Confident Dancers, Developing and Maintaining a Positive Self-Image in Dance

Dance is such an interesting and complex art form. It is dependent on not only mental understanding and artistry but on our physical abilities to express the creative vision. It requires discipline and consistency to really fine-tune our bodies to do what our mind is wanting to express. Dance can be competitive (even if only with ourselves) as well as physically and mentally demanding. So how do we protect our sense of self-worth and our opportunity for joy when critique abounds?

Here are some tips on how to keep your confidence high and your dance practice uplifting.

1. Accept Where You're At

Dreaming is great. Goals are awesome. But to truly achieve our potential, we have to first accept where we are and start there. Everyone struggles when learning something new and there is no shame in being a beginner, at any phase. Even the incredible Misty Copeland shared in her MasterClass that after years of dancing professionally, she feels she is just learning to do ballet. Misty continues to approach the basics of dance as a beginner time and time again, learning with fresh eyes and staying aware of where her body is that day. Mind you, this prima ballerina also didn't start her training until age 13. That is part of what makes her such a joy to watch. She loves her craft and respects the journey. Her later start in the ballet world certainly didn't hold her back and we can all learn from her tenacity and humility.

2. Find Gratitude For YOUR Strengths

We all have different talents we can leverage. Maybe you're naturally flexible or gain strength easily. Maybe you emote well and your passion shines through when you dance. Maybe you're great at coming up with choreography or you bounce back from mistakes quickly. Whatever your strengths, and yes, you do have them, those can be incorporated into your practice every day. Take a few minutes and write them down. If you're struggling to self-evaluate, ask a teacher or dance peer or even a friend or family member who has watched you dance. We all have strengths, own yours and realize how much fun it is to be you.

3. Approach Your Learning As If You Were A Child

Have you ever taught a child a dance move? Or taught a child anything? At the very least, were you once a child? I'm willing to bet you would never yell at a child and tell them they're a failure or call them an idiot for not getting it right away. So, don't do that to yourself either. Remind yourself you're learning. Speak in a nurturing way to yourself and try to resist the urge to be self-deprecating, even in a humorous way. We should be able to laugh at ourselves, life doesn't need to be so serious all the time, but calling ourselves names and beating ourselves up is unnecessary and can do more harm than we realize. Mistakes are vital to learning. Did you read that correctly? VITAL to learning. So take what you learned, hype yourself up, and encourage yourself to try again.

4. Remember You Are More Than Your Technique

In case you've forgotten, you are a whole, complete person. You have loved ones and hobbies and responsibilities and beliefs and gifts in and outside of dance. You've had life experiences, pains, joys, mistakes, triumphs, and have experienced countless moments of growth and learning in your life. All of these things contribute to how you show up in the world, and yes, even your dance practice. You are not your technique! Do not attach your worth to anything external—not your job, or your house, or your physical abilities. Your individual worth is completely independent and unchanging. There is nothing you could do or not do or have or not have that could change your value. This includes your dance technique. So, with that weight off your chest, go strive for your goals because you CAN, because you want to, and because the world and your world benefits from you striving toward being your best.

5. Set Boundaries With Yourself and Others

Treat. Yourself. Well. You are ultimately responsible for you. You are the one who decides how you will be treated and setting that expectation for yourself and others will completely change your energy. So, how do we do this....

Well for starters, acknowledge what is in your control and then make sure it is kind to you. If your instructors speak to you in a demeaning or inappropriate way and a conversation doesn't remedy the situation, consider switching studios and changing your environment. If you find yourself getting overly tired after rehearsal, check what you're eating, is it nourishing? Can you improve your diet? Are you eating too much or too little to be properly energized? If you feel crummy when you go to bed at night after looking at your phone, are there accounts that make you feel bad to look at? Consider unfollowing them and/or not scrolling on your phone before bed or right when you wake up. Look at what you can control and then advocate for yourself. Be your own best friend and show others how you want to be treated by treating yourself well and voicing things you aren't ok with, or removing yourself when necessary.

6. Stop Comparing

We all come from different starting points and have different experiences. How amazing you perceive someone to be, honestly, has nothing to do with you. It is great to admire others when that is used as inspiration, but the minute you start critically comparing them to you, you've lost the game. Start looking at who you were yesterday or last year, are you growing? Are you working towards what makes you happy? Then great! If not, make the time to start heading that direction. Using our perception of how "good" or "bad" someone else is as a way of evaluating our own abilities and progress is rarely productive and isn't likely to leave you feeling good. Make a list of what you appreciate about you and build on that list. Stop judging. Start dancing. It's fun to do better than you did before! Let it be fun.

7. Practice Encouraging Others

When we promote criticism (not the constructive kind), judgement, and belittling....guess who it hurts...OURSELVES. No one ever became more confident by tearing another down. You may get a high for a second but that is not genuine confidence and that judgement is reflected in how we view ourselves. Be. Kind. The more gentle and encouraging you are to others, the more your brain receives that and projects that on yourself. There is room for us all! Get excited for other's achievements! If you keep at it, your time will come. Blowing out someone else's candle wont make you shine any brighter, so keep your love for others flowing and embrace it when you start to feel all that positivity coming back to you.