I recently stumbled upon a discussion focusing on a current trend in Dance Convention training. Apparently more and more teachers are “shoving a million tiny movements into one single 8-count” and teaching choreography that is relentlessly fast. I fully understand that I’m old, and don’t necessarily have my finger on the pulse of what is current, popular and hot, but from where I sit, I see this trend as problematic.

I have had many discussions with colleagues of my generation as of late, and one of the things that keeps coming up is the following question: “Why does so much of what I see in the dance industry today seem so shallow?” I believe that the trend of filling up choreography with “busyness” does not allow dancers to develop a deeper, richer, nuanced quality. The dancers similarly are not developing a connection to the space. They are also losing the intimate union that we had with the music.

I am one of the remaining disciples of the Luigi Technique who studied and trained for decades with Luigi. I am also a ballet teacher who studied with a direct disciple of Vaganova, herself. What these two genius master teachers had in common was an understanding of the importance of working SLOWLY to develop real depth to the work.

Today, when I am charged with teaching the Luigi Technique to “Advanced” dancers, I am still shocked by what happens when these technically secure, “advanced” dancers are asked to SLOW DOWN; really slow down. When I present a jazz combination in the way Luigi did in his “style” class, these dancers look like they’ve never danced before. These “advanced” dancers actually look like beginners; because when you strip away the busyness, when you slow down the speed, when you remove all of the tricks, they can’t really “dance”.

The other problem that I see today with convention training, (and training in general), has to do with the “warm up” or lack there-of. The exercises that comprise the “ballet barre” as we know it today, train the dancer and prepare the dancer for the physical demands and the art of ballet. In the exact same way, the Luigi Technique Exercises (warm up) train and prepare the dancer to work in the Luigi style. It would be IMPOSSIBLE to dance a Luigi combination well without TRAINING in these exercises.

When a convention teacher teaches some choreography that is fast, detailed, current and fun, what actually happens is that the dancers learn those steps; and perhaps some details of style and musicality. But it is all “on the surface” and in my opinion has nothing to do with actual training.

I have been, on a few occasions, asked to teach a “Luigi Class” at a convention. It simply can not be done, in any effective way, in less than 90 minutes and at least half of that time must be dedicated to the technique exercises in order for the combination to have any validity or usefulness. And the exercises must be TAUGHT and STUDIED, not simply “followed”. And unless I am given the time and space to work in this way, I will not accept the offer.

When the dancers of my generation (and those of today who are actually trained in this way) dance choreography that is fast, quirky, detailed, “busy”, what results is a performance that has something special, unique, and (to many) unexplainable, bubbling just under the surface. It is THIS “special something” that is getting lost. It is this “special something” that provides the depth to the work”. It is this “something special” that the quest for the Instagram clip is killing.