Teamwork is obviously a key factor when in such a severe situation like Shackleton and his crew. I felt that being able to watch out for your own teammates, whether you are the leader or not, is important for everyone to feel like part of the team. When I was part of the cheerleading team in high school, I could feel that we all had each others' backs. Since it is a sport that requires everyone to be alert and ready for anything to happen (especially when a stunt does not succeed and someone accidentally falls), cheerleading required all teammates to see the big picture so that everyone knew what each person was doing at a certain time. Even though we were not a particularly strong team in the sense of getting high scores at competitions, we were a strong team that had a very tight bond and understood the entire team.
Recently at my ballet studio, I see a lot of teamwork going on and this actually surprised me. While rehearsing for an upcoming performance, I saw a lot of my friends helping each other out when memorizing sequences and reviewing the previous choreography we learned. I used to think of ballet as an individual sport and art because every one wants to be in the spotlight and be noticed when dancing on stage. However, for the next performance, we are all part of the "corps de ballet" or the background dancers who are there to let the main principal dancers shine. So instead of trying to stand out, we must all dance at the exact same timing and dance as one group. Even though my situation right now is no where near as life threatening and severe as Shackleton and his crew's, I am able to feel the importance of teamwork and how crucial it is for everyone's "survival" in each situation.
P.S. My role is the dancer in the front on the left row~!! If anyone is interested in coming to see the show, please let me know!! :)
P.S. My role is the dancer in the front on the left row~!! If anyone is interested in coming to see the show, please let me know!! :)
I like how you described the background dancers as "being there to let the principal dancers shine"! I sometimes watch soccer games, and I feel that teams that have close bonds but do not necessarily have shining star players do better than teams with some prominent players but with weak bonds. Of course, some ardent soccer fans may disagree with me but... What this tells me is that teamwork is more important than individual skills when it comes to group performance. When I read your blog, it reminded me of this. What matters most may not be the skills of the main principal dancers (although I'm sure that matters too!) but the cooperation of the background dancers and the principal dancers to make a great performance!
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