MICHIGAN DANCE CHALLENGE: OBSERVATIONS OF A NEOPHYTE

Last night Joni and I attended the 2013 Michigan Dance Challenge.  This event is sanctioned by the NDCA (National Dance Council of America) and is a part of the World Pro-Am DanceSport Series.  In a word…  WOW!  Or perhaps… INCREDIBLE!  I forgot INSPIRING.   That’s three words isn’t it?  It really was a wonderful evening as we watched Pro-Am couples dance their way across the floor. 

I was fascinated by the technical expertise demonstrated.  With each dance, I found my attention drawn to particular couples.  It seemed impossible to take my eyes off of them.  I know that it is absurd to think this, but along with the Professional Judges, each of them with long and envied Dance Resumes, the event organizers should include one judge that knows very little about the intricacies of the Tango, or the Foxtrot, or any other of the Standard dances.  They should include a judge whose only interest is, “Which couple is so much fun to “watch” that you can’t “not” watch them.  That couple should get extra points!   Call them “Spectator Points”.  Or… “A Pleasure to Watch Points”.

Among my many observations, however, there is one that I would like to note above the rest.  But first a little background info…

Over the years I have had the opportunity to work as a Music / Drama / Speech Coach.  Some of our students have advanced to National Competitions.   We have spent hours and hours working with students as young as 7 yrs old (he won “Best is Michigan” in his event), to High School Seniors (some of which likewise won “Best in Michigan”).  One of the things that is hardest to accomplish is perfecting a speech or dramatic presentation and then delivering it during a competition without it looking rehearsed.  

This is what I noticed most among the many dancers.  They were all great.  It was obvious that they had spent many long hard hours in the Dance Studio.   They had all paid the obligatory dues necessary to compete at this level. I’m sure that they had the tired sore muscles to prove their worthiness.  I’m very sure that their wallets were much lighter, their bank accounts much less, as a result of the hours of lessons provided by some of the finest instructors.  However, some were able to make it look “unrehearsed”.

Some had the ability to smile a smile that looked sincere, heart felt, genuine.  Some looked like they were having fun.  And… again and again I found myself unable to stop watching them.   They were simply a joy to watch.  Even in a dance like the Tango, the “intensity” of their expression, their Tango face, even though I knew that it was not, looked real.  I knew they were playing a part in a drama that had been rehearsed a thousand times before, yet they somehow made it look as if was the first time.  The “heel lead” pursuit… the “turn of the head” rejection… they made it feel real.   

I suppose the thing that made this really apparent was that among the many dancers, some were incapable of making this “fresh / unrehearsed” quality happen.  As a result, their inability made those that could pull it off really stand out.  Those who came out of their “game face” after their hurried “bow” at the end of a particular dance seemed in that moment to be all the more obvious.  Some looked perfect and perfunctory.  Others looked as though they were having fun.  And on my Judges Scorecard… Perfunctory = Minus Points.  Fun = Extra points!