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Samantha brown
Mat Wenzel
ENC2135
11 July 2017
Artistry Dance Alliance
A fellow peer asked me “ what describes you?” My instant response to her question was “dance.” I grew up in a small town and all there was to do was dance. I grew up loving dance and later started to share my love for dance at a studio where I experienced my peers and teachers passion. I knew that moving cities would be quite an adjustment and I would love to stay involved in a dance community. When I was searching for a new dance studio to join I stumbled across Artistry Dance Alliance. Artistry has three different studios and is home to about 150 passionate dancers. It truly has already become my home in such a short period of time. Artistry offers a variety of classes to dancers ages 2-19. I am mostly involved with the awkward but adorable dancers around the ages of 6-12 but these dancers are easily conformed and have a hunger to grow in dance. Dancers join the Artistry movement with high hopes of absorbing new styles and technique from credible instructors while maintaining a procedure for each class. Class structure is crucial in aiding children to learn to dance in a group setting.
Logan Tharpe, a spirited and independent businesswoman owns Artistry Dance Alliance. Logan Tharpe grew up in Tallahassee and is a Florida State University Alumni. During her college years Logan taught dance at her home studio and later became a Golden Girl at Florida State. After graduating with her degree in Recreation Management, Logan and her Husband, Scott, moved to a Jacksonville in their early twenties “to see what was beyond Tallahassee” (Logan Tharpe). She stated in her interview that being employed at a small and developing studio that she was able to impact as opposed to an established studio benefitted her. Logan later returned to Tallahassee in hopes of carrying out her dream of opening her own studio. At the young age of twenty-nine Logan created Artistry Dance Alliance in north Tallahassee. Logan is most likely my biggest inspiration. She gives her students new and exciting ways to learn while expanding their knowledge about dance and allows dancers to find who they are. Over the years of Logan teaching, she has created a new way to teach dance. I was lucky enough to learn from Logan and have created my own way to teach dance.
Teaching dance means teaching, “taking action in the space between the familiar and the unknown, and experiencing, testing, and analyzing the present climate, detecting and acting upon the present conditions while recognizing the ways that tradition and history mark and shape individual choices.” (Chavasse) Teaching dance is my favorite job, although it is not a simple job. My job is to teach the dancers that they may not always be comfortable and they may be forced to take a step outside of their box to grow as an artist. As a dance teacher, I want to expand my student’s knowledge and push them harder and harder each class. The only way for the dancers at Artistry to benefit from my classes is for me to maintain a log of what we work on in class and what I want to work on in future classes. I create new class notes for each class. It allows me to feel confident in the movements and skills we are working on. “I feel most comfortable in front of a class when I’ve thought through what I’m going to do.” (Suzanne) When creating my notes, I generally start the season with teaching the basics. Since the dancers I teach are young, I have to start them out with basics and then expand on that skill each class while adding a variety of technique. Nichelle Suzanne also mentions the importance of discussing the skill that the dancers are working on. To attain a young dancers attention, I have to keep them involved the whole hour that I work with them. “Part of the motivation and challenge for me as a teacher, is to negotiate and embrace the challenges that arise and reflect on a myriad of possibilities/solutions from week to week” (Chessman) This quote shows the importance of having notes of each class so I am able to reflect back on prior weeks to assure my dancers are always effectively training harder than the week before. Being able to teach dance keeps me on my toes and forces me to have quick reflexes.
The dancers do pretty well with the class structure that I have created for them. As soon as our dancers walk through the doors of the studio into the lobby, they know they have to pull their hair back out of their face and also put their designated shoes on for the specific class they are taking. When they walk into the studio, each class starts with a deep stretch. This stretch takes about 15-20 minutes and we try to stretch and warm up our whole bodies before beginning our training. After our group stretch, I have the dancers warm up their core muscles by doing planks for around three minutes or we do a series of crunches to assure their core will be engaged during class. I teach a variety of classes, so depending on the class the following 35-40 minutes is subject to change. My jazz class for example would typically go across the floor first to get all of the ‘sillies’ out of them. They do their silly walks all the way across the floor and then I begin with technical training. In a contemporary class though we may start with a five to ten minute improvisation game. Contemporary is my favorite style of dance and my love for contemporary dance allows me to have fun with this class and let everyone’s bodies roam freely throughout the room. Many people would think that allowing children to move freely throughout the room might cause chaos. Yet, this chaos has somewhat of a structure. “Social competence is intimately linked with children’s behavior problems”(Lobo and Winsler). Allowing the dancers to dance along side of their peers, they are forming bonds that many people don’t get to experience. These dancers involvement includes directs contact, counter balance and supporting someone else’s physical weight. These dancers are able to get to know their peers in a complete different way. The dancers share a similar passion for dance and show up ready to learn with their best friends by their sides. Finding a passion and sharing that passion with a diverse group of people is extremely satisfying and necessary for children in this pre adolescent stage.
