Dance To Train

I have always had a fascination with the arts... music, dance, painting... I never fully understood why, until recently, it dawned on me. Being able to perform an art is the same as being an animal trainer. It requires precision, timing, and communication.

I have always had a love for dance. More now than ever I want to pursue the art of dance. Not just club dancing.. no... but dance that is sensual. Like ballroom, latin, contemporary or ballet. It requires precision. It requires a knowledge of your body and how it moves. Especially with contemporary dance.

Contemporary dance moves the body in ways you would not think possible. It can push your body to the limits. You have to understand the dance and feel it from within. You have to recognize the movements of your body and remember it. When your body is flexed and formed just right, you have to remember that precise feeling so that you can repeat that dance and get it right. Much like clicker training.

I view clicker training with an animal much the same way. The sound of your clicker is a way of getting your animal to understand what movement of it's body is being rewarded. It requires precise timing in the delivery of the click.

When the animal hears that click, it sends a memory to it's body and brain. The animal stops and registers it's movements. It begins to think.. "ok.. I've just been rewarded to move my body like so... so I will try again." And so it tries to replicate the same act again. Maybe it does.. and you reward again. And so the animal begins to become familair with the placement of it's body. And in practice and continual precise clicking.. that animal will recognize the feel of it's body when preforming the act, and it will exicute the behavior exactly as you want it without fail. As long as you click when it is needed.

Dancing is much the same way. When you go to a class and you must perform a dance step, it's the teacher who reinforces you. They either say, "yes or no." Everytime you hear the yes... your body begins to remember it's placement. As you continue to learn and perform, you get better. You begin to feel the placement of your body. And it becomes second nature. You no longer think about what is required of you.. but rather you feel it. When you feel your body move into that "yes" position, that is when you know you have accomplished what is asked of you.

It is just a thought, but perhaps this is how an animal thinks.. or doesn't think...and perhaps through the memory of the movement of it's body and it's placement, that is how an animal learns.

I want to learn to dance.. I think it will make me a better animal trainer.


animal training, dance, clicker training, contemporary dance