Spectrum of Risks: Why and how to encourage your students to leave their comfort zone.

Dance Studio Life Magazine, Volume 19, Issue 6, August 2014, p.104-108. 

 During a standard classroom adagio, I hear “Oops!” and “Sorry,” from several of my students. Tongues dart out, lips are bitten, gazes drop to the floor. These signs of discomfort convey how badly they think they are doing a difficult step or exercise. They may think that anything short of perfection is a failure. They may believe they are letting the teacher or their classmates down. What to do about such self-punitive behavior? Establish a “no apologies” policy.

As teachers, it’s our job to make sure students understand that a dance class is process oriented; we expect them to make mistakes. I tell my students they will always make mistakes—what’s key to becoming advanced as dancers is how they respond to those mistakes. Apologizing for reaching too far in a pique is simply not appropriate. That misstep taught that student what her limit is (for the moment)—a valuable lesson she wouldn’t have learned if she’d never tried to step out too far.

Risk taking is essential to development—but only when it’s appropriate, like in the piqué example above. An inappropriate risk, on the other hand, would be practicing knee drops or fouetté turns prematurely, because these moves carry a high possibility of injury.

Teachers must set the boundaries for appropriate versus inappropriate risks. There is a spectrum of appropriate classroom risks, and students should be encouraged to experience both ends, high and low, and to learn to judge which level of risk to take at any given time.

The High End

A traditional pirouette combination is an excellent opportunity for teachers to encourage students to take high-end risks. Explain that hitting a triple and being off the music is an appropriate example of risk. Going for the extra turn and sustaining the ending trumps doing a safe double that’s on the music; because the double doesn’t push them, there is no growth. Pushing for more turns and also nailing the ending may take a student more time to accomplish than the combination allows, but it’s an appropriate level of risk.

Another instance of a good risk is holding onto a piqué arabesque. I encourage the dancers to ride past the musical structure of the combination in order to experience the fullness of their strength and clarify their line. No apology is necessary if other dancers are forced to move around them. We as a class have made a commitment to growth, and we understand that the only way to move forward is to take appropriate risks.

Often these structured risks happen without the confines of music. Having the class perform a combination without music allows them to shape the experience with healthy risks in mind—holding the piqués longer, doing multiple turns, or adding beats to the jumps.

Another way to let students “workshop” specific skills is to give them time between combinations to experiment with how far, or how long, or how many (of whatever the move is) they can do. (Fringe benefit: at such times the dancers don’t feel obligated to apologize for being “off” or for being in the way; this independent work time helps them break the habit). While they work, I scan the studio for something that’s working well and call out, “Yes! Exactly! Now put that element into the combination!”

The Low End

As important as it is to let students push themselves beyond what they are (or think they are) capable of, equally important is the need to hold a student back from specific steps, poses, or classes at times. Stretching sequences are a good example: students who have natural limitations should not try to force themselves to do what others are doing. Encourage such students to take the risk of stopping short of the deepest stretch—the risk is embarrassment, since they’d reveal that they’re not as flexible as others—and hang on to their personal edge. It’s also a risk because they have to practice listening to their own bodies instead of my cues (like forehead to knee in a hamstring stretch).

During stretching sequences, I encourage students to imagine that there are volume controls on my voice and their body. They can take the risk of tuning me out for a few minutes while turning up the volume on their physical sensations. That’s risky for them because dancers are trained to do what the teacher asks. Even if they are not ready or injured, they do it, or try to.  In a traditional class, modifying a movement can feel like a real risk.

Tuning out can also be good in something like chaîné turns. Some students need to tune out the music and tune in to the turns without the music chasing them down the diagonal. I often say the music is simply a suggestion and that the students should try to cultivate a sense of individuality within the chaîné sequence.

Encourage your dancers to know when it’s smarter not to stay on task with the class and to tell you if they plan to make modifications. Having permission from the teacher frees students from getting stuck in a pattern of holding back or pushing too far.

In the fast-paced dance culture, slowing down feels like a real risk. Ask dancers who resist slowing down what’s better: a slow class or an injury? Slowing down is important while recovering from an injury, for example, or to work on fundamentals that will help tidy up the use of the feet or strengthen turnout.

The words I equate with low-end risk are “humble” and “honest.” We must remind students to stay humble to the specificities of their physical bodies and to honor their own process as dancers. Low-end risks can propel us forward. 

 The Middle

On the spectrum of risk, dancers spend much of the time stuck in the middle. It’s safe, and it’s familiar, but it’s not where growth occurs. Risk-taking is a behavior we must encourage, and technique classes are the most appropriate place to push, strengthen, test, and improve in the long term. A combination of taking risks, making mistakes, and holding back is the key to growth.

Here’s a quote (source unknown) to help inspire students to leave the comfortable middle zone:

“Achievement and failure are the ingredients of success.”  

Surveying the spectrum

One end of the appropriate risk-taking scale is not inherently better than the other; students need to assess what they need to do each day in order to improve. One smart reason to take class at the high end of the scale would be to prepare for an audition; conversely, a low-end risk class strategy would be to manage energy for a long day of rehearsals or performances.

If students fall into the trap of thinking they have moved beyond needing the low-end risks or feel like they can’t afford to back off, they will likely face an injury at some point, which will force them to see the benefits of a slow, internal class. Those who have been injured and struggle with risk taking because of fear need encouragement to build trust in their body slowly and appropriately.

 The importance of risk

Risk taking is about building trust in yourself and testing your abilities. Teachers can help students understand the spectrum of risk available to them, and recognize and articulate why a risk is appropriate or not appropriate on a particular day. The culture of the classroom must be positive—without that, many students will remain stuck in the comfortable middle zone.