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Should lifts be permitted in dance competitions?
Results so far:
| Yes | 76% | 100 votes | Total: 131 votes | |
| No | 24% | 31 votes |
Yes
by Miranda Pierson
Created on: June 27, 2010
Lifts should be permitted in dance competitions. Dance is a beautiful art form that represents movement and dramatization. The concept of the dances within the dance competitions is to tell a story. While these stories can be told in choreography without lifts, they should also have the potential to be told through the lifts and various other choreographic elements.
Dance competitions provide people with the opportunity to see different types of dances and different forms of choreography. Observing all of these various dances will help performers to become more successful in creating new ideas. The audience members will also enjoy seeing all of these different elements within the dances. The lifts not only make the choreography more exciting, but they also add a good form of dramatization. The audience members enjoy seeing the performers being lifted from their feet while preforming the components of their dance.
One of the concerns associated with putting lifts in dance competitions is that all of the dances will have so many lifts, that it will take away from the rest of the choreography. It is almost equivalent to adding the tumbling to many of the dances. People are so impressed by the back handsprings and flips, that they do not become as excited for the dances that do not contain the tumbling. This seems unfair because dance is not supposed to only represent tumbling.
Preventing the lifts from entering the dance competitions appears to be an effort to prevent the partially before it begins. While that is a good suggestion, it is something that is inevitable. People are always going to be impressed with choreography that is not always typical of a certain type of dance. Tumbling will always add excitement to jazz dances, and lifts will always add depth to ballroom dancing, and any other type of dance routine.
Dances that have lifts in them should not be favored over dances that do not have lifts in them. Dances should be evaluated based on the way in which the dancers perform the dance. This should be the objective of the dance competitions. It is not about what is done, it is about how it is done. Dance competitions need to portray all of the new and exciting forms of choreography, and that includes the lifts. Allowing the lifts to be in the dance competitions will enable the judges and the performers to evaluate the dances on an entirely new standard. Therefore, the lifts should be permitted.
Learn more about this author, Miranda Pierson.
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No
by Veronica Shine
Created on: April 09, 2010 Last Updated: July 11, 2010
Dance is the movement and visual verse of the arts. To become a professional not only takes talent, but a thick skin to go through some cutthroat procedures such as auditions.
Evaluated by other professional dancers and peers from all over the world, dance competitions are soaring as a means for hard working amateur dancers to gain exposure for future professional careers in dance. This is not only exciting and fun opportunity for those competing but the spectator as well to experience new up and comers.
Some individuals have different perspective on dance competition as being purely entertainment. Rather that what the competition’s true meaning is, the focus towards technique and stage presence that is under scrutiny of the participants. If that is the case, than dance competitions are not for you.
These organized events run by having contestants perform selected dances before a panel of judges for awards. Sometimes, as in ballet dance competitions, instead of cash awards, an invitation is granted to a prestige’s ballet company’s school. The prestige of a high ranking tenders a possibility to obtain a professional career or acceptance as dance major in university.
The decision behind winning in a dance competition is to award the participant(s) based on technique, stamina, and proficiency thru a series of repetitive requirements rather than show-stopping fanfare.
Even the world renown Rockets at Radio City Music Hall dance in precision. Not one leg kicks higher than the other. The corp de ballet in the American Ballet Theater never has one dancer out of sync with what the choreographer has created. No one stands out from the crowd, except for excellence.
Lifts allowed in dance competitions would be unjust. An analogy similar to this situation would be handing out different exams in school. One student receives a multiple choice exam of 20 questions and another child an essay of 500 words. How possibly can the results be equated as fair? The dance competition is based on equality of the test; that is the technique, timing and standard presentation.
There are other venues for the spectator looking for the oohs-and-ahs. But these are not what relates as authentic dancing competitions. Become an audience member for the numerous celebrity dance TV shows, Varsity Cheerleading competition or a Las Vegas show when seeking the razzle – dazzle of fill of lifts, drops, aerials, or acrobatic moves.
Each dance competition does feature its own exclusive rules, but the major of American and International competitions do, as a prerequisite, request no lifts allowed.
Dance aficionados and judges of competitions remain unbiased with their judgements and will not be swayed with the basic rhythm of Latin or ballroom with a lift added on. It might be more sensational but not fair in the final analysis.
Whether it is the cha-cha or the waltz , lifts should be banned from the contests and the spotlight should be on the talent.
Learn more about this author, Veronica Shine.
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