Difficulty vs. Execution in Your Dance Competition Routine

For many dancers and instructors, this is an age-old question: is it more important to perform a simple routine well or to attempt something more difficult even though it may not be perfect? Will pushing yourself in this way make you a better dancer? What do judges respond more to?

Let’s tackle these questions one at a time and in reverse.

Q: Are judges more impressed by execution or difficulty?

A: Depends on the judge. Even though there are certain specific guidelines, every judge places a different value on the elements of a routine that they find important. Some are inclined to award you a higher score simply for trying something harder, but execution still matters.

A dancer who botches an advanced movement is unlikely to do better than someone who aces a common routine, so it’s generally not wise to try something at competition unless you’re sure you can do it through extensive practice in dance lessons.

Q: Does attempting more difficult routines make you better?

A: Training makes you better. This may seem like a non-answer, but it’s really the only answer. If you want to become a better dancer, the best thing that you can do is to first master the fundamentals during your dance lessons.

You wouldn’t expect a Little Leaguer to go up against someone in the Majors, or someone just learning their multiplication tables to ace advanced calculus, would you? Well, attempting an advanced dance technique before you’re ready for it can be a lot like that.

Many young dancers have gotten injured by reaching too high too quickly in their dance lessons. If you want to learn an advanced dance, talk to your instructor about the building blocks that should be in place to get you to that point.

Q: What’s more important, execution or difficulty?

A: One should lead to the other. You can’t get better if you don’t attempt more difficult routines during dance lessons, but before doing so, you need to master the easier ones. Once you can confidently execute routines at a lower level, it’s time to move up to the next level and push yourself.

What this all really boils down to is that you should never do something, particularly at a dance competition, unless you have already trained extensively for it in your dance lessons.

Bio

Gallery of Dance is a family-run dance studio in Freehold, NJ, and offers a wide range of recreational and competitive dance classes, including ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop, for students from preschool to high school. Learn more at GalleryofDance.com

Our Mission: To Provide Solid Dance Training and Foster Our Future Leaders