Former dance school owner and director Bill Fowler serves as performing-arts director of the National Dance Council of America and is senior vice president of the Europe-based International Dance Organization. He is also president of the North American Dance Championships and serves as an advisor to many competitions throughout the world. The author and publisher of The Judge’s Handbook: An Inside Look at Judging Performing Arts Competitions has traveled the world as a judge for 30 years, serving as chairman of judges in Australia, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Denmark, Norway, Serbia and Montenegro, Russia, South Africa, and on cruises in the Caribbean.

 

Goldrush: How did you come to be a judge?

 

BF: My first judging job was for my hometown of Medford’s Miss VFW. The judges were a city councilman, a member of the VFW, and a dance teacher—me! There were only three contestants—a vocalist who could not sing on key, a tap dancer, and a young lady who baked cookies. She gave the judges a sampling of her chocolate chip cookies. My first choice was the tap dancer because she performed the best, but the other two judges chose the cookies. The moral of the story is “Don’t ever hire a hungry judge.”

 

Goldrush: What do you consider the biggest change in the competition world over the last 30 years?

 

BF: Structure. In the early days of competition, all dance disciplines competed against one another. Tap, ballet, jazz, and acrobatic dancers all competed for first, second, and third prizes. Talk about competition! I remember judging Miss Dance of the United States when there were 87 contestants vying for those three top spots. In those days it was very difficult to win, especially for a tap dancer—tap was not considered the art that it is today. In fact, many people looked down on it.

 

Goldrush: There was a time when people said, “Dance competition is a fad that will end soon.” Now competitions are bigger than ever. What has been the most positive result of dance competition?

 

BF: Talent! Thirty years ago most dancers took one or two dance classes a week. In fact, many schools taught tap, ballet, jazz, and acrobatic in a one-hour class. Competition has changed all that. It taught us that in order to stay in the winner’s circle you had to devote a lot more time and energy to your art, and that without a solid ballet foundation you would never excel in dance or the performing arts.

 

Goldrush: What advice would you offer a dance teacher who is bringing her dancers to a convention or competition for the first time?

 

BF: Do so knowing that you will learn from the experience. Even when you experience a dull class, you learn something—maybe just not to take that class again! Don’t expect to receive a high score on your first venture, but be sure to digest each judge’s comments, no matter how kind or harsh. You may not be happy with what they say, but you may benefit greatly from it. I have seen schools grow tremendously when teachers listen to the adjudicators and take their comments as constructive criticism instead of as an insult.

 

Goldrush: Parent involvement is a big issue in today’s dance competition world. What advice can you offer parents whose children participate in competitive dance?

 

BF: We know that if we grow many rose bushes, one will always stand out more than the others. Every individual must grow at his or her own pace. You cannot do more harm to a budding dancer than to ask, “How come Suzy can do that and you can’t?” or “How come Suzy made the company and you didn’t?” If parents want their children to succeed more, they need to encourage them to take more classes and focus on improvement, not competition results. Children who are restricted physically, mentally, or otherwise should be encouraged to pursue dance as a recreational hobby and enjoy its many benefits.

 

Goldrush: Choreography is so important at the dance competitions. What advice can you offer competition choreographers?

 

BF: Don’t restrict yourself; be creative, unique, and daring. Find music that has never been used, costumes that no one has ever thought of, and above all, keep your material age appropriate.

 

Goldrush: There’s been a lot of controversy concerning age-appropriate movement, music, and costuming at dance competitions.

 

BF: Nothing is more disheartening for a judge than seeing dancers perform to music with lyrics they don’t understand, in costumes that show parts of their bodies that they don’t even know they have, or dance as if they were auditioning for Gypsy. I love to see young children be just that—young children. They should be costumed and presented in a manner that flatters them. Creativity is the key! Older kids should be allowed to be kids too, and their costume, movements, and theme should always be in good taste. Choreographers must be very careful when exploring more mature themes. There’s a fine line between what is acceptable and what is in poor taste.

 

Goldrush: What do you consider the hardest aspect of judging competitions or teaching at conventions?

 

BF: Judging or teaching dancers who have not been properly trained. Once, I was teaching a tap class for one of the major teacher organizations when a dancer in the junior class pulled at my pants leg, looked up at me with big sad eyes, and said, “Mister, I don’t know what that step is.” I was doing a basic flap ball change. That child should have never been subjected to that situation. I did tell her to meet me after the class so I could teach her the step.

 

On another occasion, in the early days of judging, there was a school that had hundreds of students, all dancing their hearts out, who had no technical training at all. The teacher called me after perusing the tapes and asked me how she could improve. My suggestion was to never stop teaching, because she had the ability to give the gift of dance to many students, but to bring in guest teachers and choreographers. She did it, and hers is now one of the leading studios in her area.

 

Goldrush: Is it difficult to be objective?

