You spend a lot of your time dancing - going to class, practicing, stretching. Maybe you even wake up dreaming about dance! But sometimes you wonder where it's all taking you: are you actually getting better and how good are you at dancing, really? Self assessment is hard. When you're heavily immersed in your own training it can be difficult to get your head long above water long enough to look around and see where you're really at. The following are a few signs that you're actually doing better than you think as well as some hints to think about when you're looking for feedback. External Feedback External Feedback is all the feedback you get from those around you. It includes what your teacher and peers tell you, whether you're successful in an audition and even where you're placed in your troupe - front and center or down the back. A class mate asking you to help them with that new section of chorey is also a form of positive feedback because it shows they believe you know what you're doing! Shifting goal posts - a warning. The problem with external feedback is that it can change depending on your surroundings. You could find yourself receiving a lot of positive feedback in one class where you compare well to those around you but being overlooked in another class where the standards are much higher. External feedback can be useful if you're able to adjust your expectations according to your surroundings. But that can be pretty difficult to do! Therefore, it's my opinion that you're much better off if you can self-assess without relying on those around you. And that's why the 7 measures I've listed below all focus on internal feedback and self-assessment. So, what are the signs that you're a better dancer than you think ? Well.... 1. You're always in class. Ok, ok, this seems pretty basic, but let me explain. I've taught dance to all ages for a number of years and in that time I've come across some beautiful dancers and some dancers who have managed to improve an exceptional amount over a very short period of time. One of the things these dancers all have in common is that they're always in class. They never miss a week. If you're always in class and paying attention, you're almost definitely improving and you're giving yourself the best chance you can to reach your full potential. This brings me to my next point... 2. You always apply corrections. Another thing the best dancers I've come across all have in common is that they soak up corrections like a sponge. As soon as they hear something they can improve, they're engaged, practicing the correction in the mirror. If this is something you do, chances are you've already got some good technique and if you keep this habit up, you'll continue to improve. 3. You practice This one's fairly self-explanatory but in short: if you make regular time to practice each week, stretching, conditioning or going over what you've learned, you're giving yourself the best chance of getting better quickly - chances are you've already improved a lot and will continue to do so. 4. You can do things now that you couldn't do a year ago Think back to where you were a year ago. Are there things you can do now which you couldn't then? Good dancers become great by continuing to advance. Good skills take time to develop and if you've been continuing to improve for a number of years, chances are you've already reached at least a good level of skill. 5. It's your passion In my experience, the student who has the dedication and commitment which comes with a love for what they're doing will often achieve greater results in the long-term than the student with natural facility but no passion for what they're doing. Do you love dance? This passion has helped you get to where you are today and will give you the motivation and commitment to keep improving. 6. You put in the hours In the early 90's, journalist Malcolm Gladwell popularized the notion that to be an expert in any field requires 10 000 hours of deliberate practice. This theory was based on research done by psychologist Anders Ericsson who followed the progress of a group of violin students. There have since been shown many exceptions to this rule (for example the famous band The Ramones who achieved great success despite only very basic musical training). Personally, I'm still a firm believer in the basic principal that time spent in quality training certainly equates to progress and 10,000 hours spent doing anything must bring you at least close to expert status. If you're currently dedicating a lot of time to quality dance training and have been doing so for a while, chances are you have developed some solid skills and you're paving the way to future success! Calculate how close you are to achieving the Gladwell/ Ericsson 10 000 hour mark: Example: (15hrs/wk x 40weeks/yr x 10 years = 6000 hours (ie - over half way to 'expert' status!) Side Note: Let's crunch some numbers So far we've focused mainly on 'soft' measures which can be great for giving you some indication as to where you're at. However, if you'd like some objective numbers to look at, I strongly recommend creating a log book. What you decide to include in your book will depend on your own goals. Here are some examples: ** Flexibility (eg how far down you are in splits, how close you can get your hands to your feet in bridge) ** Strength (how high can you get your leg in developé with square hips) **Reliability of tricks (eg how many times you can land your triple pirouette in a row). **Power (how high/ flat you can get your jete'/ split leap) **Speed of picking up choreography **Quality of movement/ interpretation of choreography Measure where you're at and jot down the results with the date in your log book. You can come back in a few weeks or months to re-measure and compare to see how much you've improved! Flexibility, strength and reliability of tricks will be easy enough to measure. Things like power in dynamic movements and quality of movement are harder to measure and more subjective, but you could try getting a friend to take some footage and saving it with a date to compare later. You can also track how well you're picking up chorey by jotting down a quick note in your log after class. Eg- 'picked up the first 32 counts but got lost after that'. Take brief notes like this for a week or two and then do the same in a few months to see if you're improving. And this brings me to the final sign that you're a better dancer than you think: 7. You keep persisting. Persistence is the one attribute that trumps all others. And it makes sense: no one gets anywhere by giving up! It's what's gotten you this far and it's the attribute you need above all others to reach your full potential. Want to see how good you can be? Then keep going!
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AuthorI've been dancing since I was little. I've danced with Melbourne Dance Theatre, Look Left Dance Circus Theatre and Lyrebird Dance Theatre as well as and freelancing around Melbourne as a dancer and circus performer. This blog contains some of the lessons I've learned on my journey and some of the things I wish someone had told me earlier! |