From the time you start taking dance seriously, the focus is honed in on technique. Your teachers help you to work out all the little technical details . The best teachers create an environment for healthy dedication and improvement.

However, a lot of dancers are criticized for not applying corrections quickly enough. The assumption might be that they’re lazy or not dedicated. Perhaps they lack focus or attention in class.  This post will delve into how to deal with criticism in dance.

The reality is, if a correction is not applied quickly, it may not be understood or prioritized, by the student, teacher, or both. For some dancers, anxiety gets in the way of mental focus in class. Still, other dancers are so hyper-focused on trying to pick up combinations that applying corrections becomes too much to handle.

As a dancer, you can be empowered by knowing that you are the keeper of your destiny. By taking care of your body, being open to feedback or corrections, and working hard every day you can get where you want to go. You can reach your goals.

It might take some additional focus on applying those things that you hear in class or staying present to remember the intricacies of each combination. If you want to really get ahead, consistently create additional personal benchmarks to make your improvements measurable.

This is where goal setting and accountability come in.

Most of us have been in a situation where it felt like a teacher just really didn’t like you for some reason. Those can be some of the most challenging, disheartening experiences.

Here’s a personal story, major criticism in dance…

When I was 15, I went away for my second summer program. I was put into the highest level, but worried it was a mistake. I don’t think I was ready for that at all, and apparently, neither did the former New York City Ballet *star* my level worked with most closely.

This former NYCB principal dancer (we’ll call her Ms. M) was one of the people I was most excited to work with. I never had any Balanchine training so I was looking forward to experiencing her perspective and learning some incredibly beautiful Balanchine choreography.

It became clear on day 1 that Ms. M was not impressed by me. She would often single me out and give lots and lots of corrections in a very mean, degrading way. I was not totally alone in this. Ms. M was harsh in general and called out a number of ladies in my class with lots of yelling.

Then, there were her favorites. The ones who could do no wrong. Were they working harder than me? Applying corrections more quickly? Simply better?

I cried to my mother on the phone every day that I had class with her (which was almost every day of that summer program).

Ms. M threatened to demote me to a lower level. I secretly wished she would, just so I wouldn’t have to take her classes anymore. In the beginning, I was determined to win her over. Tis’ the plight of the determined dancer I guess. I tried to work harder. Then, I tried to disappear. 

Honestly, that experience informed a lot of my future confidence and actions as a dancer.

When I think back on that experience the pain is still quite palpable, even though it was so long ago. When I revisit some of my dancing experiences after that summer, I see myself hiding. Doubting. Worrying.

This is where the importance of taking on responsibility for your own success comes in. You’ve got to assess yourself and work towards your goals, regardless of these sometimes negative, studio experiences. If you’re not sure how to deal with criticism in dance, you’re not alone.

Don’t let your dancing be defined or defeated by one person’s opinion. Here’s how…

Luckily, I’ve had lots of different teachers over the years and many supporters. I’m glad I only dealt with such a defeating experience for four weeks. If you’re dealing with a challenging experience on a more consistent basis, you may need to take bigger action. 

It might be in your best interest to seek new training or teachers in your area. If you plan to pursue dance professionally, this is going to make a huge difference in your levels of confidence and therefore chances for success.

In a temporarily challenging time, bring your attention back to positive training experiences. Who were the teachers who supported you? How did they make you feel? What did they say that helped you see your own potential? 

During my very challenging summer intensive experience, I wrote down the choreography to every variation we learned. There’s value to writing down choreography but what I wish I had done, was set some personal goals for myself. I would have been empowered to focus on the work instead of the fear.

Clear goals can provide an outlet to turn your attention inward. They can counteract feelings of failure and help you stay aware of your big picture, big goals, and ultimate dreams. Goals allow you to be in the driver’s seat. 

Are you a goal-setter? Do you have a vision for your goals? 

Check out these posts and videos for more: 

• The Power of a Clear Vision.
• Tools of Transformation.
• Reaching Body Goals

How to Deal with Criticism in Dance was originally published in October 2015

Edited for content and clarity July 2021 

Photos of Casey by Luis Pons

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Each day we go to the studio and stare at our reflection. Yes, the mirror is a tool blah blah blah, I know. In reality, we use it as a tool to see what’s wrong.

