For Parents: Reframing Levels

Specificity principle (what?)

Specificity principle: it matters what variable we are manipulating: tension, endurance, heart rate, speed; and it's important to know how to use these variables to achieve the best outcome.

When an instructor or coach works with a student to bring them to the next level, they work within specific parameters set by both the student's natural pace and their current ability. No one can skip steps, not even if the student is a quick study or naturally gifted. Proper pacing is critical in growth, and here is where emotional intelligence and maturity can serve

The idea that there must be a level of mastery before progression boils down to quality.

Speeding through a lesson, no matter what is being learned, can result in sloppy work and gloss over the deeper understanding of the content. Imagine a student in school being allowed to speed through a lower-level math problem, and then be faced with more complex problems in any branches of math. They would panic, because they do not hold the skills required.

Taking your time is necessary if you want to achieve mastery of even the smallest skill, and spectators (whether they are experts or not) know when something is not performed correctly. So why are parents so eager for their children to hurry up and advance in dance?

Levels in ballet: the visual aspect

Ballet curriculums, such as those seen in the Royal Academy of Dance and Vaganova methodologies, require an exam prior to a student progressing to the next level. In the Royal Academy of Dance curriculum, dress code is based on class level to easily identify students. It also provides a goal for students to reach.

I am certain there are parents out there who hear about this and feel that this visual separation of levels is hard on the student's esteem while not considering it as a badge worn for achieving mastery of skills.

To see a lower-level class, in any activity, and say that your child is better than that level, or should be placed higher, is reducing that child's opportunity to master the knowledge gained in that level.

Once that child is placed higher, it is assumed they are proficient in the skills in the prior level. What if they're not? That's a lot of unnecessary anxiety created for what appears to be at the whim of ego. So, why rush it?

Placing focus on earning into a level will provide the pathway for a healthy mindset that allows your child to learn how to pace themselves and spend time in the moment, which is known to reduce anxiety in kids and teens.

Physiological changes in dance

A reminder that...

An increase in physical ability comes from loading the body's frame properly so that muscular strength and cardiopulmonary endurance advances over time. Same goes for stretching.

But, "over time" is concept that is not appreciated the way it should be. For instance, if your friend went to the gym for the first time (ever), and automatically reached for a kettle bell because they saw someone on social media do some tricks with it... would you feel compelled to help your friend?

What if your friend went to the gym, for the first time ever, and told you they were never going back because they were sore for two weeks. Would you feel compelled to talk them out of quitting?

Dance is the same. It's not that you won't get there; it's that you should not expect to already be there before you have trained up to that level. No one should quit just because they learned that they aren't yet at that level. Knowing where we are in a skill is what should motivate us because it is the only way we will become great at something.

And, don't trust social media posts. They are curated. Tricks with kettle balls should never be attempted (most tricks in dance on Bosu balls shouldn't either, and overstretching on yoga blocks do long-term damage to the knee capsule and hip sockets).

When the load on the body is performed with the proper effort, which is why dance technique is important, changes take place that provide the brain-body connection to sync up and perform with proper timing, technique, flexibility, and strength.

Mastery before progression

Dancing one or two hours a week is not going to create the overload needed to progress quickly. So, if your child wants to move up in dance, I recommend partnering with them and assist with reasonable goal setting based on the pace they set when talking about maximizing their effort.

I am always interested in helping people continue their dance development, because oftentimes dance is what starts children off to a strong start when it comes to a lifetime or moving and working out, which benefits their physical and mental health. You can email me at continuousdancetraining@gmail.com for support, resources, or help with evaluations.

- Laren