 

BF: Judges must be careful not to let personal feelings be reflected in their marks. They are there to judge talent and to give constructive criticism. Once, at a prestigious competition, I was judging a piece that was choreographed to Vincent Price’s “Black Widow.” During it, the judge next to me fidgeted and scratched her arms. I scored it in the mid-90s; the itchy judge gave it a 60; the other judge gave it a higher mark than mine. As chairman of judges, I was asked to speak to the low-scoring judge to see if there was an error, but she explained that she detested spiders and felt very uncomfortable watching the piece.

 

Goldrush: What do you consider most rewarding about judging competitions or teaching at conventions?

 

BF: You can’t build dancers at competitions or in master classes, but what you can do is stimulate them to achieve the levels they dream of. It’s sad, but you cannot be really truthful with dancers today. It is taboo to tell them that they are a little too heavy to achieve their goals, that they shouldn’t wear glasses while performing, that they are too short, or any other suggestions that would better enable them to reach their goal.

 

I remember my first audition, where I was told, “You’re much too little to be a male dancer.” I was 5' 6" and 125 pounds. I wanted to be a ballet dancer but was always told I was much too short to partner a girl on pointe. It’s a good thing I was told about that shortcoming, because I went on to own one of the most successful studios in the ’70s and ’80s and now hold many dance-related positions, both nationally and internationally.

 

Goldrush: How can teachers be more realistic with competitive dancers without damaging their self-esteem?

 

BF: Education and attitude. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers, choreographers, and coaches to teach dancers to accept correction and criticism from an early age, without feeling that it is a personal attack. They should also be taught to sift criticism for what it’s worth. Correction and criticism are necessary to build a dancer. We must learn through trial and error. I remember how cheated I felt when my instructors never paid attention to me and how I loved it when they gave me suggestions for improvement.

 

Goldrush: How does the talent from North America compare to that in the rest of the world?

 

BF: I have been involved with international events for more than 10 years now, and the competition becomes stronger each year. Today, almost all countries have wonderful dancers. The United States and Canada are very strong in show dance, jazz, and tap. Some disciplines that are popular in Europe, like disco, disco show, and disco freestyle are not done here in the States. Last year the World Hip-Hop, Break, and Electric Boogie Championship attracted more than 4,000 dancers from 40 nations. The U.S. is just beginning to build a solid American hip-hop team. Europeans have learned a great deal from the American competitors. Ten years ago they knew very little about costuming, grooming, makeup, footwear, and hose. In Western Europe the schools are similar to ours; however, in Eastern Europe and the Middle East most dance training takes place in cultural clubs, some under the auspices of cultural or sports ministries. Some are privately owned and some are under city or state governments.

 

Goldrush: Do international competitions score differently than those in North America?

 

BF: The whole format of world competition differs from what is done in North America. For example, there may be 100 female adult tap soloists. They all dance and the judges, usually seven to nine of them, bring back 50. In the preliminary round they bring back 24; in the quarter-final, 12; the semi-final, 6. In the final round they use the skating system in which each dancer is ranked in first through sixth place, to determine the world champion.

 

Goldrush: What are the most important qualities that you look for when you judge?

 

BF: Total performance. A dancer must be a total package: grooming, technical ability, charisma, ability to project to the audience and, most of all, entertain without stress or strain.

 

Goldrush: What do you mean by “stress or strain”?

 

BF: They must perform with ease; strain can cause awkwardness. Their faces should not show stress or fear and they should appear to dance without effort, even though we know how much work is being put into it.

 

Goldrush: If you could change one thing about the competition world, what would it be?

 

BF: One thing that has bothered me for a long time is the scoring system used by some organizers. We grow up believing that grades are very important, that if we achieve excellence our numerical grades will be 90 to 100. We learn that grades of 80 to 89 are very good, that 70 to 79 are average, and anything below 70 is unsatisfactory. When the adjudication system went into effect, those numerical scores were changed so that 90 to 100 is the equivalent of a gold medal, 80 to 89 is silver, and 70 to 79 bronze. In order not to devastate dancers, a score of 60 to 69 is called honorable mention. In the beginning, dancers who scored below 60 were often given nothing. Later, scores began to reflect the ranks of high gold, high silver, and high bronze, which is good because it prevents dancers from getting a false sense of achievement. Today, many organizers have changed the system, misleading dancers about their achievements. I have seen scores as low as 82 receive a gold award because some competitions now offer ruby, diamond, and platinum awards, and believe it or not, titanium as the top score. I would like to see scores standardized, but until there is some control or government regulation that will never happen.

 

Goldrush: Do you have a funny story that our readers might enjoy?

 

BF: One of the funniest moments of my dance career happened not at a competition but while I was performing as a preteen. My brother Danny and I were dancing at a banquet, and they served matzo ball soup. During our performance my shoe came off and landed in someone’s soup at the head table. This taught me that the show must go on; I did the rest of the routine with only one shoe. Today, I would have gotten a Troopers Award.

 

Goldrush: What do you think is the key to your success?

 

BF: I don’t know. I was never the best teacher, nor the best choreographer, but many of my former students are still performing and working in all kinds of dance, including its life blood—teaching and spreading the wonderful world of dance.

 
 

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