Most dancers who participate in competitions and conventions attend with a dance studio. But each year, a small group of soloists opt to go for it as independents, without a studio affiliation. There are plenty of benefits to this approach—as well as a few possible drawbacks. Before you sign up, consider what you’re willing to put into the experience, and what you hope to gain.
Why Be Independent?
For dancers who don’t attend competition-oriented studios, competing independently might be the only option. As a ballet student, Rachel Quiner—now in her first year as a main-company member at American Repertory Ballet in Princeton, New Jersey—spent her weekdays in bunhead mode, and her weekends at events like NUVO Dance Convention and New York City Dance Alliance. Though Quiner was able to compete with her local dance studio, “a lot of ballet dancers choose the independent route because their studios don’t do competitions and conventions,” she says. “Although I was focused on pursuing ballet, it was fun to learn other styles and become more comfortable onstage.”
Even if a studio does compete, it may only travel to one or two events each year, or only allow certain dancers to enter as soloists. “At my daughter’s studio, you have to be in 10th grade to get a solo,” says Mehgan Jarvie, who teaches dance at several studios in the Philadelphia area and whose 13-year-old daughter, Margaret, trains primarily at Lionville School of Dance in Exton, Pennsylvania. Margaret competes in group routines with her studio classmates but has entered additional events as an independent soloist. “It’s been such a self-esteem boost for her,” Jarvie says. “As a soloist, she gets to show her talents in a different way than when she’s in a group, and the feedback she gets comes back to the studio with her.”
What to Consider
Competing as an independent often means going the extra mile. Solo rehearsals will likely have to happen on your own time. Quiner ran through solos at home in her basement, getting feedback from her family. Jarvie makes sure not to register Margaret for events that conflict with Lionville’s competition schedule, and she and a rehearsal coach work with her at a studio where Jarvie teaches. Competing independently can also become costly. Thinking of hiring a choreographer? “Even a single two-minute solo can be expensive!” Quiner warns. She often asked her sisters, who are also dancers, to choreograph her routines—or created her own. “I knew how to highlight my strengths,” she points out. “Also, when you choreograph your own solo, you can constantly be tweaking it, based on judges’ feedback from one event to the next.”
That said, working independently with an outside choreographer can also foster growth. Jarvie created her daughter’s competition solos until this past year, when she asked a colleague to choreograph. The result was Margaret’s most successful season yet. “I think part of the reason she did so well was that she had someone new working with her,” Jarvie says.
Competing without studio support can feel lonely. As an independent competitor, you need to be willing to put yourself out there—even if you aren’t naturally outgoing. “When you’re onstage for awards, you won’t have that big group of friends cheering you on,” Jarvie notes. Getting to know convention faculty members and other dancers can keep those lonely feelings at bay. It can also help you build networking skills, since making potential professional connections is one of these events’ major benefits.
Going it alone can give you a different perspective on your dancing, since it requires you to develop an understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses. Even if one of your goals in competing as an independent soloist is to build confidence, “you have to go in knowing what you bring to the table,” Jarvie says. And building that kind of self-knowledge can keep you from falling into a common competition trap: comparing yourself to those around you. “Be your own best dancer,” Jarvie says. “Dance for yourself.”
