Discipline

The above video of the men’s rhythmic gymnastics team from Aomori Universityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeOnt7lwiN0 got me thinking about a topic my partner Calen and I discuss quite frequently and that is discipline. As a dancer, then as a teacher and now as the director of my own training program I have had the experience of learning the art of being disciplined as well as how to teach another the importance of it. We have chosen as artists a very difficult path and it takes a certain level of dedication to continuously make it to the next level. Of late my focus has been on helping dancers not only develop their bodies but to train their minds for the rigorous mental work that is necessary to dance. Just as the world around us has become very divided so has the dance world. Unless you are fortunate enough to be a part of a conservatory program or dance at a studio with a very high caliber of instructor students these days aren’t learning how to push themselves properly. The digital age has invaded dance and with everything else in life being so available a young dancer no longer sees the necessity for training their physical instrument slowly to develop the strength, stamina and yes technique required to not only perform at their highest level but to preserve the only body they will be given. The average studio owner then has a very difficult decision to make in regard to how little or how much they can enforce certain rules of conduct in the classroom. On the reverse side so many people have made such great discoveries in preservation of the body. Exercise forms such as Pilates and the GYROTONIC® methodology are ever more available and really strengthen the body in a way that is excellent cross training. Well known anatomist and neuro-muscular therapist Irene Dowd wrote a book first published in 1981 entitled “Taking Root To Fly” outlining some of the most essential lessons we as dancers should learn in regard to the anatomy we use. That being said all of these things are useless however if the student isn’t interested and just wants a quick fix to all of their problems and limitations. Not realizing that this information can be the key to unlock some of the mystery behind why they don’t have more access to their flexibility or are constantly sustaining injuries, when faced with the choice to take a step back and learn a new way to approach dance they’re egos often get the better of them and they walk away toward a class or a teacher that praises them but doesn’t demand anything more. Discipline can be defined as - to train oneself to do something in a controlled habitual way. I like this definition because being disciplined needs to be a habit. You only get better at what you practice. If you practice laziness you get better at laziness. If you practice a plié badly you get better and better at that bad plié. I am greatly inspired by these very talented and masterfully trained men of Japan. They have obviously spent a lot of time conditioning themselves to perform this amazing routine and their passion shows through in every step. Let them be an inspiration to you in whatever you have to do today and practice life the way you want to get better at it.