Then, we get corrections, which are constructive (or meant to be anyway) and take those on. Sometimes, once you’re in a company, you’re mostly left on your own. You’re expected to know what needs work and make it happen.

When faced with that challenge of personal evaluation, you might thrive. Or, you might start to wonder, “why aren’t they telling me anything?”. Then your mind starts to go crazy with the super negative, hyper – critical self talk.

This way of thinking can destroy your psyche and have a hugely negative impact on your dancing.

So how do you get around this struggle? Set goals. Refer to them daily.

Pick the categories that are most important to you and add a couple that you think will be good for your overall well – being. Examples include: technique, career, body – image, physical activity (outside of dance), relationships, inspiration.

Now, start to set SMART goals for your 3 – month, 6 – month, 1 – year, 3 – year vision. SMART is an acronym for goals that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound.

Don’t let yourself be stifled by the idea that your goals should be “attainable” and “realistic”. As dancers we can be so aware of the flaws that we’re not always open to our full potential or possibility. Definitely dare to dream and be as objective as possible.

When it comes to career, you may want to ask a trusted teacher who you feel supported by, what they imagine is possible for you. However, they don’t have a crystal ball so do not take their opinion for fact.

Teachers and Artistic Staff have a somewhat narrow lens of what they’ve seen to work. Their opinions might be based in old standards and they might not consider your potential for growth.

I remember when I was in college one of my professor’s saying he had never seen a dancer make major strides after age 25 – MAX! This totally took hold of my brain and I felt like the clock was ticking. O gosh, I only had a few years left to progress as a dancer.

Luckily, this is soo not true and in fact you can continue to grow and make major improvements to your dancing as you learn more about your body and the way of working and cross – training that works for you.

Ready to make your goals a reality? Here’s how:

Break your goals down into bite size action steps and work towards them each day. Keep a journal to chart your progress and to help you get any limiting beliefs out of your head. You may not achieve them all, but taking serious action WILL get you closer to your goals.

I honestly believe that if you have received good training and you work as hard as your body and mind allow each day, anything is possible for your career. It may require auditioning for companies you didn’t previously consider or moving to a city or state you never imagined living in.

Tenacity, drive and hard work can take you a long way but you’ve got to support yourself mentally.

In The Whole Dancer Program I’ve had the beautiful opportunity to connect with each participant one on one. There have been a number of resonant messages, among those is the fact that most dancers are “people pleasers”.

We want teachers, guest choreographers, and artistic directors to like us. That’s all find and good. There’s a place for that desire and to an extent, yes, someone has to like you for you to keep your job.

BUT

I hope that one of your goals is to dance for YOU. You will shine much brighter and gain more supporters and ‘fans’ when your love for this art radiates out of your face and body each day.

XO, Jess

Photo: Lauren King, Soloist, New York City Ballet

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Then it gets started and it can easily start to feel like things aren’t going according to plan. The pressure is too much. Your artistic director doesn’t seem to like  you any more. You don’t feel like you’re at  your peak.

Here are 4 tips to ensure an incredible season :

1.Decide what’s important – this is going to vary depending on where you are in your career. If you’re still a student (whether in college or HS) working towards a professional job keep your eye on that prize.

It doesn’t really matter what you’re cast in at your current school – companies don’t hire you because you were the sugar plum in the Nutcracker. They hire you because of how you showcase your skills for them in an audition. Get clear on your goals for this season and focus on the things that will really make an impact on how you feel and dance.

2. Abandon any hope of “fruition” – this comes from Pema Chodron’s book Comfortable with Uncertainty. This book changed my life and I’d highly suggest you check it out.

Uncertainty is one of the only constants in life and by working towards accepting that you’ll be infinitely happier. Pema says, “Fruition implies that at some future time you will feel good…as long as you are wishing for things to change they never will. As long as you’re wanting yourself to get better, you won’t.”

3. Fuel yourself – Let the food you eat be your best dancing fuel. In last weeks workshop, Lauren Lovette shared that she was always eating for other people, in going Vegan she finally started eating for herself. Before, she felt like she had to show people that even though she was this fit ballerina she could still down a cheeseburger and fries.

Now, she’s focused on the fuel that helps her dance at her personal best. Take the time to experiment and figure out which eating plan works for you and do the planning and prep to prioritize those foods.

