Conversation starter: transferable tools -- yoga and dance instruction

On a fairly recent episode of the Yogaland podcast, host Andrea Ferretti and her husband Jason Crandell (a master yoga instructor and teacher trainer) discussed the pros and cons of asking yoga students if they have any injuries or conditions at the beginning of class.

Key pros: it offers students the chance to share if they have any particular conditions the instructor should be aware of, and also reinforces for them that they should have that condition (or conditions) guide -- but not dictate -- how they shape their practice for themselves. Key cons: it sets up an expectation that yoga instructors are versed in that condition when they might not be (they are not doctors, and have at minimum 200 hours of training in all aspects of yoga), and take the responsibility off the student for shaping the practice for themselves (which is part of growing in the practice!).

Yoga students taking a rest in Child's Pose,

the instructor helping one finding more length and space through her back

My ears perked up when Ms. Ferretti, a former ballet dancer, noted that in the beginning of ballet classes no one asks if anyone has any injuries or conditions the teaching artist should be aware of. Pretty quickly, I found myself thinking “well...should we ask that?” As I thought further, it became truly a question for me -- I personally didn’t have a strong conviction either way. The pros and cons of that question that Andrea and Jason discussed with respect to yoga classes I also saw (and still see) reflected in dance classes. Yet I think that asking the question matters.

Where and how physical care is shown

I began to ponder further. In yoga classes, instructors often give modifications to certain poses for students at various levels, or note modifications it’d behoove students to take if they have a certain medical history or present injury or condition (refraining from taking Pigeon Pose if they’ve ever had knee surgery, for example). In a more general sense, they also often encourage students to do what they can do today and don’t worry about the rest.

That doesn’t mean not giving one’s full commitment, focus, and concerted effort. It just means that if something isn’t possible for your body on a certain day, no drama about it -- just do your best today and come back to your mat another day to try again. The reality of the body’s ability is what it is at a particular point, and all the pushing and striving in the world isn’t going to change that today.

Offering modifications, encouraging students to do what they can do and not worry about the rest, and asking if there are physical challenges the instructor should know about are less common in dance education (though not completely absent, to be clear), I can say from deep personal experience in both sectors. So, that said, do these perspectives from yoga have something to teach dance education? I am not an expert in dance pedagogy -- far from it. I’m hoping to pose questions that might lead to fruitful conversation, and from there potentially fruitful changes in best practices.

Adult dance students finding freedom and joy in their bodies just as they are!

Transferable tools?

Rightly so, the dance education field is also looking more closely at matters of equity, power dynamics between teachers and students, dancer health, valuing process over product, and building not only beautiful technicians but creative and vibrant individuals. Such a conversation on these yoga class conventions and their transferability to dance education could be a meaningful part of these investigations and points of growth.

Why, how so? Again, I have no horse in this race, but I will say that I do think following the aforementioned yoga class conventions could have immense benefits for dance students -- as artists and as humans. Through thinking more deeply about what their bodies need and don’t need to push themselves towards, and being challenged to do so (rather than just saying “yes, I’ll do that”) they can get to know their instruments more deeply and intimately. That can lead them to enhanced creativity, artistry, feelings of personal autonomy, and -- yes, in the long run -- technique.

These conventions also send the message that their sustained health matters -- more than trophies, more than technical “tricks”, more than the biggest roles or contracts. That important understanding will set them up for longer, healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives in dance.

Additionally, these ways of showing more care for students’ unique physicality and unique needs could be practical ways to make dance education more accessible to all types of bodies. In spaces where dance education already is being leveraged for greater equity and accessibility to the art form, such as in schools and other community settings, these tools could make dance technique more attainable and more appealing to students who haven’t danced in studios for years.

Young ballet students developing friendships and social-emotional skills

as well as exposure to the arts (more specifically,

an art form that helps them develop important physical skills!

The art of dance has always been in conversation with other disciplines. It might just have things to learn from the art and practice of yoga instruction. Again, this is all meant to start a conversation; I’m not dictating any singular course of action -- apart from conversation, reflection, and thoughtfulness.

What do you think? I’d love to hear -- leave me a comment or shoot an email to mindfulmovers5678@gmail.com. Thank you for being mindful! Happy teaching, happy dancing, and happy practice!

All images courtesy of the open-source Canva platform