believing in yourself

In any situation encouragement is needed so much but is often forgotten about or pushed to the side. Encouragement helps lift the spirits of the people around you and can even boost your spirits as well. In competitive sports sometimes our focus is so much on beating our opponent that we try so hard to bring them down, especially with our words, and loose our desire to have fun and enjoyment of what we are doing. Stated by dictionary.com, encouragement is to inspire with courage, spirit or confidence. Helping each other get through a hard time even just by encouraging them can mean a  lot.

I recently went on a church retreat and the topic was encouragement. We talked about how only good things can come from genuine words of encouragement and how important building each other up is. Our words mean a lot and can change someone's whole day around. We were encouraged to stand out and be known for our kind words and encouragement. The speaker at this retreat made the analogy of being called Barnabas. Barnabas was a man from the bible whose name means son of encouragement and our speaker encouraged us to be known as Barnabas's. We watched this video on encouraging one another, and although it's a little cheesy and on the kid side, I think it really gets the point across.

When a teammate or someone is having a rough day and may not be performing their best it's helpful to encourage them to keep up their spirits and keep at it. Building each other up can only help them as well as you. Especially on a team, it's important for everyone to work together and help each other out. And just think, if you were having a bad day then you would want people encouraging you to keep trying. Even just saying something small can mean a lot to someone. Even just saying "good job" or "keep trying" are encouraging words that can help. When you encourage others it makes you feel good as well and lifts your spirits to try harder. Working together and encouraging one another can only help out your team,  giving them confidence as well as you  to perform your best. So I encourage you to be an inspiration to others through your encouragement and kind words to lift each others' spirits up.

Putting yourself out there

It's important to put yourself out there. To have confidence and to believe in your abilities. Whether you are dancing or new to a school and just making friends. Don't care what other people think about you. I'd rather put myself out there and learn the truth about other people as well as myself but not have any regrets about things I should've, could've or would've done.

Put yourself out there and have faith that it will work out. If you're auditioning for a role or for a team, then have faith and confidence that you will be able to compete and do as well as the other people around you. Don't compare yourself to others because it will only hold you back. Comparing yourself to other people will only hold you back because you will be so focused on the other people around you that you won't be working and improving yourself.It is a high performance task and requires strength and skill in order to complete each move correctly and precisely. Sometimes you may mess up or do something wrong, but that’s why consistency as a dancer in technical ability and skill are so important.

 It’s important to have friends on your team. It’s important to have friends on your team so you don’t feel lonely or left out. Especially when everyone else are friends, you don’t want to feel like the outcast. When competition times come it’s important to have friends on your team that can build you up and help you get through the long practices and critiquing of others. Sometimes it’s just good to have someone who knows what you’re talking about and can relate to what you’re struggling with. It’s also good to have someone you can have fun with on your team. As time goes on I’m sure you will be able to grow your relationship with the other people on your team and sooner than later you’ll all be friends.That’s why it’s important keep your cool when those times arise. When Competitions come practices get more stressful and intense. Practices are longer and more tiring than normal. It’s important to keep your cool especially when you are being critiqued or judged. It’s easy to just think about all the negative in those situations but focusing on what you need to get better on and trying to fix what you need to fix is all that your team is trying to help you with. so have confidence and embrace your true self.  Don't change for anyone else and put yourself out there. have faith that it will work out and that you can do anything if you believe in yourself.

Taking a Break

Nowadays the mind set for a better athlete is nonstop conditioning and training. People think that only lesser and weaker athletes need a break or time to relax. When in reality we all need breaks and it can actually benefit you more if you take a break than if you continue hard core, training and exercise for a long period of time. In this article, Burnout, they refer to the issues of constant training and explain the importance of rest for an athlete.

The word burn-out, from dictionary.com, is explained by fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.  Over working your mind and body can result in a burn out. If you burn out you could seriously injure yourself or loose passion for your sport or activity. Have you ever noticed that you perform better after you come back from vacation, or take a few days off and you jump higher and have more energy. Sometimes taking a break is what our bodies and minds need in order to recharge. More energy can always benefit your dreams or goals that you have for your specific sport. Sometimes people think that taking a break will slow them down, but it will actually help you reach your goals faster and more enjoyably. If you work yourself too hard and get injured then it will take longer for you to heal than it would for you to just have taken a break. And then you'll have to get back to the skill level you were at before you got injured which will take even more time.