4. Seek Support – Find a person who makes you feel supported. Whatever you’re going through, it’s likely someone has been in a similar situation. I’m consistently amazed by how similar the dancer experience is…we have a lot in common! Whether you join a program here at The Whole Dancer or seek support elsewhere – find what you need. You’re not alone!

Share in the comments below! What action are you taking to ensure this is your best season yet?

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It can help you to process and heal your emotions, increase your self – confidence by reliving positive experiences, and it can even strengthen your self – discipline (not that dancers tend to be lacking much in that area).

One of our biggest fears as dancers is that we won’t “make it” professionally. Are you going to get a job offer? And if you do, will you be able to stay injury free and maintain that job?

Journaling can help you to work through those fears and feel confident that you’ll find a way to move forward no matter what happens.

First thing in the morning, this is my little morning routing, I get a huge glass of water and grab my journal. Find a peaceful place to sit – for me this changes from day to day and write my “Be, Do and Have” list.

Even though there’s a phone in this picture, I’d encourage you to start the day without your phone!! That way you can just focus in on yourself and your goals without any outside influences.

The “Be, Do, Have” list is a good way to reconnect to your goals in a positive way each and every day.

1. Be : what do you want to be or what kind of person do you want to be? i.e. kind, successful, a corps dancer with Miami City Ballet, etc.
2. Do : what do you want to do? i.e. to perform my best in the studio and on stage, to dance the role of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, to go on a hike every day.
3. Have : what do you hope to have in your life? i.e. A comfortable living space with beautiful furnishings, lots of healthy food to eat, friends you can depend on.

My favorite part about this list is that it can be different every day. Whatever you’re going through in life or dance can change what you’d like to “Be, Do and Have”. So it might just reveal something surprising!

When you look at your list you can think about how those things influence each other. Do they connect together? Or is something not aligned? Sometimes the things we “want” don’t align with who we want to “be”. And that’s OK! Seeing it on paper is going to help you connect to your truth.

Ok, your turn! What would you like to “Be, Do, and Have”?

The post “Be, Do, Have” – Get clarity for success! appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

For today, I want to get into the importance of sleep.

In the news over the last week there has been a lot of talk of the Center for Disease Control’s “new” finding (although I feel I’ve heard this hundreds of times so why they’re choosing to make it “new” news is beyond me) that most ppl are getting less than the recommended 7 hours of sleep.

As a dancer and athlete, the importance of sleep is even greater!

If you’re performing on less than 7 hours a night I hope I can persuade you to start prioritizing sleep and creating a beautiful nighttime routine.

The winding down process really can be quite enjoyable and the benefits are infinite.

Sometimes when you’re working or dancing all day it’s tempting to want to use evenings for perusing the internet, watching movies, etc.

There is absolutely a place for those things.

However, I would suggest you pick a bedtime that you can keep pretty consistently and create a night – time routine around it.

Here’s a big reason dancers need to prioritize sleep:

“Researchers speculate that deep sleep helps improve athletic performance because this is the time when growth hormone is released.

Growth hormone stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone building and fat burning, and helps athletes recover.

Studies show that sleep deprivation slows the release of growth hormone.

Sleep is also necessary for learning a new skill, so this phase of sleep may be critical for some athletes.”

So create a nighttime routine that serves a healthy nights sleep.

• Always create a comfortable environment with a cooler temperature and comfortable sleep clothes.
• Be sure your mattress is a firmness level that supports you best.
• Shut off the electronics about an hour before going to bed and DO NOT bring your phone into bed with you – I understand the temptation…my phone now lives in the living room at night on “silent” mode.
• Take a warm pre – bedtime bath with epsom salts and lavender essential oil.
• Massage the bottoms of your feet with essential oils of lavender or vetiver (or both).
• Keep a gratitude journal where you record the things you’re grateful for each night.
• Calm your body down with stretching and meditation.
• Read a book or listen to soothing music, or do both together!

I’d love to hear about how much sleep you get each night and how you set yourself up for bedtime success! Post in the comments below and share!!

Bonus tip: I got a sunrise alarm clock for my birthday. It has transformed the way I wake up from the jolting beep, beep, BEEP to a peaceful light bath coupled with nature sounds.

Since how you wake up is a big part of your sleep experience, I had to mention this game – changing clock.

References:

2007. Mah. Extra Sleep Improves Athletes’ Performance. Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. June 14, 2007.

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