Why is team bonding important for dance teams and companies?
Have you ever watched a dance performance and been mesmerized by the way the dancers move together on-stage? The formation changes are seamless, the choreography is precise, dancers flow easily into lifts and partnering, everyone’s energy is on the same level, the moments of human connection seem genuine, and everything just feels … cohesive? It might seen like magic (or just really good luck!), but I believe that performances like this are often the result of intentional dance team bonding strategies, facilitated by the dance teacher, choreographer or coach. This kind of intentional dance team bonding is designed to help dancers go beyond just working together, collaborating, or communicating well. With great dance team bonding strategies, dancers learn to trust one another, be vulnerable, and genuinely accept and be accepted by their teammate – all of which allow them to perform better on stage together. Dancers who have bonded know that they can rely on their teammates 100%. They also know that their teammates are relying on them to show up, give their best effort, and have a good attitude. This level of trust and cooperation leads to incredible performances on stage – and at least a little less drama behind the scenes, too!
Team bonding in The Holistic Dance Teacher Approach
One of the most incredible things about dance, in my opinion, is its capacity to bring people together in real and powerful ways. In our age of social media, Zoom meetings, and FaceTime, dance provides a unique opportunity to connect in real time and real space, face-to-face and heart-to-heart. We have an opportunity, as dance teachers, to help our students make meaningful connections that will support their overall well-being and lead to lifelong friendships. With just a little effort and creativity, we can build strong, supportive communities in our dance classes, companies, and teams. Honoring community is one of the Core Tenants of The Holistic Dance Teacher Approach, and honestly, the opportunity to help my students realize that they are an integral part of their dance community is one of my favorite parts of being a dance teacher!
In The Holistic Dance Teacher Approach, it is important to be intentional about creating community in our dance classes, communities, and teams. Team-building and team bonding are some of the ways that we can create meaningful and strong dance communities in which all of the dancers feel supported and valued. Team-building and team bonding might seem like the same thing at first glance. However, I think they are actually quite different. Read on to learn why!
Team-building vs. team bonding in dance
While I think that there are difference between team-building and team-bonding, the two do go hand in hand. Certainly team-building activities can lead to team bonding, and dancers develop team-building skills through team bonding exercises. Both are necessary for successful and happy dance companies and teams!
What is team-building in dance?
Team-building is about skill-building, both individually and as a group. In team-building dance activities, students work together to meet a shared goal. The goal of team-building in dance is to help dancers develop the skills they need to work together to meet a shared challenge or goal. These skills include collaboration, communication, and creative skills. As dancers participate in team-building activities, they learn to:
- collaborate and work with one another to meet a shared goal
- communicate in effective ways so that the group can succeed at their assigned tasks
- understand their own work style and preferences
- understand and accept the work style and preferences of the other participants
- appreciate what they can do as a group, when they work together
In team-building, a sense of community comes as the result of this shared work, as students realize that each member of the team is integral to the group’s success. However, the focus remains on the work and the skills that are developed through it. There is great value in the team-building, both for the individuals and the group. Collaboration, communication, and creativity are important life skills that will help the group dance better together and work more cooperatively in classes and rehearsals. More importantly, these are skills that will also serve the individual dancers well in their lives outside the studio.
Team-building is great to practice in any dance setting, from a “one and done” master class or workshop to a season-long session to a dance team or company. You can learn more about team-building in dance and find great dance activities for team-building in this blog post: My Favorite Team-Building Games for Dance Class
What is team bonding in dance?
Team bonding goes beyond skill-building, with a focus on fostering deeper relationships among the dancers. Team bonding is not just about working together or meeting a shared goal. In team-bonding activities, students learn make connections, find common ground, and be vulnerable with one another. The goal is to build trust among the dancers, as learn to both trust one another and see themselves as worthy of their peer’s trust. As dancers participate in team bonding activities, they learn to:
- get to know one another through observation, sharing, and discussion
- discover more about themselves, through personal reflection and group discussion
- find commonalities through shared experiences
- understand that not everyone shares the same perspectives, values, or beliefs, and that their is strength in this diversity
- celebrate others, recognizing what makes their peers special and accepting them without jealousy
- celebrate themselves, recognizing their own unique qualities, abilities, and talents
- celebrate their team, knowing that each member is valuable and integral to their shared success
In team-bonding, a sense of community comes from sharing meaningful experiences, intentionally creating team connections, getting to know one another more deeply. Students will often develop collaboration, communication, and creative skills through team bonding, but that is secondary to the relationships being built. The students ultimately realize that each member of the team – including themselves – is valued and appreciated for who they are, not just because of what they can bring to the team.
