REDEFINING ELDERSHIP: Two Systems of Eldership

By Ali Pavlich

Walking back into high school as a 29 year old is a little different than walking in as a freshman. The same insecurities hold a different weight; they have matured. 

I felt unsure of myself as I walked down the hallway and found the classroom where I was greeted by 20 high school students. There was one desk left in the circle, my seat. As I sat down, to be introduced to my first team as a high school dance team coach, you could feel the anticipation and excitement in the room. In the midst of the excitement, there is also a sense of reservation. Once the conversation got going, I could tell that I was going to love being the head dance coach. 

As the year progressed, we got into a groove and I faced little resistance as the new coach until it came to auditioning the lead for our marching band show. Auditions for the solo were open to anyone on the team that was interested and judged by myself and the marching band director. Ultimately, we decided that a junior captain was the best for the role. The following week, I had a meeting with the Athletic Director and the senior parents who were not happy with my decision.

As I entered that meeting, I realized that there were two systems of eldership at play. The first system of eldership viewed my replacement of an elder that was beloved by the team. As the coach/elder for the dance team, there is a certain authority that I had based on my role alone. However, I also had to consider the second system of eldership, which was the view of the dance team captains. 

First System of Eldership - The Coach

I never anticipated the growth I had as an elder that first year of coaching. I was confident in my ability to relate to the team and their passion for dance, help them advance their technique and grow as performers. The thing that I took most seriously as an elder was the relationship between empowering young creatives to pursue their art, while providing feedback in a way that encourages improvement and not resentment towards the arts. As someone who experienced setbacks in my creative pursuits from the corrective approach of my dance elders, I wanted to make sure I did everything in my power to educate and encourage my team. 

Throughout my entire career as a coach, I heavily relied on the other elders in the dance coach community. It was beautiful to be part of a community that was made up of a variety of ages, performance/coaching experience and demographics. I did my best to absorb any and all information the other coaches provided, trying to be the best that I could be. It almost was like this system of eldership redefined the traditional sense. 

Second System of Eldership - The Team

There is a natural system of eldership that occurs in high school, you have upperclassmen and underclassmen. On the team, we had Captains and Junior Captains, as well as veterans and rookies. These systems of eldership work beautifully until pride and entitlement get involved. Majority of the conflict that we had on a team, whether that was between myself and the dancers or the dancers themselves, came down to what someone assumed they deserved. I realized this quickly when I cast the junior as a soloist and didn’t choose a senior captain.

My years as a coach validated one of the best pieces of advice that I have ever received - always have someone mentoring you and always be mentoring someone else. I am thankful to have experienced both being the elder and learning from elders during my years as a dance coach.