Why Students Feel Pressurised to Film without Preparation - Blog 11

 Camera has become the biggest enemy of dancers today. 

I have seen students in workshops just waiting for the moment where the choreographer says to go and grab their phone for smaller group showcases. From re applying lipstick to changing earrings to putting on lenses, I have seen people go an extra mile, not for a showcase, but, to dance in front of the camera. 

This opinion does not have anything to do with how I prepare myself before a showcase. Even I go fix my hair, put a bandana in the left hip pocket of my jeans and rewatch myself on the mirror multiple times. But, when I go for a showcase, I make sure I have fun dancing, interact with the other 15 people in the class watching me and just have a good time, overall. Enjoying the experience is a must. 

Actually I get it when students get a scolding when they immediately go back to their phone to check how they look in the video. A basic dancer etiquette one should abide by, if they want to call themselves a dancer, is to cheer for the other dancer on spot. I know how intimidating it can get, dancing below the spotlight, sharp studio lights and so many strangers looking at you in anticipation. That one "lets go" from fellow dancers watching the performer can mean so much to them. One would not understand that feeling unless they have been in that spot. 

There is this unspoken pressure in every dance studio about filming the performance. Before class even starts, students are thinking about their “final take.” They want the video, the angle, the spotlight, the solo. And in that pressure to perform for the camera, learning often takes a back seat.

Many people even learn routines beforehand from reels,  hoping it will help them look more confident when the recording begins. But what they don’t realise is learning from a video is nothing like learning from the choreographer in the room. A reel doesn’t teach you textures, beat pauses, breath work, weight shifts or intention. The choreographer does that. And that technique is what makes the routine look the way it does.

Then comes the second layer of pressure, which is, comparison. Students say, “I’m doing the same choreography, but it’s not looking the way he does it.” Of course it doesn’t. Every body moves differently. Your personal style, your posture, your range ; these shape how a choreographed piece sits on your body. Mimicking a reel can never replace learning the essence of the movement.

Filming is not the problem, it’s the obsession with looking perfect before you even understand the piece. Students rush to record because they believe the video is the “proof” that they belong. But the truth is, you grow the most in the messy part, the corrections, the repetitions, the awkward attempts.

If you treat every class like a product shoot, you never give yourself permission to be a student.

Shreya Roy Choudhury