A New Perspective on Competition Dance: A contest in war-torn Uganda can remind us all of the joy and empowering aspects of dance

Abstract

A New Perspective on Competition Dance A dance contest in war-torn Uganda can remind us all of the joy and empowering aspects of dance by McClaine Timmerman In 2015, I attended yet another American dance competition as a choreographer and teacher. As I witnessed the event from both the audience and backstage, I began questioning whether this experience was more positive than negative for these dancers. What was it teaching them? I remember hearing a teacher prep her young soloist before her turn to impress the judges. She got uncomfortably close to the barely dressed dancer and said, as if it were a life or death situation, “This is it. I want to see you kill it. Walk out there and show them who is the best. Make me proud.” After hearing that, and then watching the attitude of that young dancer as she performed her turns, leaps, splits, and seductive hip movements, I thought, “What did this 13- year-old girl learn from this?” Having taught at multiple dance competition studios, I find I’m not a supporter of the atmosphere, attitudes, and drama the American “culture” of competition dance provides. I am in search of a new way to approach teaching students from this background. On YouTube, I recently watched a very different kind of dance competition in War Dance, a 2007 American documentary film directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine. It captures the role that dance and competition play in the lives of thousands of refugee children of Uganda who have fled their homes to live in villages where the government protects them from rebels. Three children reveal their stories of horror, and then how their community and traditions through dance and music provide them with a sense of empowerment. In exposing the darkness surrounding so many lives of those in Uganda, the directors were able to show the empowerment and sense of community that competition-driven dance and music can provide. As a graduate student and teacher of dance, I am beginning to ask myself how I can integrate both history and current events into my classes. How can I incorporate particular subjects into class and make them relatable? Is a film like War Dance important and relevant to these students? With such a high percentage of college students in the U.S. coming from a competition dance background, the topic seems to me highly relatable and relevant. American competition dance seems to be mostly technique driven, providing a platform for feeling superior and pursuing fame. The possible benefits that underlie dance contests may not be that apparent to dancers in the U.S., so seeing what competition dance means to Ugandan children can bring some perspective about what’s important and what is not. The perspective on competition dance offered in the film could be translated into many aspects of the dance world. It can teach students about accountability and the roles of leadership within their community as a dance student and performer. Or it could help dancers find something else other than just the technique to drive their movement in both class and performance. Beginning at a young age, competition dancers in America develop a strong drive