Knight's Take

Do You Have the Competitor's Edge?

by Stephen Knight

Stephen Knight,
Co-National Dance Director,
Fred Astaire Dance Studios

In October, I was at the Fred Astaire National Dance Championships in Orlando, Florida, with three very exciting nights of professional competition to look forward to! 

One of the most amazing things I noticed while I was watching all the swirling, smiling competitors is that there are many up-and-coming talented new couples hitting the dance floor. Since the West Coast Dance Championships in sunny San Diego are just around the corner (January 16-18) and CCDC (in Atlanta for the first time) will be here before we know it (April 22-26) this is probably a perfect time to educate our new competitors and, perhaps, even some of our seasoned ones, on what it really takes to be really good at competition.

Really good at competition, like these people
(if you so choose)! 

1. It starts with rehearsals – good ones.

 “Rehearsal“ means a minimum of practice 2 hours a day at least 6 days a week. “Good” means working with your partner as a member of a team, and not arguing about what he or she or you might have done wrong. Remember, your dance partner does not make mistakes on purpose; that’s the reason why we practice and rehearse! Try treating your partner like you expect to be treated, and you will find you’ll get to your goals a lot faster without the wasteful setbacks that arguing causes.

We all put on our dance shoes one foot
at a time...

2. The next most important thing you need is a super support team. 

That may consist of your management team at the studio, coaches you have chosen to work with, the people who design and create your costumes and anyone else you feel you need to help you get to your desired goal. At times, you may need a personal trainer to help keep you at the physical level that your sport requires, so don’t hesitate if this is the case. I had a trainer most of my career because it kept me physically and mentally stronger, which allowed me to be more prepared and capable when I competed. It paid off, believe me!

A support team like the folks at FADS (these wonderful people are from
 our Madison, WI, studio) can make a huge difference in your
dancing career -- and your life's happiness!

3. Now I'm going to address the never-ending battle of grooming. 

This is so important because of the impression it makes on the judges. Costuming can make or break any couple in a competition. So, if you are going to invest the time and finances it takes to rehearse, be coached, cover entry fees, buy airline tickets, and pay for hotels, let's make sure that grooming is the very last problem we could possibly have! “Properly groomed” simply means we’re in costumes that enhance our bodies, with makeup and hair done correctly. There are plenty of professionals in these areas who are at your disposal, and they will love to help make you look like a champion, so invest just that little bit more for their services, then watch it pay off in a grand way!

"You are so pahfect, my dahling!"

4. The last qualification for being a great professional competitor is good sportsmanship. 

Obviously, in any competition there will be winners and losers. It is so important to lose gracefully!  But I have seen far too many times when couples act unprofessionally due to a particular result and I'm here to tell you FOR SURE that it does not fare well with the judges. That impression of you will stay with them for a long time. So, do yourself a favor when you don’t like what you’ve heard: go up to your room and have your pity party there, out of sight of anyone who could form a bad image of you!! The players and the results will change all the time, so just learn from your mistakes and move on. Remember, this is not just about being a good dancer; you must also be a good winner and a good loser — to put it in a nutshell, a good person! That alone, my friends, will take you a long way in this industry and help assure you a long and prosperous career.

You? A sore loser? No way! You'd better just
get over yourself, now, y'hear me? 

So keep dancing, everybody, pay attention to the words of wise dancers (like Fred here), and no matter where you are in your ride right now, enjoy your trip to the top!!

Knight's Take - A Pro's Look at Ballroom Dancing

Forever dancing...

Stephen Knight, FADS Co-National Dance Director

When it comes to learning to ballroom dance, the possibilities are endless. Those who want to succeed at higher and higher levels must possess two very important qualities above all: patience and the ability to follow the learning systems in place.

In my travels to FADS studios all over the country, there’s that question that arises on so many lessons, whether it’s a professional couple or a Pro/Am partnership. That question is: “When am I going to be a good dancer?” My answer to that is: “Your definition of ‘good’ will keep changing because the longer you study, the more knowledge you’ll gain. Therefore, you’ll continue to want to perfect some new technique you just learned.”

Keep reminding yourself of the fact that, yes, you are learning new things! Learning takes learning. And that’s totally positive.  Each small step you make in your learning tells you that you really are getting better, and soon you’ll be ready for new information on your quest to being the best you can be!

My other advice involves following the systems that Fred Astaire Dance Studios has in place for a very simple reason: they were designed to get dancers to their goals. Too many times dancers find themselves backtracking as a result of skipping something earlier that was crucial to the whole learning process. For example, two problems I often see are a lack of ankle and foot strength. 

Dancers should work on their feet and ankles at the very beginning of the Bronze Program. Studying foot and ankle actions eliminates movement issues, balance concerns, commitment problems, speed, and problems with confidence. Too many times when I’m training a dancer, they will say to me, “I have no balance. Why not?” The reason is that their feet and ankles are untrained, so they’re weak.

Again,  this type of frustration that can be avoided simply by following the order of our systems. As long as dancers keep to the systems, they’ll make progress at a maximum rate. 

And never minimize the importance of patience. It’s not only a virtue in reaching for higher levels of achievement:  it’s a requirement!  Think about it: ballroom dancing is so many things to many people. It’s been called an art, a sport, a science, exercise, and a hobby.  It’s complex and it’s personal. Just the fact that dancing can is described in so many different ways tells you it’s going to take some time to find your groove! 

There’s one more very important point. Be your own judge of your own progress.  Forget all about comparing yourself to others because (thankfully) we are all different!

To happily dance, you’ve got to enjoy your own ride.