Competition
In every dance company’s business plan, the tough decision to or not-to compete presents itself. For most companies, it’s easy…. compete!! And why not? The world is all competition, so why not make dance a competitive environment as well? And that is absolutely fine…. for them. For MGM, we have decided to take another look at competition and go in a different direction. It is not new news that almost everything a child is involved in is competitive. From school classes, to after school activities, to challenges with siblings at home; the world is definitely a competitive place. But in our small corner of the world, we have now decided to be a competition-free environment. There are many factors to consider when competing, and while the caliber of our students and curriculum of technique and stage presence would surely land us gold, as it has in the past, we want at least one place our students can go where there is no pressure to “be the best on a judged stage”. Be yourself, enjoy yourself, learn lots of things that you will take with you for the rest of your life; make friends you will never have to compete against, just for a place in the spotlight.
But also know, it’s not just the emotional stress factor of competing we have considered, there are tremendous costs associated with competing in the arenas worth competing. While there are dozens and dozens of small-town competitions out there, the big ones are expensive, far away, and require tons of rehearsal time, fund raising efforts, costuming, travel, competition fees, etc. We have not only recognized the hardship of competition on small children, but on parents as well. Sometimes, you just can't, and we understand. Are there small local competitions? Yes of course, but some things are not worth doing for just a small trophy. We help our students understand that through something a little different at MGM…
While we no longer compete against other companies or each other at MGM, we encourage our students to compete against themselves…. and we do this through a process we call “Personal Casting”. Through our elaborate, story-themed performances, we need to place our students in roles that best suit them. There are two methods we consider when we watch our students in class and cast our story. Through “Personal Casting”, we will either cast a student through “Type Casting” – the skills they exhibit are a perfect match for the role. Or “Education Casting” – a student is a beautiful graceful dancer, but struggles with demonstrating power and speed. This student would be cast in a role that involves powerful, strong dancing and acting. This casting is educational – it helps to create a very well rounded dancer.
So yes, we decided not to compete on a judged stage anymore, but we do help our students compete with themselves to become the best, most well-rounded, educated dancer THEY can be. Then, at the end of the year, the one student who has achieved that goal above and beyond all expectations is awarded with an annual trophy in front of the whole MGM Dance community and receives a full year’s tuition to Ballet 21 to continue to foster his/her dance growth.
But also know, it’s not just the emotional stress factor of competing we have considered, there are tremendous costs associated with competing in the arenas worth competing. While there are dozens and dozens of small-town competitions out there, the big ones are expensive, far away, and require tons of rehearsal time, fund raising efforts, costuming, travel, competition fees, etc. We have not only recognized the hardship of competition on small children, but on parents as well. Sometimes, you just can't, and we understand. Are there small local competitions? Yes of course, but some things are not worth doing for just a small trophy. We help our students understand that through something a little different at MGM…
While we no longer compete against other companies or each other at MGM, we encourage our students to compete against themselves…. and we do this through a process we call “Personal Casting”. Through our elaborate, story-themed performances, we need to place our students in roles that best suit them. There are two methods we consider when we watch our students in class and cast our story. Through “Personal Casting”, we will either cast a student through “Type Casting” – the skills they exhibit are a perfect match for the role. Or “Education Casting” – a student is a beautiful graceful dancer, but struggles with demonstrating power and speed. This student would be cast in a role that involves powerful, strong dancing and acting. This casting is educational – it helps to create a very well rounded dancer.
So yes, we decided not to compete on a judged stage anymore, but we do help our students compete with themselves to become the best, most well-rounded, educated dancer THEY can be. Then, at the end of the year, the one student who has achieved that goal above and beyond all expectations is awarded with an annual trophy in front of the whole MGM Dance community and receives a full year’s tuition to Ballet 21 to continue to foster his/her dance growth.
