Dance Ethnography

Every year at my dance studio during the summer, there is a recital. A recital is a dance performance that let’s younger, aspiring dancers have the professional experience in front of a crowd. It is showing what they have learned over the year, all choreographed into one number. Many people do not understand why we go through all of this training multiple times a week, only to perform a minute long number and leave. I cannot exactly answer that question for others, but I know why I do it. I do it because it has become a part of me, a way of life. Since I was a toddler I’ve been backstage, onstage, and everywhere in between. For a dancer, the performance at the end is why you do all of the conditioning and technique. All of the dedication and

We are constantly performing no matter what time of year, no matter what day. We devote everything to choreography and performances. What it means to be on a competition team, is devotion to whatever you are doing, and nothing can stop you. Once starting in a dance competition group, there is no backing out. Right off the bat choreography must be learned because the group has to compete in the next three weeks. Coming into a competition class, technique has to be perfect because there is no time to stop the choreography and learn new technique. The dance instructor may say to take either a ballet class or a plain old technique course. Once the choreography is all done and perfected, it’s time for the performance. The first one is usually in the town you live in. There will be judges there judging the whole group based on everything. When I say everything, I mean from your facial expressions, to technique, to the whole routine. If the group gets 1st through 3rd they can go to State. This means the group works on another choreography and compete in a different state. Again, if the group ranks 1st through 3rd, we get to go to another state. Now if the group ranks high at this last competition, the team can go to Nationals. Nationals is a place where highly talented dancers go to compete. The judges are usually more exacting in your performance. If the team rank 1st through 5th here, depending on how large the competition is it might be 10th, the group goes home with a trophy and an insanely huge