a letter – on dance shoes

Feladó: X. Y. <xy@gmail.com>
Tárgy: Ballet and character (sport) shoes
Dátum: 201x. március xx. 12:55:39 CET
Címzett: Angelus Iván – BKTF/BCDA <budapest@tanc.org.hu>

Hallow Ivan.
i didnt bought ballet shoes beacose i preffere not to bay somthing that i will use for a short time if i have another option, like wearing socks (as half of the class).
And the same with the sport shoes for the folk class.
What should I do?
X. Y.

Feladó: Angelus Iván – BKTF/BCDA <budapest@tanc.org.hu>
Tárgy: Ballet and character (sport) shoes
Dátum: 201x. március 19. 11:35:43 CET
Címzett: X. Y. <XY@gmail.com>
Másolat: Budapest Contemporary Dance Academy | BCDA <budapest@dance.org.hu>

Dear X. Y!

Thank you for starting dialog in any issue.

Any artistic, technical, creative, community subjects are probably more important, but if the shoes are the first topic of starting a constructive dialog, let's start it:

I have two options keep it among us – as with the others we already spoke about it proportionally enough, I am not sure to restart the topic as we have quite a lot of more important issues. The other would be to start the group „foruming“ dialog that I will suggest if we cannot cooperate in it.

The issue has several aspects.

1. Health-care
2. Dance technical considerations
3. Your position in the school as an Erasmus Grant holder
4. Group dynamics

1.
I am 100 % sure the „character shoe“ or minimum a proper sport shoe is a healthcare, safety tool at Folk Dance classes.
Some very experienced (folk)dancers are able to do it barefoot without harming their feet, but I suggest – even them – that it is more safe in shoes. 

Concerning ballet-shoes this question is secondary. 
Sliding or sticking more than necessary both can cause injury, both can cause quality loss.

2.
The steps, styles, we learn in Folk dance classes are danced 100% in shoes – there is no reason to do it otherwise + it is somehow against the cultural context of the class.

Ballet shoe-wise I can tell you that -as you know it  – we learn both Vaganova and Contemporary ballet (later). Vaganova technic is designed for ballet shoes. 

Barefoot sticks, socks are slippery, students can’t develop turn out, start or stop, jump and arrive as they slip in socks more than in shoes. Non of us – including You probably – will dance prince roles on ballet stages, this seems irrelevant. Some teachers/students dance in socks in certain schools. That is the best way to prepare dancing in socks even on stage. In this school we do not support this style as I think the artistic/social message of wearing socks in an art piece is that dancers consider dance as something more related to their daily work than anything else and they communicate their ignorance of the artistic/social context. Dance remaines "beatiful" and/or acrobatic gymnastics – I think

3.
You are representing your school (XXXX) that supported your request to receive an Erasmus Grant offered to your school by BCDA. The aim of your visit is to get involved into local processes as much as possible. Looks really contraproductive when you do not merge into this world but without trying things start to select what you wish and what not, what you want to see and what not, if you accept these possibilities or not.

Of course nobody here – including me – can not and wants not to push you more than your energies, strength, interest, openness, communication abilities, health, curiosity allows you. We can call your attention but only you can do things and cooperate as much as you can, … no more. We can offer you the possibilities and confront you with the facts. The rest is your choice.

4.
In all schools group dynamics are the same important than teachers’ efforts.
It is absolutely not constructive from the point of view of our pedagogical, artistic goals and group dynamics that you – before learning and understanding local uses, habits, rules and the reasons of them in depth, – start to ignore first, than criticize them, than start activity of ignorance of these rules plus start to gather a little team around you with two main reasons

4.1. you don’t buy things for a short time
4.2. others do the same error as well

4.1. 
– Ballet shoes may not last much more than 3 months in case of intensive use.
– All other students pay for that what you get for free and they still cover the expenses of their equipment. Your grant covers your life, cultural and school related expenses. Two shoes for less than 100 € alltogether – I think – may not mean a difficulty. You can offer them the used shoes if you think you will never dance what you haver learnt here never after you leave.

4.2. „Half of the others do it as well“ as an argument is
a. irrelevant – if any % of any group does something wrong is not a reason for you to follow them
b. we do not wish to have a positive and a negative pole in the group, we learn together cooperative and not competitive behaviors

In short:
I suggest to wear (get or buy them) the requested equipment in classes before the end of this week.
Concentrate on dance technical and artistic issues.
Don’t give up communication in a more correct form and more appropriate content with school crew including me.
In order to get support share your creative work data and take a showing time today at forum

I hope it helps.
In any issues I think  your mates: Y., K. can help you most – I think.

Iván