Taking a break rests your body and can help you perform better, not get injured and help you reach your goals faster. Resting your body and taking a break can help you perform better because once you go back to your sport and activity you'll have more energy to accomplish the goals you have. A rest will help you from getting injured because you'll body will have more time to heal and will put less stress on your body so you'll have less of a chance getting injured. Instead of pushing your body to its limits constantly, your body would have time to relax and rest in order to repair and heal for the work you will do later. If you rest your body and heal, then you will reach your goals faster because instead of wearing your body down, you would have more energy and better physical heal to reach your goals faster and easier.

Resting your mind will help you accomplish your goals faster and help you perform better. You perform better when you are mentally healthy and prepared to accomplish the goals at hand. Taking a break from your sport or activity and resting your mind will help you come back to your sport with more energy and a bigger spirit and excitement for your activity. As Christmas break is here, I encourage you to take a break and rest so you will be able to come back strong and more energetic towards your sport. You will feel better and be more happier with your performance and skill if you take a break and don't burn out.

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Confidence

Confidence is very important when dancing. It takes a lot of confident and courage to get out in front of an audience and perform in front of them. Confidence is always a good thing and in my experience has benefited me greatly. I have found that I dance better when I have confidence and am able to hit my moves harder, hit them better and more correctly. It's great to have confident because you know you can do it, you don't have to worry about how you're going to mess up or forget something. encouragement and hard work are big parts of having confidence.

Encouragement helps lift the spirits of the people around you and can even boost your spirits as well. In competitive sports sometimes our focus is so much on beating our opponent that we try so hard to bring them down, especially with our words, and loose our desire to have fun and enjoyment of what we are doing. Challenging yourself is key in whether you want to improve in your dance ability or not. We're not all perfect dancers, but  we all want to be. In order to reach our goals and our desired dance capability we have to work hard and push ourselves to improve. Whether you have to improve in strength, flexibility, or technique, we all have to work on something.
 It’s better to spend quality time on a one or two items in your life, and focus on those rather than to rush and cut corners on too many projects or item that you already have going on. Because that is what happens when you have too much to do in too little time. You rush, cut corners, get lazy and your project that you once thought was going to be great, starts to crumble and fall apart because you have not spend enough quality time or energy on it that you thought you were. Goals are very important in anything you do. Whether they're long term goals or short term goals. Setting something to work towards is key in improvement. Setting goals will help in your ability to become a better dancer and setting multiple goals will help break up your journey towards that. Making it easier and more realistic.


So confidence is very important. And I encourage and push the importance of confidence because it really helps in challenging and pushing you towards your goals for now and for the future. It can be hard though. Keep up your courage and strength and have confidence that you will be able to accomplish the task at hand.

Kick Lines

At my school we do a Christmas kick every year in December, a kick line, at one of the basketball games. We do it for fundraising. We go around the school and students can pay to guess how many kicks are in our kick routine. If they win they can get fifty dollars in cash. It's a fun way to get students involved and to get money for the fundraiser.

A kick line, if you don't know what it is, is a series of kicks performed by a group. There are low, medium, and high kicks. You learn a kick line the same you would any other dance,  counting it with eight counts. The goal is to get each person to look the same and have the same height of kicks so the routine is precise and  together. A kick like depends a lot on the height of the ones performing it. If people are different heights and they're standing right next to each other then their kicks are not going to match. Even if they're kicking at the same height proportional to their bodies, if ones tall and the other is short then it won't look together and then you will notice it in the routine and throughout the performance. Also Height is really important when hooking on together in the kick line because peoples are different lengths. So when a short person is standing next to a taller person and their arms are different lengths  and they connect arms in the line, it makes it hard to  stay together because each other's arms are not laying correctly over each other's.  We're not a professional  kick line team but that's why professional teams care a lot about the height of the individual because it makes the routine look more together and it's easier to make it look more precise. And you don't have all these little problems you have to deal with if you're all the same height.

Do it because you love it, not because you have to

High schoolers these days are so involved in so many clubs, sports, and extra curricular activities. It takes up lots of time and energy, plus with homework and or a job. It can get very stressful and hard to manage sometimes. It can also be very hard to decide what sports or activities you want to go out for. Me, as a high schooler, wants to go out for every single sport there is. That's just the way I am, I want to try everything and anything. But there's just not enough time in a day or energy in my body to do everything. So, I have to choose. I usually way the pros and cons and then decide what I want to do. This year I was involved in the diving team and the dance team. Both were very busy sports and took a toll both on my performance level and energy level. Now I'm faced with the decision to either go out for both again next year or just choose one. I have a while to make my decision, but I thought I would start off early so I wouldn't be rushed or pressured later to make a decision. I thought I would use this time to remind you of something that has been a factor in my decision. Who I'm doing it for.

