Teaching singing using a dancers mentality

Sadly, the pervasive phrase still spouted by singing teachers and singers alike-"if you learn to sing classically, you can sing anything"-stands in stark contrast to the dancer's more informed and accurate understanding of how mind and muscles work. The hubris of not acknowledging the need for different technical skills to serve different genres often causes singers to suffer stylistic embarrassment, at least, and vocal issues, at worst.So, do consider training singers to use a dancer's mentality. At the next lesson when one of your female singers tries for and fails to hit a BS because her present and usable upper range limit is A[musical flat]^sub 5^, remember the dancer falling out of her double pirouette after mastering her single pirouette. Applaud your singer's effort, encourage her to keep working on range extension, remind her that muscles take time to strengthen and coordinate (clumsy to graceful), and tell her that her B[musical flat]^sub 5^ is not yet ready for the public to hear (just as the dancer's double pirouette that is not yet ready for the public to see). If it's a song she has to perform now, very strongly suggest she find it in a lower key. If that is not possible, even more strongly suggest that she not perform the song at this time.