Happy weekend, Dancers! This week I had a moment of insecurity. I let someone's opinion really get to me. I let one comment not only affect my day, but I found myself dwelling on it for multiple days. Do you ever have moments like that? It's difficult. You may feel judged or insecure. You may start questioning your abilities. It was interesting because in the moment, I had really been enjoying myself. I was enjoying the dancing. Everyone in class was smiling and having fun. It only took one comment from someone who wasn't even in the class with us, and I found myself sad and upset. Now I know that not everyone is going to like everything I do as a dancer and/or instructor. But I do think it's important to recognize and acknowledge how we, as dancers, process criticism, or pointed comments towards us or our dancing.
It wasn't until I was teaching another class and I was watching the students improvement. I reminded them that learning new steps could be challenging, but that should never stop them. Sometimes when we are learning new moves, they feel awkward. They may feel unnatural in our bodies. But with repetition and practice, we start getting comfortable in the movement. The movement settles into our muscles and eventually that muscle memory kicks in. We don't have to think so hard about what we are doing. We add more and more dance into our repertoire. I told them, "Don't let anyone make you feel bad for learning something new. You dance for yourself, not for them." As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they applied to me as well. And you know what? I felt a lot better. It was the reminder that I needed. Not everyone has to like what we do, but we are not dancing for them. I'm sharing my love and my experience for dance and the arts with others who have that drive and passion. We dance for ourselves. Keep dancing for yourself. No one else's opinion matters. Dance... because you enjoy it. Dance...because you want to. Dance....because you are a dancer. Keep dancing, Dancers!
We have lots of group class in the next few weeks. Come try out a class:
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