Many parents wonder…. Does my child do well in dance? What level will they be in next year? What should we do this summer? – Well…. We ask these questions too! And, now is the time that we begin to work on those answers for you. Wow – REALLY – that’s another blog post for sure. But, to get us all on the same page – these assessments are ONE of the ways in which we can measure, and analyze.
Each year, in January/February, SCCDT is getting ready for our “check up” in dance.
Just like in school, we give a dance test on technique, musicality and performance quality for our dancers, teachers and the studio as a whole. Our yearly assessments help us to raise technique levels, and make us aware of things we are doing well, and things we need to work on, in all genres – ballet, contemporary and tap.
Each class level has set routines and exercises from the International Dance Acclaim and the Adapt syllabus. Both of these organizations have international standards of technique and artistry which are built in to the SCCDT syllabus so that our students can strive to meet these standards each year.
We are so incredibly blessed to have an accountability to someone beyond our studio walls, someone who observes the dance world beyond South Carolina and can check the SCCDT pulse in how we are “measuring up” in our art form. This year, The International Dance Acclaim judge, Rebecca Tsivkin will be coming to judge our IDA Awards in ballet this year. (Feb 2/3) We are so thankful she is coming!
Our visit from Ms. Tsivkin is exciting – and makes us a little nervous. Come on… we want to do well, and show our best work. – and, that’s precisely why it’s nice to have her come. Her visit gives us that extra “push” to try once more and not give up. It is a deadline and a day to look forward to.
The IDA awards program allows our studio to provide a wonderful “stepping stone” approach to technique and it gives our dancers the chance to work on perfecting steps and patterns which are age and level appropriate.
Not all of our students will participate in the awards day (because of schedules, interest, etc) but all of our students will be individually assessed so that we can finish the year strong.
Each level in our school has a specific set of exercises that need to be mastered before a student progresses to the next level. At least 2 exercises will be danced in duets or trios, and 1 dance is presented as a solo. Even our dancers who are 5 and 6 years old have a solo dance to perform for us, giving all of our dancers a sense of accomplishment.
There is an awareness that comes when a dancer realizes that they need to learn a dance to do alone, rather than as a group. It helps them to take ownership of their dancing, and work toward improvement.
So, we don’t know the answer to the question of levels for 2018-2019 yet, but we will make our recommendations known at the end of this school year😊
But, also, it’s important to remember — Dance is a performing art – it isn’t just about technique. Not only do we remember steps, and execute them with the correct musicality and technique, we are also asked to show emotion through our movement. A dancer who can dance from their heart, is so beautiful to watch!! And, as Christians, we definitely have something to dance about!! – And THAT is another blog post as well!
Here’s a video of the wonderful International Dance Acclaim program.
We are looking forward to you coming Rebecca Tsivkin! (She will be presenting the awards and medals to each student)
We love IDA! The program has really been a boost to increasing the quality of our dancing and the confidence of our dancers.