance industry where dance teachers were competing against each other and pitted themselves up against each other. But now I can honestly say I know so many wonderful dance teachers who are collaborative, who are helpful, who are supportive, and that kind of negativity and that kind of worry that a dance another dance teacher is gonna steal your ideas or take your students is finally fading away, and we are learning that together we are stronger, we are better, and we can provide a better dance industry for dancers. So let me know your icks and your green flags. Either leave it in the comments under the podcast, or what about following me at the real dance chat Amy Greaves on Instagram, and you can DM me your icks and your green flags. Have a brilliant day. See you soon.