Imagine your child in a dance audition. After completing the beautiful routine practised for weeks, the judge poses a surprise test — a vocal piece.
Now, you’re biting on your nails, thinking about whether your child can ace the test.
If it was an audition for a dance role, your child’s graceful moves may have already won the hearts of the judges. What good would their talent in singing do for the same role, you might ask yourself.
Still, your child braves the test, reciting a verse and chorus from a favourite classic. The judges are impressed, and your child wins a role among a group of dancers for the musical.
“We’d like you to audition for a few scenes as we’re still looking for a lead,” one of the judges then says.
Your eyes gleam in excitement. They’ve found themselves a triple threat.
What Is A Triple Threat In The Arts?
Simply put, a triple threat in performing arts refers to a performer who can sing, act and also dance. They’re regarded as well-rounded performers — multi-talented and versatile. When auditioning to be part of a play, triple threats bring more skills to the table and have a competitive advantage among others trying for the same role.
It’s perfectly fine to develop mastery in one of the three domains, but acquiring skills in the other two prepares a child for any artistic challenge that comes their way.
A professional performer today is encouraged to display complementary skill sets. For instance, a singer has to show some moves on stage to engage the audience. A dancer conveys meaning with powerful facial expressions. An actor may be required to sing and dance for a musical.
In the entertainment industry, being a triple threat sets one up for success. For children looking to build a career in performing arts, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, having singing, acting and dancing skills lets them stand out from the crowd.
Benefits Of Being A Triple Threat
There is plenty a child can do as a triple threat. More importantly, though, the benefits of being one can greatly impact their personal development. Here’s how.
1. Increase Confidence
At the centre of performing arts is self-presentation. Whether through a duet, dance routine or monologue, being able to present themselves in front of an audience is a marker of confidence. It also offers a sense of accomplishment, helping them to develop self-worth. This ultimately improves their self-esteem, allowing them to overcome feelings of shyness or stage-fright.
The ability to perform as an actor, dancer and singer enhances this further.
The child learns how to express themselves in front of different types of audiences. They’ll know what it takes to perform, engage and command attention. Having the skills of a triple threat not only makes them feel more valued but also trusted as a performer — an all-rounder who delivers.
When received with a positive response, they will be motivated to do even better each time, allowing for greater feelings of self-worth and confidence to truly shine through.
2. Sharpen Communication
As an actor, a child communicates a compelling narrative by supporting dialogue with facial expressions and body language. While singing, intonation drives the story. A dancer speaks to the audience through movements.
Communication in performing arts comes in various forms. Knowing how to effectively deliver a message in different ways lets the child explore storytelling more creatively and in greater depth. They learn to put together a variety of models to carve out a narrative, whether through script writing or choreographing a step to express the intent of a song.
What does this really mean for a young budding artist? As a triple threat, they’ll have the ability to work in different capacities as a performer. They’ll also be able to complement the communication styles of the three domains wherever required. This lets them see the big picture in any theatre production and gain further competence in the field. Couple this with teamwork, and the child will emerge as an effective communicator.
Such communication skills are helpful on the day to day too. The child will learn how to effectively play around with word choices and body language, whether it’s for public speaking, a job interview or a team project.
3. Ignite Creativity
The world of performing arts is one for the imaginative. It’s a space that offers aspirants a chance to create stories and give meaning to the simplest actions — it could be a soft intonation in the middle of a song or pin-drop silence in an act.
Being a triple threat gives a child multiple tools to turn their ideas and passions into tangible forms of art at once. As a performer, such skills are beneficial when brainstorming and delivering aesthetic concepts with other professionals like directors, choreographers and scriptwriters.
It’s no longer enough to just excel in one “dot” but also to be able to “connect the dots” to truly advance in the line of creative work.
Such creative endeavours sharpen their thinking capabilities, allowing them to creatively solve problems in their daily lives.
Turn Your Child Into A Triple Threat
With training tailored to children of various age groups, the Triple Threat programme by MindChamps Académie of Stars can develop in any aspiring artist the art of performing by combining three skills — singing, dancing and acting. The Champion Mindset that underpins the school’s holistic approach prepares children to embrace challenges confidently and discover their unique abilities.
They’ll earn an edge in the performing arts sector in Singapore or anywhere in the world, and take away skills that will stay with them for a lifetime!
Let them hone the best versions of themselves!