The Power of Community: Building Support Networks in the Dance World
Key takeaways
Dance Community: Explores global and local dance dynamics, emphasizing lasting connections at Free Mind, The Studio.
Inclusive Learning: Free Mind is portrayed as an inclusive space, supporting dancers of all levels with positive reinforcement.
Collaboration Impact: Highlights the power of collaboration in dance, fostering lifelong connections and crucial support in adulthood.
What’s a community?
A community is defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” Being a dancer means that you are part of a larger community of dancers. This community of dancers is found worldwide but can also be found within your own individual studio. Free Mind, The Studio is a community within itself, with open arms to welcome newcomers. Finding yourself within a community brings support networks in and out of the dance studio. The bonds that can be created over a mutual love for dance span wider than just the dance floor. Once you are part of a community, you are always part of it, no matter how far or long you go without being physically there.
Finding yourself within a new community before those support networks are fully stabilized can feel overwhelming. That is why Free Mind’s growing platform is such a perfect place to find yourself in, because everyone is growing together! I loved how at the beginning of class at Free Mind there was an icebreaker so all the dancers could get to know each other, and therefore feel comfortable with the people they are sharing a space with. While each class at Free Mind will be made up of a different mesh of people, that means all those people are coming to the studio for a common goal. Free Mind also has specific communities, for example its brand-new dance company! This audition-based company will be a space for dancers to meet weekly and access personal growth within their artistic identity. Free Mind, The Company is run by artistic director Madz Alexander who welcomes dancers of all expertise! If this sounds like the type of community for you, check the website and Instagram for future audition days.
Support within the community
To be supported in a learning environment, such as a dance studio, can have different meanings for different people. Being supported through other members of your community is important, but also being supported by the instructors is a higher level of need. Often dancers find validation through success, so being reminded by instructors that you are wanted and performing well in the studio will bring in that positive reinforcement. Free Mind is an open and welcoming space to dancers of all levels and goals, so if you show up for yourself Free Mind will be there to support the rest of your journey. It is of course still important to connect with the other dancers you share a floor with. These classmates could blossom into lifelong connections. The feelings that are brought together when performing synchronized choreography is unlike any other connection, so be open to meeting new people! This performance vulnerability may not come quickly or naturally, but eventually you will find this home within your community.
I have been part of the dance community for 19 years of my life. If ever asked to describe myself an immediate answer has always been “I am a dancer.” I love being able to identify with the art of dance, and I love knowing there are others out there similar to myself. My dance support network ranges across all styles, although there are some I feel more comfortable in than others, my community is there to uplift me through them all. It has been difficult to navigate what this community means to me after graduating from the studio I called home for 15 years. It’s taken some time, but I have realized that being a dancer is my community. Everywhere I go I will meet other people who share the same passion as me, and they become a new part of my community. Everyone at Free Mind has the same love and devotion for dance as I do, so by letting me join their community they have been able to join mine. Dancers support dancers from one class to a lifetime of classes, it is all about that mutual love and dedication for the art.
Join the community!
A big way dance can start to feel like a community is through the collaboration! Whether that is choreographing with a new partner or giving a constructive piece of advice to a classmate, working together will enhance your visibility of the art. Others can see how the dance movements benefit you as a dancer, from an outside perspective besides a mirror. Trusting these classmates or instructors to make decisions that only help to engage you more in the sport is a powerful tool. Dancing in a space with others allows for a mutual agreement of a shared space, and with these unspoken words comes the movement. Collaboration is a key component and a powerful skill to finding peace within your community.
The older you get, the more important having a sense of community and everlasting support will become. Being in the adult world can be isolating from the constant surroundings we familiarize ourselves with growing up. That’s why Free Mind aims to bring in as many people as possible, because everyone deserves to feel like they are part of something. Having a sense of belonging and feeling as though there are people who will support you can drive you to try new things and become a better dancer. Bringing together a group of likeminded performers is truly a power nothing besides dance holds, and Free Mind invites you to find yourself within their community.
