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Where Diligence Dances Louder Than Perfection: The Shift That Builds Legacy

 The dedicated artist quickly becomes acquainted with difficulty, tough days and that sort of tug-of-war with mastery. I'm sure you've been there. It's those moment s y ou need to analyze after relaxing into the burning muscles and deep sigh because who is thinking about anything else while trying to stay alive in ballet? Since beginning my dance career, I have always been coached by incredible teachers.  Literally!  Dale Shields, Lydia Abarca-Mitchell, Erin Jaffe-Gardner and so on. While still a high school student, I learned to handle the demands and pressures of dance training to become a professional. I wouldn't say that tough moments feel unfamiliar to me, it's knowing how to deconstruct them for greater outcomes.  Yesterday I learned that I don't need to be a crazy perfectionist in order to elevate my body, mind-body connection, artistry or overall beauty. At this point in my career, I am unlearning and relearning a couple of things. I enthusiasticall...
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The Hardest Thing About Dance

Yesterday I asked myself a question:

What is the hardest thing about dance? Have you ever thought about that? Well, it did not take long for me  to decide just how tough of a question that was to answer. After some time I spoke a version of these words into the voice memo application: 

The hardest thing about dance is accepting your body for where it currently is. "Your body" can be a piece of choreography, a certain step you're working at while training or how "in shape" your actual body is. I think the reason this could be one of the toughest parts— dance is such a vulnerable art and most definitely even more vulnerable as a profession. But the main way to overcome that difficulty is by embracing the beauty of your body. That is something I have had to learn. 

You also cannot compare yourself to other dancers. When it comes to looking at colleagues when I am questioning the technique of a step, I am comparing. When I feel the need to watch others in rehearsals so that I may learn or become inspired by their interpretation of movement, I am comparing. These are the only ways I have found comparison to be healthy. Any other way can lead you into a dark space.

Like anything in life, you take the hard things, encourage yourself and push until you prevail. 

Embrace where your body is right now. It’ll thank you with progression. 

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