What are the characteristics that makes a dancer great?

Question:

What are the characteristics that makes a dancer great?

What is the personality needed to become beginner to pro? How can I improve?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Wow, what a great question! Just by asking it, you're displaying a wisdom that acknowledges that a lot about great dancing is about what's internal. I think the fact that you already know the right question to ask shows that you already have some of the right stuff to be a great dancer.

By asking about a dancer's personality, you touch on the fact that personality is shaped by both "nature" and "nurture"; it's both something you're born with, but also something that is shaped as you grow. Because it can be shaped, you're right that it is something you can improve.

However, it must be said that the first characteristic of a great dancer is that people can pick them out as dancers when they are in everyday places. Great dancers seem to have a natural charisma that makes people want to watch them.

Almost hand-in-hand with that trait, dancers define themselves as dancers above everything else. It is who they are - morning, noon and night - from a fairly young age. They need to dance as much as they need to eat and breathe. From an outsider's perspective, this can make dancers seem like dull people because of their seemingly singular focus. But this trait will make young dancers willing to give up much of the usual things that their peers do in order to concentrate on their dancing.

From there, the ability to be independent in terms of social gratification can help a dancer advance in their training. A dancer needs to know when it's time to leave one studio or to attend a summer intensive on their own to get better training even if a friend isn't going with them. This can also mean leaving a place where you're a teacher's favorite in order to join a new program where there are better dancers. Conversely, it means having a thick skin in the face of criticism and rejection in order to keep going. But along with independence, you must remember the cardinal rule: NEVER BURN BRIDGES. The dance world is small, so all the contacts you make are vital to your career.

Learning to be more and more responsible in all you do is also a key characteristic, but not necessarily one that all great dancers master. The less responsible dancers just burn out faster. Responsibility extends from matters of smoking, drinking and sex, up through all the things you need to know to live on your own in a big city at a very young age. It's really sad how many young dancers smoke, drink and don't practice safe sex. Your body is your instrument, so the better you take care of it in every single way - eating right, avoiding germs, paying attention to aches and tension, etc - the better off you'll be.

Finally, great dancers gain exposure to great dancers - not just as teachers in their studios (which is certainly important), but by seeing as many great dance performances of all varieties as you can and reading about what's going on in the dance world. Ultimately, if you want to be a great dance ARTIST, you'll need to widen your horizons beyond dance to other learning experiences, including travel, volunteer work, and liberal arts studies.

I'd like to say one thing in conclusion. When I said earlier that dancers "need to dance as much as they need to eat and breathe," this does NOT mean that all kids who take dance classes should feel this way. Such a passion must not be forced if it does not come naturally; that wouldn't be healthy. If the passion is not there, then that means you need to find what IS your passion and pursue that instead of dance.