Embarking on a dance tour can be a huge milestone in the dance career of young performers. So what happens when you throw your dance school in at the deep-end? What are the psychological benefits of taking them to perform in unfamiliar locations, and to an audience of unfamiliar faces?
The Audition
Right from the auditions, your dance troupe will find themselves bound by a greater sense of solidarity. New relationships among the performers will be forged, as they strive to motivate each other towards the common objective of performing amazingly on their dance tour. For our international dance tours in New York, Las Vegas, Salou and Benidorm, we ask troupes to send in an audition video clip. At Smile Productions, we welcome all levels of dance skills in their audition video; whether it’s filmed on their phone or a professional tripod, we simply want to see that your dancers are safe and happy! These skills can then be transferred into various other aspects of life, and prepare your dancers much better for the future.
When you walk into an audition, or film one, it’s all about confidence. It’s about owning the room, and believing in yourself, your technique, and your skill. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will. Dance Tours with smile productions are the perfect way to build on stage confidence and presence.
The Trip
For many, the dance tour will mean experiencing being in an unfamiliar location for the first time, traveling abroad and exploring new cities. Your performers will have to learn to adapt to being thrown out of their comfort zone, and develop a sense of resilience. The dance school will quickly become a dance family of close friends and family.
The dance trip is both educational and rewarding, providing your dance school with a new performance opportunity and after show party. This allows your dancers to develop social skills, which are integral for functioning in and out of dance team situations. Check out the dance tours available for 2020, to get an idea of a typical itinerary.
The Rehearsals
Aside from all the sightseeing, your troupe will need to rehearse for their dance tour performance. No matter what age your dancers, rehearsing as a team and building trust is a huge benefit of being involved in a dance holiday. The planning and organisation involved in the build up to the holiday will really put your dancers to the test, packing the right gear and preparing for the trip.
Furthermore, the more mature dancers will have to set a good example of both behaviour, organisation and dancing! Meaning it’s just as exciting and thrilling for them as the little ones.
Preparing new choreography for a new style of audience will make them more versatile as dancers. This means that moving forward, your dancers will be better equipped to adapt to challenges, changes in environment and changes in choreography.
If conflicting opinions and problems arise, the dancers will have to learn to communicate and resolve them independently. As the tour progresses, these invaluable communication, interpersonal and problem-solving skills will continue to progress as the troupe face more challenges and have to listen to each more. Ultimately, by the end of the tour, your dancers will have built a strong foundation of skills which will benefit both their dancing and non-dancing careers. Have a look at our testimonials page to see how trips have benefitted other dance schools.
The Performance
Days of dedication will culminate in the big event. The prospect of performing on an unfamiliar stage, with the added pressure of not wanting to let down their team, will give your dancers the determination and conviction to succeed. These are invaluable qualities to have, which will benefit your young performers in the challenges of university, employment and other significant landmark points that lie ahead.
Your dance troupe will have to support and motivate each other and do their best to calm each other’s pre-performance nerves. Cultivating self-control is an important stage in psychological development.
The experience of watching other dance schools perform will also prove invaluable; the diversity of troupes and styles on show will improve dance literacy as dancers learn new techniques and use them to contribute to their own self-improvement. Interacting with the other dance schools after the performance is another great way to learn more about different dance styles and techniques, as well as providing the opportunity to make new friends from diverse backgrounds. The result: strong interpersonal skills, greater dedication to dancing and, more broadly, a keener sense of cross-cultural awareness.
Cross-cultural awareness will also be boosted through performing in a new city on the dance tour. Each Smile Productions tour features iconic venues, with a rich history and tradition of performing. For instance, the New York Town Hall Broadway theatre and Las Vegas Boulevard feature on our USA tours; both are world-famous stages which have seen various celebrity performers across a wide array of performing arts fields. Such experiences will be unforgettable and greatly broaden your dancers’ cultural horizons.
After The Tour
Your students will leave the tour with a much broader set of social skills and valuable personal qualities. From the audition stage, they will have developed dedication and skills in time-management which will allow them to succeed on the trip. Along the way, they will pick up communication, problem-solving skills, as well as a greater emotional and cross-cultural awareness. It will be truly rewarding to see your performers return as more rounded, well educated young people, or as more amazing children and young adults than they were before the experience.
An Experience for Dancers, Parents, Friends & Family
A dance tour with Smile Productions will truly set your dancers up for the future. We want to provide dance teachers, dancers, parents and friends the opportunity to grow whilst still having fun and doing what they love doing. All involved will learn and develop without even realising it is happening, sharing memories with their dance friends whilst their parents watch from the side lines.
If you’re ready to perform on the main stage and watch your dancers and children have the trip of a lifetime, get in touch today.