Art, Artiste and Competition

"The only person to compete against is yourself." Heard this before? Surely, we all have- be it in high school academics, sprint practice or at dance class. And yet, there is a First place, second place, consolation place, or a rank probably at every juncture. As much as we reiterate in eloquent public speeches that there is room for all, that there is no need to be one up against another person, that individuality matters, the same speech may be followed up with a prize distribution ceremony - Best dancer award, best teacher award, best choreographer award, best accompanist award and the works. The tug-of-war between pursuing excellence by oneself versus being pitted against other individuals is puzzling. Idealistically speaking, there is no room for competition. Realistically speaking, it is competition that sieves through those in the room. So let's get real. What is the role of competition in one's journey of dance? Are we better or bitter from it? Does competition motivate or crush ambition? Is competition about placing you in a position of power or is it about boosting visibility? Let's try and answer a few of these questions.

When one talks of competition, I refer to two kinds. One- contests and competitions conducted at various levels- from the age category of 5 years upwards to the level of professional pursuit. Two- implicit competition that is more or less an open secret.

Contests...

For some, contests are seen as a stepping stone. It is an opportunity for a young student of dance to showcase what he/she has learnt. He/she can then gauge where they stand with respect to their technique and work to hone their skills further. In towns and cities where performance opportunities are rare to come by, competitions provide a dance student with a performance opportunity, a stage to confront their fears and a place to meet and engage with other students of dance. It is an opportunity to witness varied styles and mull over what one has seen. For some it is a platform of recognition. In a field that is seeing more and more people pursuing the art form, contest winners probably enjoy added visibility- something that most amateur performers struggle with. Some teachers also find it an opportunity to teach their students life skills of patience, humility and hard work. For those who win, there is increased vigour and motivation to pursue the art. Having tasted the high of 'success', students of dance may find it a driving force. For those who don't make it to the prize distribution ceremony, there could be a variety of responses from dejection to motivation to aversion, but teachers insist that veering these students towards increased hard work and motivation is key.

So for the community of dancers, are contests good then? The answer is Yes and No. While there are genuine cases of contestants having evolved into beautiful performers, there is also a downside.

In recent times, with the registration fee hitting high numbers, contests also seem to be a way of generating revenue for the organiser! Given 5-minute or 10-minute time slots, can a dancer's talent be truly judged? But beyond this, the biggest challenge with respect to contests is this: A certain standardised version of dance is accepted as the norm in the performance arena and the same trickles into teaching environs. Students also imbibe or are told to learn this 'acceptable' version of dancing or aspire towards it. Contest platforms follow suit and contestants are judged with this standard in mind (more often than not). What then happens to the contestant who does not follow the norm? Art evolves within each student with a sensibility that is unique to the child. Beyond the technique, idealistically, they should have the freedom to pursue their way of dancing or learning. Of course, the aesthetics of the art cannot be compromised and an able teacher would be able to mould a student within the tenets of aesthetics. In the long run, each student would develop a flair and artistic sensibility that is in sync with their personality. But in a contest how would you be able to compare and contrast between dancers who are still finding their voice or are of varied sensibilities? It would be a case of comparing apples to oranges to figs to cucumbers. And if most contestants have been tuned in to performing a certain 'standard' way, those who do not toe the line become errant outliers. They may be told they are incorrect. They may be told to 'refine' or 'correct' their technique. They may be told that they are not good. We run the risk of curtailing artistic freedom - even at the nascent learning level, all the way up to the professional stage. Art cannot be a factory, mass producing identical dancers. But very few contests can claim otherwise.

At the professional performance level we complain that the stage is being fast filled with dancers who dance like each other or like a famous dancer. But if the prizes came by toeing the 'popular norm' line, dancers assume that recognition in later years will also come by toeing the same artistic line of expression. The cycle continues and clones are bound to be created because individuality is a risk in times such as these.

From contests to implicit competition... 

Within the classroom, some teachers find that competition is motivating - from getting a student to sit in better araimandi to motivating them to practice a little more at home! While we would assume that the love for dance should be enough motivation, the real world of a little human is far more complex! So, we need ingenious ways of motivating each student without asking them to look at their friend's posture. Is there competitive edge to which student gets to represent the dance school at a competition? That is something to think about.

In the world of professional performances and for those pursuing dance as a profession, implicit competition is present is all shades and hues. Landing that coveted opportunity does not come easy. Since organisers of dance events must sift through several applications, one-up against the other dancer is expected, unfortunately. The number of performances one has to his/her credit is also a number game that is competition worthy. Underlying tones of one-upping is apparent on PR strategies and social media handles. As long as it is a race, everyone wants to win the Gold. And what is that gold medal for a dancer- probably an award or a grant or a prestigious platform. Until the next race begins and the gold medal means other awards, titles, recognition and opportunities.

Breaking this trend of implicit competition is difficult. World over, our consumerist ways of life have created a competitive environment. The arts are also part of this larger consumerist economy and it is but natural that competition becomes an acceptable part of the arts. But we must understand that our consumerist ways have not augured well for us - slowly and steadily we are beginning to realise that the Earth is crumbling beneath our feet. If this ruthless competitive nature engulfs the arts world completely, we will have nothing to stand on. In a world that is already driven by aggressive competition, there are many who feel that the arts should bring respite from this competition and not be a part of this machinery. To rid ourselves of competition would be to create a diverse and colourful spectrum of art- as unique as the individual and as colourful as the entire fraternity. By providing alternate avenues of exposure at all levels, the ruthless nature of competition will see a natural decline. For the young student of dance, if performance opportunity is rare, let us create cost-effective arenas for performance- a studio showcase or a temple or community performance will be equally or more rewarding. If motivation comes from watching peers, these avenues would fit the bill. At a time when education norms are steadily changing the world over from being score-centric to learning-centric, it is amusing that our competitive streak has boiled over into the arts education arena. It is imperative that we look at the macroscopic and microscopic levels to ascertain why we compete. From being a practical and viable platform for dancers at the contest level, it could transgress into ruthless aggression - not what the arts are supposed to inculcate. It is for each of us to use an artistic and humanistic sieve. To compete or Not to compete - the choice remains with the individual but the collective voice of the fraternity needs to be formed towards a more compassionate and camaraderie filled tomorrow.

The author acknowledges the inputs and opinions of several Gurus, peers and students of dance towards this discussion.

Published in Ananya Kalasinchana. Do not quote or republish without permission from editor.