Syllabi and styles within styles

Have you ever noticed that students who study dance at different schools and studios sometimes have different understandings of specific dance steps or use different words to describe them, even if they are learning the same overarching style (like ballet)?  Sometimes it's just studio culture, but many of these differences can be attributed to various syllabi or sub-types of dance styles.  In this post, I'll give you a simple overview of dance syllabi.  Note that this is a conceptual explanation, not a dictionary of dance syllabi, and I am never trying to insinuate that any syllabus is better than another.

Let's start with an analogy.  Let's say that a style of dance (I'll pick modern) is like a language (I'll pick English).  People who dance at school A perform their modern dance differently than those who dance at school B, though both can recognize each other's dancing as modern dance.  People who live in the US speak English differently than those who live in the UK, but both can recognize each other's speech as English.  School A teaches students to dance in the Graham technique, while school B teaches students Horton.  In the US, people speak and publications use a specific English called American English, and in the UK, people speak and publications use a specific English called British English.  American English and British English both have rules of usage, spelling, and grammar that guide the way they are used.  Oftentimes they are similar, but some spellings and grammar rules are different.  Graham technique and Horton technique share some basic steps, but the styles also have unique attributes.  Therefore, different sub-types of dance styles are like recognized variations of the same language.  We could say Vaganova ballet technique is like Spanish spoken in Spain, and Balanchine ballet technique is like Spanish spoken in Latin America.  The list goes on and on.

If a student grows up dancing at one studio and learning one particular syllabus, they will probably be very accustomed to that syllabus.  If the student attends a master class or visits another studio for a class in the same style of dance, but with a different syllabus or sub-type, they may end up a bit confused.  Arm positions, head positions, and quality of movement (smooth, sharp, etc.) are the most likely to differ among syllabi, so even an advanced student might get a lot of corrections on the basics when taking class in an unfamiliar sub-style.
Like dance schools, professional dance companies use different syllabi.  Martha Graham Dance Company uses (obviously) Graham style modern dance, and New York City Ballet uses Balanchine style ballet.  If a dancer is interested in auditioning for a company, they should know the company's preferred syllabus.  Sometimes a director will weigh talent and drive over syllabus knowledge, but often times dancers who use another syllabus's technical details in an audition will be seen as unprepared and/or making errors.

Another big thing when it comes to syllabi (especially Cecchetti ballet compared to almost any other ballet syllabus) is the time at which dancers learn different things.  In Cecchetti, young female students often get pointe shoes as young as age 7 or 8 because of the gentle barre-based teaching method.  Most other ballet syllabi reserve pointe for older students.  No syllabus is better than any other, and all move at their own rates to educate accomplished dancers.  It's not a good idea to compare your dance education to anyone else's if you are learning from different syllabi.

All established syllabi and sub-styles are created equal.  Some people may like one over another or find one more challenging than another, but as long as a syllabus is legitimate, it's good.  It's important for a student's dance education to come from an official syllabus (or a combination of several syllabi).  A studio's website or class description flyers should list any syllabi used for a class or style of dance (like Vaganova-based ballet training, or Davida bronze standard ballroom).  If it's not listed, ask a teacher or studio director what syllabi are used.  All quality dance educators should know what syllabus they are teaching, no matter what the syllabus is.