I’m working on an essay (just for fun) about becoming a better dancer. It gets very philosophical, but also has some grounding in developmental theory. It is becoming quite dense, so rather than post the whole thing, I’m going to include parts of it as I work on it.
Everyone would like to become a better dancer. There is not a dancer in the world who doesn’t have something to work on. Everyone has room to make progress. Practicing a lot will help, but having the right mindset, being able to recognize progress, and understanding how you develop, will help you facilitate that progress.
The Mindset
Having the right mindset as a dancer can help you get through the times you may feel like you aren’t getting any better. The right mindset comes form the way you interpret progress, failure, and even in the way you compare yourself to other dancers. A negative mindset can quickly frustrate and discourage new dancers. Experienced dancers can get frustrated as well, but they have devoted enough time, effort, and emotion over the years that they think twice before giving up. Newer dancers may have high expectations for their progress. The difficulty and skill involved in dance may seem overwhelming. The right mindset can help experienced and new dancers work through frustrations.
It helps to view progress as a continuous process. Understand that it is not something you will ever complete. There is no end, no point you will reach where you will feel you have completed dance… unless you give up. You may feel that you are content with where you are in dance, and that is a good thing to feel, but you will never reach a point where you could not get better.
Thinking about improving as a process requires us to change the way we assess our progress. When you assess yourself, do not look back to the day or the week before. Everyone has good days and bad days, and recognizing progress in dance requires us to look much further back. Instead of thinking “I am no better than I was yesterday” or “I still can’t do what I couldn’t do last week” try asking “how much better am I since I started?” or “what did I struggle with last week that seems easier now?” Looking at the process of change and progress on a longer timeline will let you see just how much progress you have made. Making progress is amazing, and it would be too bad to not recognize it. Thinking about progress as a long-term, never-ending journey, will give you a better chance to be engaged in this process. Being engaged in your dance progression will give you a sense of control as you advance.
This post was about interpreting progress. In the next part I will talk about interpreting failure and comparing yourself to others.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent! Another thing to keep in mind about progressing as a dancer is the fact that sometimes you will actually get worse before you get better! Breaking a bad habit is hard and it will throw off your technique until you teach your body the right way to do things…
It’s often two steps forward, one step back. But you get used to it!
Love the mindset advice. It’s huge!
Great essay. Although I am not a dancer, at least not yet, I feel that these concepts can be applied to many areas of life and learning. Looking forward to part 2.
I really hope that you will post the rest of this essay up! I enjoyed this very much and read it at the right time. Sometimes as a dancer I do feel overwhelmed. This is an amazing website and this summer I will be taking my first ballet class at 21. Your website is so helpful and friendly!