Creating friend groups within school is vital for children’s growth and development, but finding an artistic or physical outlet is even more important. “The role of fitness in physical education programs perhaps has never been more important than it is today” (Sluder, et al). The using sports education to teach autonomy also doesn’t fail to mention the amount of kids that are over weight. (The amount of kids that are obese today is more than ever) These children should be involved with some kind of sport to increase the amount of activity they do daily. Being involved in a sport or organization allows for kids to create friend groups with similar interest.
The use of improvisation allows kids to express their definition of creative dance and this activity builds self-confidence. Creative dance is defined as the interpretation of a child's ideas, feelings and sensory impressions expressed symbolically in movement forms through unique uses of his/her body (Dimondstein, 1971). The lack of being told exactly what to do allows the dancers to make independent decisions. This type of structure is completely different from the one that would be enforced in a school type environment. In school, children are told to sit, learn this specific way, and do only blank at a certain time. Which, in many cases is exactly what children need but, in dance or any type of sports, children are given a structure to allow them to be able to think independently. Although, I am a dancer and personally believe dance allows children to fully express themselves. Yet , football, Art, soccer, Baseball, and all other sports and activities allow children to think independently about their actions and how they may affect their team members as well. “Dancing is a popular form of physical exercise and studies have shown that dance can decrease anxiety, increase self esteem and improve psychological wellbeing.” (Maraz et. Al.) Allowing dancers to express themselves in a controlled environment allows the dancer to gain confidence.
Children grow up with a schedule and should be introduced to a certain standard to uphold at a young age. Within Artistry’s dance community there is a unique structure in each class that plays an important role in how the studio runs. Mrs. Tharpe, the owner of Artistry Dance Alliance, explains that she strives for a certain type of instructor to teach for her studio to maintain the required structure. Logan states, “I look for strong work ethic, passion, responsible people so I don’t have to dictate what they do, while also looking for someone who is pleasant and wont upset any parents or dancers.” All of the instructors at Artistry come to class with a detailed plan of action and a smile on their face. Structure within the studio is extremely important as to be able to allow kids to learn in a controlled and healthy environment.
Acknowledging children so they feel as they have a voice within their community is crucial. The dancers at Artistry enjoy coming to class and enjoy working with their teachers along side of their peers. Logan Tharpe stated in her interview that, “our focus is on an individual dancer opposed to the studio as a whole. The individual journey of each dancer compared to a team success is important in the child’s individual growth. We treat dance as a sport.” The sport of dance is ever changing, and in the same way artistry encourages students to reach outside of their box. Allowing the focus to be on the individual dancer allows the student to grow. If you place stress on the group as a whole, you may only be as strong as your weakest team member. Logan also mentions, “every dances has their own artistic journey to travel, and we aim to help each dancer recognize his or her own dream.” Dancers at artistry have a studio designated to them, allowing the dancer to come and grow socially and technically as people and dancers. Instructors use a variety of methods to focus on the growth of individual dancers. One of my favorite activities is an activity called improvisation. This activity allows the individual dancer to “feel the music” and dance how they see fit to the music chosen by the instructor. The dancers love showing their passion and speaking their minds without actually speaking at all.
Artistry Dance Alliance promotes unity, self-expression, individualism, and a strong technical foundation. Logan strives to find a variation of artists to teach for her that express certain unique qualities and can help to achieve her goals for the studio. Artistry is where I want to be to expand and share my knowledge of dance. With the guidance of Logan Tharpe I will be able to improve the quality of my notes and my teaching skills. With the use of a strong class structure and incorporating the standard placed on me by Logan, I believe the dancers at Artistry will flourish. Being involved in a dance community allows children to express themselves without the use of words. Dancers at Artistry are encouraged to let the music move them while following a structure placed on each class and provided for the growth of each individual student. “We provide a whole experience where a student can express themselves artistically, develop technically, learn responsibility and work ethic, maintain an athletic regiment, and feel at home while doing it” (Logan Tharpe.) This quote shows the true value that Artistry Dance Alliance provides for children to express themselves completely with the use of strong and empowered teachers and a class structure.