I tend to focus on team bonding when working with dance teams, companies, or performance groups under the following circumstances:
- They will be dancing together for a longer term, such as a full season or longer,
- They will be dancing in an intensive fashion, such as having long hours of class or rehearsal together, performance or competitions weekends, or travel events
- They are dancing with a specific purpose, such as competing or performing for the community
Team bonding activities for dance teams and companies
In this blog post, you will find some ideas for team bonding activities that can be used by dance teams, classes, and companies. They are based on my experience as a dancer, teacher, and company director. The focus of these team bonding dance activities is to build relationships among dancers, giving them a shared experience that will deepen their groups bonds.
Not every team bonding activity listed will be a good fit for your dancers. Some of these activities can serve as an introduction to team bonding, and are easier and more accessible for new teams and groups. Others require a level of connection or vulnerability that may be uncomfortable, depending on the dancers’ age and life experience. Some require an extra commitment of time or finances that might not be feasible for the dancers or their families. I think it is always helpful to ask the dancers for their comfort level, interest, and ability to participate before planning any team bonding activity. If they dancers are not engaged or fully able to participate, then they will not experience the benefits of the dance team bonding activity and may consider it a waste of time. Choose the activities that are the best fit for your team, class, or company!
Create a dance team ritual
Rituals are a deeply meaningful part of the human experience. We share rituals with those in our family group, religious community, neighborhood or city, cultural background or nationality. These shared rituals help bond us with others, as they become part of who we are as a group. Rituals are also an important part of the dance world: pre-class rituals, good luck rituals before shows, even the ritual of starting ballet class at the barre. Creating a team ritual can be a great way to help your students bond. The ritual will become a part of your team’s identity, the way the identify with one another, the way the set themselves apart from other teams.
A dance team ritual can be simple, like a breathing routine or chant that you do before every show. Or, it can be something that helps strengthen the bonds between the dancers, like writing each other good luck notes before competitions. It can be something that recognizes special sub-groups within the team, like an even that honors first-year team members or graduating students. Whatever it is, it should be something that you do on a regular cadence – whether that means at the last class before each competition weekend, or every year at Thanksgiving. It should also be something that is special and meaningful to your dancers. You can establish a ritual that will last throughout generations of your team; for example, in my undergraduate program we had a pre-concert ritual that was lovingly passed down from class to class. You can also allow your current team members to create their own unique rituals every year, or put their own twist on established ones. Giving your students some ownership over the ritual will make it more meaningful for them. When designing the ritual, you should consider: What shared interests or experiences do you have? What is unique about the team and its individual members? What is the team legacy that they represent? What do you value as a team?
Choreograph a dance for one another
This is my favorite team bonding experience, because I’ve seen time and time again the impact it has on the individual dancers and their relationship as a team. It is a very easy ritual to incorporate into your classes, rehearsals, or team events. It works best when the students have been dancing together for a bit, and have had time to get to know one another to some extent. In this dance team bonding experience, the dancers will make a dance inspired by another person on their team and give it to them as a “gift.”
Write each student’s name on a piece of paper, fold them in half, and put them in a bucket or bag. Let each student choose one piece of paper. They should not reveal whose name is written on it. Direct the dancers to think about the person on their paper: How do they dance? What do they like? What is special about them? How do they make others feel? What do you admire about them? Why are they a good teammate or friend? It may be helpful for the dancers to write their reflections down.
After they’ve had some time to think or write, direct the dancers to start creating a short dance that reflects what they have throughout about or written down. How can they express the special qualities and uniqueness of their teammate through movement? Once they have the dance put together, they should practice performing it with the movement quality, facial expressions, energy, and style they associate with their teammate.
When they have finished creating their dance, they will share it with the class. It can be fun to invite them present the dance without revealing who it is a gift for, letting the rest of the team guess before revealing the answer. Or, they can tell the team who the dance is for before performing the movement, and share a bit about the special qualities that inspired their choreography.
It can be heartwarming to see the dancers’ response to the dance made for them, and to hear their reactions and discussions throughout the entire sharing. You can choose to follow up this activity with a discussion about what the experience was like, and how it felt to receive their “gift” of the dance created in their honor.
