So, I've been teaching 15 years, and I've dealt with a problems of this nature many times, but none of the normal answers are working this time around. Here's the problem as detailed as I can make it.
Female student, 12 years old. Excels in Hip Hop & Tap. Is now starting to like ballet, and is making some real connections in class.
Problem: openly says she dislikes jazz, puts forth far less effort in jazz classes, and becomes a disruption in jazz classes. She's been taking jazz one year less than hip hop and tap. Main problem is that she's a part of the jazz company and creates disruptions constantly.
Our take: We feel she's uncomfortable in jazz because it doesn't come as easily to her as hip hop and tap do. She has been top of her age group, and higher age groups, at both tap and hip hop for some time, but falls even or just slightly below her age group in jazz. Her ability to process technique seems to be above par, but she lacks the ability to dance stylistically. Her movements in hip hop are clean and precise, in tap her sounds and rhythm are amazing, and even though she has just started ballet she's really connecting the dots of basic ballet.
Jazz... There is some thought that that she dislikes jazz because it does not come easy to her, but I am not sure that sums it all up. Before I taught her, she had broken her wrist falling from either a kick or leap in a jazz class. I think there could be other psychology from old injuries hindering her now. I think the fear of hurting herself again maybe the key to this problem, but she might also not like jazz. She is naturally talented in dance, and her facility offers her the ability to excel where other will not. The most frustrating part is she can easily do the jazz technique if she tried, but doesn't. She simply puts in 1/4 the energy that she would usually use, doesn't try to make corrections, speaks out in class, and creates disruptions. This student is also an attention junkie and loves to be the best, center of attention, most praised, etc. If I thought she was just a bad student I wouldn't write this, but I feel something is holding her back. Any suggestions would be appreciated. She is not an easy one to figure out.
Dan @ Wild Card Dance Co
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I think...let her take her
I think...let her take her own steps and don't push her into "liking" jazz. She excels and is progressing in 3 separate disciplines. This is commendable. She will come to jazz in her own time and need. It doesn't matter at this point what your perceived notions are of her need to "like" working hard in a style. She is developing; opinion, character, thoughts, and constructing her adult self. All expressions of dance are form and formulated, and maybe she is more linear in her understanding of jazz, and more complete in her appreciation/aesthetics of ballet/hip hop/tap. We don't all learn the same way. Have respect for who she is.
I also feel that she has
I also feel that she has painted herself into a corner with tap and hip hop. She's a great student, remembers everything, and is probably looked to almost as a dance captain, so in Jazz she finds herself at a disadvantage because she doesn't have that role. Suddenly she finds herself at or below the level of her other classmates. Now the people that she looks down her nose at, tries to correct, and commonly feels superior to have a one up on her. I feel that is a large part of it. She is also a 12 year old perfectionist and wants to be perfect at everything. She has her good and bad days, but time will tell what will happen.
Ahhh, the perfectionist in a
Ahhh, the perfectionist in a 12 year old! Wow you've got a good puzzle to work out :-) How about some good old psychology lessons? :-) You can tell her that the energy she spends on Jazz will determine if she gets better or not, hinting that disruptions only hurt her getting better as the other students are ahead any way. You know, in a subtle way :-)
That is really strange....the
That is really strange....the fact that she likes everything else and does well in those forms, as well as being the best in the class in the other forms means, as you said, she is craving the attention in the Jazz class as well.
Have you explained to her that a dancers may not like all styles, but should be at least proficient enough pull things off? As for myself I had a student that was disruptive in class, trying to get the attention of everyone. I simply told her "So..im assuming that you are going to pay for everyone to take class." "NO? Why?" She said " Because everyone else has paid to take this class and it seems only fair that that would want to have a moment in class to express and be heard as well." The point was well taken, she distrupted classes a couple of times after that only to be correct and it stopped. I would say try to express to the student that her faults in Jazz dont mean she is a bad dancer, she just needs to find her inner voice. Hopefully this helps :-)
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