"I don't need any of this... Or this... Except this. This ashtray is the only thing I need. And that's the only thing I need. Not this or this... The only thing I need is this ashtray... and this paddle game..." - The Jerk
A few years ago, a brand new ballroom dance teacher trainee was in my class asking questions about dancing professionally. After about 10 minutes of Q&A, this lovely newbie said:
"Sounds like all you need is a dress and some choreography."
...
Pretty much.
I'm not sure how anything I said could have been boiled down to that outrageous statement, but it brings up interesting questions.
What makes someone a professional? What makes someone elite? Oh, hell, what makes someone a dancer (using my National Geographic narrating voice)? Besides missing the obvious point that a ballroom dancer needs a partner, did the newbie have it right?
Gross. No.
I have told many students (and myself) that anyone can do the steps. Anyone can put one foot here, the other over there, and then go "bada, buh-da!" (You know you've had that step before.) BAM. There's your choreography.
But then, there's technical skill. If you're learning to dance, you're learning where to put your feet, but more importantly, you're learning HOW to put them there. There's a lot of technical skills a dancer needs to learn and practicepracticepractice. But possessing the proper skill set does not necessarily mean you're dancing.
"The most important thing about technique is... to perform with so much ease that none of the technical difficulties are obvious." - Lois Ellfeldt
"You learn technique so you can hide it." - The G
On top of the choreography and learned skills, a good dancer will place some artistry. At any level of dance- beginning level to current professional champions- bringing your personality and some feelings (hopefully in line with the characteristics of the specific dance you're doing) takes you to closer to "dancing!" ("Acting!"- Jon Lovitz) The Italians have a word that I like at this level - sprezzatura: making something difficult look easy. Awesome.
Another layer of the elaborate cake is the partnership. Clearly, ballroom dancers dance in pairs. It's GOOD when partners match one another in technical skill and/or artistry. It's GREAT when couples have that elusive quality called "chemistry". Maybe it's that they're crazy in love... or crazy in fight. Maybe it's just that both people are truly enjoying themselves. One way or another, the partners are reacting to each other and that's interesting.
The frosting on the cake is always the grooming (yeah, that stupid dress from earlier) and that frosting is so *gosh damn important because it's all people see, until you start moving. You don't want a bad dress/suit to distract from good dancing (but you DO want a GOOD dress to distract from BAD dancing).
Back to the questions:
Q: What makes someone a professional ballroom dancer?
A: Sadly, only saying that you are. There are no tests or prerequisites. Anyone can decide to be a professional at any time and enter into professional events with or without teaching dancing for a living.
But...
Q: What makes someone elite?
A: An elite dancer would be someone who is the best of the best. The professional finalists at the United States Dance Championships, Ohio Star Ball, Holiday Dance Classic, and Emerald Ball? Elite dancers. The professional finalists at small competitions with a straight finals (no semi- or quarterfinals)? Possibly not elite.
Q: What makes someone a dancer?
A: A combination of technical skills and knowledge, artistry, and partnering.
Therefore, the author of this article is a non-teaching professional, non-elite, dancer, by self-definition. How's that for honesty?
You can be elite dancer and still be an amateur. You can be a professional and not be elite. You can be a Dancer without knowing what the hell Bronze is.
What do you want to be?
*This blog has been edited for a PG-13 rating.
