A well-rounded dancer by definition (according to AI and other sources) states that said dancer has a well balanced education in technique and exposure to various different styles. They have a diverse background of experience and comprehensive training in many different areas.
While I don’t disagree, I have my own definition of what a well-rounded dancer means…
A well-rounded dancer is one who takes risks. She pushes herself to try styles and combos and skills that intimidate her. She puts herself on that stage in front of her peers knowing that she might fail. She does it anyway.
She knows how to balance fun with seriousness and how to juggle school, friends, church, dance, and chores. With grace.
She has learned how to navigate tricky friendships, frustrating situations, and extreme exhaustion without breaking a sweat.
A well-rounded dancer can throw an aerial, complete a complex turn sequence, and still slip and fall on the simplest pivot turn. But what makes her who she is, is the way she responds in that moment. Being the strong dancer that she is, she will get up, continue dancing, and plaster a sassy smile on her face so bright that you will doubt if the slip even happened.
A dancer who is balanced will have training in ballet, tap, jazz, and countless other dance disciplines. But in my book, this dancer has also been taught the art of compassion for the dancer who forgets her routine on stage. She has true excitement for her friends who out score her, and she exudes patience and positivity when costumes, choreography, and scores don’t turn out the way she imagined.
A dancer’s empathy and attitude are as important as her technique and execution in my book. Perfect pirouettes will only get you so far in life. But perseverance in hard times? That will serve you well. Being able to improvise when life throws unexpected circumstances your way? That is a life skill.
A well-rounded dancer knows that you don’t always get to choose the music, but you can ALWAYS influence the dance. You can dance a song with enthusiasm that infects others, or you can be a negative pull that draws others around you down into a well of black.
A well-rounded dancer is a role model for her younger peers. She encourages and sets a good example not only in dance form but in life skills.
A dancer who has a diverse background knows that everyone on that stage is equally as important as she is. Every moment of the song needs every dancer on the stage to be perfect. It doesn’t matter if you are in the front, in the back, in the lift, or running for your life behind the backdrop to hit your spot on the other side of the stage. You. Matter.
A well-rounded dancer never places blame and always assumes that every team member is pulling their weight. The dance depends on the trust of everyone to do their job, and this dancer places her trust in her friends. She knows that everyone is doing their best, and their best is always enough.
As the dance year ends, I urge every dancer parent to look at the “real stuff.”
Look at the stuff that matters. I beg you.
And then, build that up in your dancer. I promise you, dancers who know that their worth lies in attributes outside of competition accolades are worth their weight in gold. These dancers truly understand the value in being a well-rounded dancer.
As this dance year winds down and I watch my dancer on the recital stage, I will sit back and enjoy the show because I know without a doubt that my dancer daughter has spent another year learning what it truly means to be a well-rounded dancer. For this, I will be eternally grateful, for she has learned skills on this stage that will create a future filled with possibilities.
Be grateful, water your own grass,
…and drink coffee.