OVATIONS

“Ovations” is an elite competition team. Ovations consists of members of all ages who have mastered the ability to execute more technically challenging steps and combinations. These dancers participate in world-wide dance competitions. At Florida Dance Workshop the emphasis will always be on learning and performing, therefore, involvement in competitions is held to a healthy minimum.

The following, with regard to EXCESSIVE involvement in dance competitions, has been the philosophy at our Dance Workshop, since the opening of our very first school, in 1968. We compete in only 2-3 events each season, to keep involvement healthy and fun! These events consume the lives of many young people at some studios. Here are some important facts to consider before devoting an excess amount of time and expense to competitions.

Nurturing development of the arts is meant to build character in dancers. Although competition may bring out the best in products and services, it CAN bring out the worst in people. This is why our school is not “competition oriented” and, in fact, we limit our involvement to 2-3 competitive events per season. Too much involvement in competition can make children view others as “someone to be better than”. Those who did not receive the “top awards” are the majority of participants and they leave with hurt feelings, lack of self-worth, and self condemnation. These "losers" may try harder next time --- but they will be motivated by anger, resentment, and fear of shame. Those few who finish on top, or are judged “the best”, are in the minority and, therefore, come away intoxicated with a false sense of superiority, viewing others not as peers, but as “opponents who have been defeated”.

Even though our competitive involvement is limited, our STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS page shows that Florida Dance Workshop students have consistently been among those who DO leave with the "top awards and honors". However, we compete to achieve “personal best”, not to step on others to get to the top of a ranking system.

We do not condone programs that utilize “negative motivators” or deliberately instill a sense of SUPERIORITY in students. This type of atmosphere promotes the poisoning of precious relationships among peers. We have witnessed this in the rude behavior of STUDENTS, PARENTS, and PERSONNEL in competitive schools. Promoting such unhealthy attitudes, ruins character and alters a child's personality. We do not wish to build self-esteem in one child, at the expense of another. It is our goal to motivate dancers to achieve their personal best, by assuring them of their self-worth with or without the award.

Dancers should be taught to come together, in cooperation, toward the task of mutual accomplishment. Our dancers are not urged to DEFEAT others, but to SUPPORT, ASSIST, and ENCOURAGE all fellow dancers, to improve and ACHIEVE alongside them. We stress BALANCE and COMPASSION, while teaching all dancers to foster friendship and MUTUAL success. Here, mastery of technique is a shared mission, for the good of all, to rejoice in everyone’s achievements.