When I first taught my daughter to drive a car, I discovered several parallels between the mission, and her favourite sport; calisthenics.

Teaching a learner driver is much like watching a beginner’s Rod routine.  It’s scary. It’s nerve-wracking and unpredictable. And all you can do is supervise closely, offer encouragement, and hope that time and practice will bring improvement.

How can 16 year olds, with such enviable skill and dexterity on stage, have difficulties mastering the placement of two simple pedals, and then struggle with the co-ordination required to gracefully move a foot between those pedals? It seems a completely foreign concept that the same foot can be used to manage both the brake and accelerator functions. That right foot achieves multiple movements whilst on stage. Even in time to the beat of music. Yet in a car, it hovers paralysed over the pedals. “Which one is the brake?”

When faced with the challenge of driving lessons, it helps to relate the process to an environment that we are more familiar with – dancing.

Anybody who has ever tried to manoeuvre a rod knows that dancing with calisthenics apparatus is not at all intuitive. It requires lessons that teach the required skills by breaking movements down into manageable parts,  starting with the basics and progressing to more difficult elements.  And consistent practice.

Calisthenics and driving share several similarities:

Road rules are like the regulations of the calisthenics governing bodies. They exist for reasons of safety, fairness and the interests of all participants, with a specific set of banned movements. Breaching either set of rules can have serious consequences.

Road traffic is like a collection of solo performers on stage at the same time. If everybody else is doing a standing split, you are safe to proceed with your jeté in a way that doesn’t throw them off balance.  And not everybody can perform a fancy, impromptu leap at the same time, or the result will be congestion and mayhem. As with preparation for poses and movements, cues can help determine the action a driver is about to take.

• heads are generally positioned facing the direction of travel. It doesn’t make sense to move downstage whilst facing the back curtain. Vehicles have the advantage of blinkers to indicate direction.
• body position (or vehicle placement) can be indicative of the next move. Travelling to the outer edge of the stage can signal the beginning of the exit routine. Likewise, traffic sitting in either the left or right turning lane has a strong chance of actually turning. Vehicles in the middle lanes have little choice but to proceed straight ahead.
• round-abouts should be as graceful as Aesthetics. Establish where others are positioned, fill in time with a pose, and slide smoothly through the intersection when the flow permits.
• merging traffic is like a March routine. Keep pace with everybody else. Signal your intention and move confidently, trusting that others will adjust slightly for you to slot into the intended position.
• road-markings communicate instructions and stopping points, much like the masking-taped crosses on the stage. Rippled alert strips on the side of the road provide a wake-up message with the same seriousness as the upstage taped line at Her Majesty’s Theatre that screams not to get any closer to the back cyc.

Team Work is required to ensure that all participants perform well. The goal of an individual dancer in a team calisthenics item is not to stand out or show-off individual skills, but to blend within the item so that the whole team looks good. Be aware of other road users and respect that everyone is trying to reach a destination safely. There’s no place for show-offs behind the wheel.

Speed limits can be compared to music. Choreography is created to match the feel, tempo and style of music. Safe speed limits are created based on road conditions and local knowledge. You wouldn’t ignore the beat and break into March during a Rhythmical Aesthetics item. Nor would you ignore the speed limit and set your own pace.

Props can sometimes cause distractions rather than enhance an item. We’ve all watched a background DLP and forgotten about the performers. Likewise, conversation and music should be kept to a minimum in favour of concentrating on the actual task of driving.

Mobile phones whilst driving are like banned movements that reduce your score. They might look impressive, but the result can be instant disqualification with no right to appeal.  In this case the outcome is actually justified. Just don’t do it.

When the curtain comes up (or the ignition is started), everyone must be positioned correctly, equipped with the necessary apparatus,  and ready to focus. Keep calm, remember previous corrections and concentrate on the task. Be prepared for unexpected movements and react appropriately.

Just like calisthenics, driving gets easier with practice — and the best performances always come after plenty of rehearsals.

Originally published Nov 13, 2017 (regarding a beautiful dancer who can now also drive)