Watch dance together
This is another easy team bonding experience, and one that can be highly educational as well as a great way to deepen relationships between the students. Watching dance together can be a cathartic, joyful, and moving experience. I love showing videos of great masterworks and innovative contemporary choreography in my classes. Not only are the students learning about dance history and choreography, but it can also be a bonding experience. I love watching how the dancers collectively react and respond to the amazing technical feats, heartfelt and emotional performances, unexpected choreographic choices, and lavish costumes and set pieces. They look at each other in awe, laugh together, collectively gasp, point out their favorite movements, and debate about what they think the dance means. After we watch, I facilitate a discussion so that they can process, reflect, and share what they experienced as they watched. It is a great way to help the dancers connect with one another over a most important shared interest: their love of dance!
There are many ways that your team can watch dance together, whether it is through an in-class video showing like I described above, or a movie night at the studio, or taking a field trip to see a collegiate or professional dance concert.
Use the buddy system
Many dance teams have some sort of “buddy system” in place where dancers are organized in pairs or small groups to support one another throughout the season. This is a great way to help form lasting friendships within the team by providing dancers an opportunity to connect with a few of their teammates on a deeper level. When it works well, the buddy system can ensure that no dancer is left out, because they all have someone special that they can relate to. Some of my favorite buddy system models are “Secret Supporters” who send each other encouraging notes and little gifts before competition weekends, or “Season Siblings” who work together in different ways throughout the year. An added bonus of the buddy system is that if you choose to pair newer members with veterans, it can be a great way to pass on team values, traditions, and legacies!
Host a personal heritage potluck or dance party
When I was in graduate school, my amazing choreography teachers Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig (known collectively as PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATRE) organized a series of dinners in which each of the four members of our cohort prepared a food that was special to us. During the dinners, we shared food from our heritage as well as stories from our past and our hopes for the future. There were incredibly important experiences for me. I was honored that someone would want to try my family’s halupki recipe and hear about my college days. But the really transformative part of the experiences was learning from my fellow students. We were diverse in culture, race, age, dance background, and phase of life, and I felt my world open as they shared about their history, families, and favorite dance experiences.
You can adapt this idea for use as a dance team bonding experience by hosting a personal heritage potluck for your company or team. Each person can bring a dish or food item that reflects something from their background: their culture or nationality, a place they’ve lived or visited, their family traditions, or what they enjoy with friends. Before the meal, each dancer can share a bit about the item they brought and why it is important to them. Enjoy the food together and have a great time!
This concept also works if you substitute dance styles for food! I did a project like this for years when I taught collegiate dance appreciation courses. Each dancer would give a short presentation about a dance style that was part of their personal heritage. It was such a joy to learn about the dances that were part of the students’ cultural and religious backgrounds, childhood experiences, neighborhood festivities, family life, and social circles ~ everything from Majorette to Irish Step to the Hora. You can ask your students to reflect on a dance from their heritage (outside of what you teach them at the studio!), and share it during a class, rehearsal, or team bonding event!
Here are a few more dance team bonding ideas that you might like…
Create a team support bulletin board where dancers can share messages of encouragement and support, shout out their teammates, or say thank you to their teachers and coaches.
Organize a team service project like a hosting a food or school supply drive, teaching a free community dance class, performing at a nursing home, writing thank you cards for service members, or preparing toiletry boxes for unhoused individuals.
Take a field trip to an art museum, escape room, laser tag, amusement park, or hiking trail – somewhere students can let loose and have fun together! Those moments of play can be really impactful on students and their relationships with one another.
Host regular check-in discussions in which students can share their concerns, celebrations, frustrations, and joys. These can happen during rehearsal or at an agreed-upon time outside of their regular schedule. You can plan some discussion prompts, but be sure to allow plenty of time for student-lead conversation and allow them to direct the discussion according to their needs.
Let the dancers organize an end-of-season banquet or picnic. Working together to plan a special event is a great way for teams to bond, and there is nothing more special than an event that celebrate them and all of their hard work! They can even create and vote on end-of-season awards that honor each member’s special contributions to the team.
Advocate for dance together by creating content about the value of dance your team’s social media account, writing a letter to your governmental officials in support of arts funding and programming, or participating a local arts event. Working together in support of a cause that you care about is a powerful tool for community building! You can learn more about dance advocacy and find ways to advocate for dance from The National Dance Education Organization here. I share my own ideas in this blog post: Simple Ways to Advocate for Dance
More resources you might like …
- Help your students get to know one another and develop team-building skills with The Holistic Collection of Team-Building Dance Games
- Help your dancers develop important social skills with this blog post: How to Teach Social Skills in Dance Class
- Take care of your students’ overall well-being with this blog post: 5 Dance Activities to Help Support Your Student’s Emotional Health
Visit my Resources page for tools that support a holistic teaching practice. Keep in touch by signing up for my quarterly newsletter, or join me on Facebook at The Holistic Dance Teacher.
