RhythMETHOD DanceCONNECTIVE has a syllabus that appeals to me for many reasons.
The work is based on international standards, technique, steps and terminology and a lot of research has been done to ensure that the work can compete on a global scale.
Mark will listen to input from various people, and has set up a syllabus that appeals to both young and old.
All the extras (videos, extra syllabus notes, dictionary), makes the work much easier to learn and understand, and also increases the knowledge of teachers and students alike. I love the fact that traditional steps are included. They’re not only fun to do, but teach us so much about where tap came from!
The work is made interesting from start to finish, even an adult just starting out will find the basic levels as much of a challenge as a young child will. Everyone is pushed from day one, but because there are a number of levels, finding one to suit each dancer’s ability is easy.
Although exams are strict and taken very seriously, there is a level of freedom for dancers to express themselves in the work (and there are often options that give stronger dancers more of a challenge, while not putting those still struggling a bit at a disadvantage). This certainly doesn’t make it easier, in fact, you have to put more thought into what you are doing in order to not only do correct technique, but also to present the syllabus in a way that shows you can dance! The fact that there are three examiners with different opinions, that all look for different things, make exams both harder and a lot more fair.
This is a syllabus that keeps growing and improving, it doesn’t stagnate. It makes it the type of syllabus that you really want to keep learning!