Getting picked out.

I’ve had so many dance parents message me to write an article on this, and it’s a tricky one to fully articulate because there are so many sides to it.

A teacher or workshop leader will likely pick people out at the end of class to get video footage to post on their socials to promote themselves, the event or the dancer. On paper that makes total business sense until the water gets murky because the people being filmed are mainly kids so there is some power/ego element to this, the people picking out are choosing, possibly, the people that they know rather than the best in class which then leads parents to ‘workshipping/stalking/signing up to everything’ just to get their kids picked out, 1/3 of the class is spent filming with sometimes dancers watching others (which is a great source of inspiration don’t get me wrong) rather than actually dancing.

I don’t really pick people out at workshops that I teach, if you are doing your best who am I to decide if that’s better or worse than anyone else on the class, but on the odd occasion I have done the above. And I want to put a different view point on it, so that this picking out thing isn’t so bad.

I would most likely choose someone I knew to demonstrate the choreography because I know they won’t crack under pressure, it won’t effect their confidence if it goes wrong, I possibly mentor them and want to give them a little boost. I might have taught this dancer at events for the last 4 years and seen their improvement. I also love to meet new dancers and often if you’re the one in the room doing it exemplary, then I wanna know who you are! I personally don’t do this often, because I see the disappointment in the faces around the room when you don’t pick them, you see dancers preempt what’s going to be done so automatically put less effort in, as it’s always the same algorithm, you see kids who feel the pressure to be at the top completely crumble when they get once again pedastooled. It may also be contraversial to write this, but I’m honest. I teach all levels, but my open workshops are levels of dancers who don’t always have the confidence to do the ‘famous’ workshops. There’s many more dancers in that area of standard than there is at the very top, I want to keep the doors open to them and make my space inviting and my business thriving. My EliteSs is different completely but it’s sold as different. I also only have 1 assistant (at a time) they’re there to assist, not demonstrate so it’s not like I have a tribe of kids wearing my tshirt in my open class to dance it at the end.

An April Fools’ Day post by New York’s Steps on Broadway caused a stir even though it was a fake announcement that all filming in classes was banned. When dancers pushed back, the studio clarified it was a joke, sparking a massive community debate about filming in dance classes which has since created spotlight and non spotlight classes where you can be sure there isn’t filming.

As ever it’s not what the world is doing that’s completely bad, it’s the way that the world is doing it. I don’t actually think some teachers realise there’s any effect on the back line when the picking out or filming happens , if the selection process is fair which it is in some places, then being the back line and working hard to get picked out is such a great learning curve. Because in all honesty as much as in the world today everyone gets a certificate, I think it’s great to strive to be the best and fail sometimes. BUT if your someone creating a new event, or starting out in the teaching world, or been doing this circuit a long time and really want to shake up the status quo. I recommend two ways to have the kids leaving your classes buzzing. Firstly, lengthen the class by 15 mins and film everyone, you might not post it but they will.

Secondly, wanna do small groups? Give the offer than you want three kids to do it - let whichever 3 kids that step forward do it, then choose your 3. Autonomy is important.

And just a little note for the kids that don’t get picked out. As a pro dancer in class in London, I was never in the select group, but then one day I went to a new teachers class and she didn’t know the algorithm of who was top and middle, bottom - she picked me out, it was wild card. She’s now one of the most sort after London choreographers, I still work for her. Exposure and being known is going to help for sure, but being the hardest worker in the room, with resilience and trust in your own skills is what’s gonna take you the furthest.