Competition time is really stressful for dance teachers. We have to prepare our kids physically and mentally, check their dance costumes, ensure that they know what to do, make sure that they arrive on time, remember to submit the music CDs etc. If that is not stressful enough, we have to make sure our kids say and do the right things.
As dance instructors we are also educators. It is easy to remind our students, but things can get a little awkward when the culprits are the parents.
Here are some competition etiquette that we preach to our kids and we wish we could remind the parents too.
Keep Quiet if You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say
You know the feeling when you’re watching a singing contest on TV and then comes a contestant who didn’t really impress you. You say things like ‘I can sing better’ or ‘I wonder where this guy gets the courage to join, he’s embarrassing’.
Perhaps you did not pass such judgmental comments but made some mild critiques like ‘this guy has no chance against that guy, it’s a straightforward result’ and then when results are out and your prediction is spot on, you go ‘I told you so’.
You know you do it, we have all done it.
There is nothing wrong with being critical. In fact as instructors, we always train our dance kids to be critical. Sometimes we even let the students be the dance teacher and spot the mistakes for their classmates.
But please understand that being in a competition venue and watching a TV program at home are two different situations. You never know who is standing or sitting next to you. It could be the competitor’s family or friends. You probably don’t want to hear someone say these things about you or your daughter. As tempting as it may be, please control yourselves.
If you do get caught judging other people’s dancing ability, be prepared to be judged on your upbringing.
Do Not Hog
We have once been allocated to a shared changing room only to find that the entire room has been occupied by another dance school. After requesting for a space at the mirror, we were rejected with the reason that they had a lot of people. It was a bad experience and we learned to arrive early in future competitions.
I have seen many competitors arriving early to reserve areas for their friends. Remember, this is not real estate or your private property. Generally we do follow the first-come-first-serve rule, but these things don’t belong to you just because you were the first to arrive.
Open your eyes and be observant to your surroundings. Offer help and give up your seat if you think that there are people who need it more than you do. Remember, sharing is caring. What we do says a lot about our character.
Be it parking lots, changing rooms, toilets, side stage, dance studio or even seats in the theatre. Don’t hog anything.
Be Humble in Victory
It’s nice to win after putting in all that hard work. Who can blame us for getting excited? A little celebration couldn’t hurt, can it?
While there’s nothing wrong with celebrating a victory, we should always be wary of the feelings of the people around us. Celebrations when overplayed can be insensitive and even be deemed as taunting. The last thing we want after a well deserved victory is to be labelled as classless people.
Reciprocate congratulations with thanks. Smile, but don’t go hysterical. Keep it muted and classy, go crazy once you are out of there.
Be Gracious in Defeat
I have once asked the kids how should they react if they don’t win, and I get ‘cannot be upset’ as one of the answers. I get the sense that they know that they should not behave in a negative manner, but they do not really understand why.
Being disappointed and getting upset are emotions that we cannot control. If we truly care about something, we cannot simply tell ourselves not to care and expect ourselves to really ignore it.
On the contrary, I want my students to be passionate and really care about winning. It is a great form of motivation for them to push themselves harder.
Emotions are what we cannot control, but we can control our actions. Go ahead and feel sad, but do not sulk on the stage, do not throw tantrum and make nasty remarks. Applaud the winners and offer them your sincere congratulations. Don’t be a sore loser.
Be a Great Person, Not Just a Great Dancer
We have seen talented dancers with great potential wasted their career because they have a bad working attitude. We have also seen average dancers becoming great teachers such as our chief instructor Terri.
This is a world where ability is only part of the equation of career success. You need to have a great personality and be a likable person to go far.
When people like you, opportunities will come flooding in. On the other hand, if you have a bad reputation, everybody just cannot wait to see you fail. In fact they would actually love to see you fall.
At Taneo Dance Academy, we want our students to be the best versions of themselves. Our priority is always to focus on character building then followed by dancing ability.
We believe that with the right attitude, our students can achieve many great things, and being a good dancer is only one of the many great things. It is definitely not a coincidence that most of our best dancers are also recognized as being outstanding in academic achievements and leadership qualities.
Ren Jie