Whatever you may be involved in or whatever sports or activities you're in you have to do it for fun. The enjoyment and because it makes you happy. An unhappy athlete is not a very good one. All the activities and extracurricular things that kids are involved with nowadays take up so much time and energy, so you have to enjoy it, whatever you may do. And don't get me wrong, there's always going to be hard times and practices, but at the end of the day you should be proud and happy with what you've accomplished and what you've  done. When choosing a sport you have to make sure you love it, or enjoy enough because that's what your going to put all your time and energy into. So evaluate your reasons for doing this sport. When the seasons over and everything's done, will u be happy with yourself for choosing to spend and put your time and energy into it?

I guess the main idea that I'm trying to get at is, does it make you happy? Because if you don't enjoy it then there's no point in doing it. Don't do it because your parents said to. Don't do it because it'll make you cooler. And don't do it just because. If you don't do it because you're not passionate about it then it's not worth your time or anyone else's time put into it. When your so busy with other things like school or work then the last thing you need is another activity. An activity to waste more of your time. so you're even more stressed when you have to get things done but have no time to do them. Just remember to keep things practical and don't get too overwhelmed. Do things because you love to do them, not because you have to do them.

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Healthy living

Healthy living is very important no matter what sport you're involved in. Whether it's what kinds of food you eat or how much sleep you get. It affects how you perform and how well you do at the particular sport you're in. On a regular basis, when practicing, because your exercising on a regular basis, having a balanced diet is best. Not eating too much junk food and drinking plenty of water is most beneficial.

When competing, it's best to cleanse your body of any junk food or bad influence you could have on your body. not eating any junk food or high sugar products is good . Try avoiding those so you can be at your best performance level. Getting enough sleep is very important as well. Making sure you're well rested and have enough energy to perform is best. If you don't get enough sleep you'll be tired and not prepared to perform none the less do well.

At my school we go on a one week diet before each competition. We cleanse our body of any junk food. We start, give or take a few days, one week before we perform and then can be off our "diet" after we've performed. At first I didn't think I would like it, but it turns out I actually do. I feel so much better about myself and healthier to. When it comes time to perform I don't have to worry about  what I've eaten and can focus on what I'm suppose to do instead of focusing on little insignificant things like what nasty thing I ate last night and if I'm going to puke it up cause I'm so nervous, just kidding:) but it definitely makes me feel better and more prepared when I eat right. Have you ever heard the phrase "you are what you eat"? Well I definitely believe in this statement because it seems to be true, at least for me anyways, you feel good when you eat eight and feel like crap when you don't. At least in my experience it's been this way.

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Becoming one and working together

On a team you want to belong and fit in. Sometimes efforts are made to hang out with each other. To get to know each other and to get along better. On many teams that I've been on, we have sleepovers in order to hang out and get to know people on our team better. There are many reasons for this. To become friends with the other people on your team, Lessen conflict for the future, but most of all I think to become one and be able to work together to the fullest.

Everyone on a team has one goal, whether that's to make it to state, do well, have fun, or all of those. Whatever it is your team is working together to reach that goal. You get to know each other better so you can push each other harder, help each other out and succeed together. It's hard when you don't know everyone well enough on your team because tensions rise and little things build up on each other. This results in conflict and harsh feelings toward one another. Resulting in the opposite of building up your team and working together.

Not having friends on your team can be hard. Life definitely seems easier when you have friends on your team that you can talk to and share whatever you want with. It's not good to keep all your feelings and opinions inside. Sharing with someone who is going through the exact same thing you are can be very relieving and encouraging. Knowing that you can share with them builds trust and confidence in your team. Trusting each other is important in building your relationship  with your team. that can only result in a a better team that can work closer and harder together.  You'll be able to accomplish more and be a better team if you form that relationship with everyone.

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Butterflies

Competitions and performing in front of an audience can be very stressful. I know many people who are very good dancers, but before each performance they get super nervous and tell me they're going to throw up. I feel just as nervous as they do but don't show it. I believe everyone is nervous in someway. I mean, it's hard not to be nervous. If you've ever performed in front of a group of people you know what I mean. You want your performance to go well, look good, and entertain the audience. And maybe it's easier for people who are more outgoing, or maybe not? maybe they're just better at hiding it. It could be that they're just more experienced and can handle the stress more. Either way though stress is normal, but may not be all that pleasant.

Butterflies are not just a day-flying insect. They can be an internal force that strikes at the worst time, prone to worry you and cause you to over think the task at hand. But if everyone gets butterflies, and it's a natural response to nerves, could that be a good thing? according to a Washington Post Article the feeling of butterflies are caused by the lack of blood flow to your stomach. It's a natural fight or flight response caused by your adrenaline, causing your heart and blood pressure to increase. Sending  more blood to your muscles and causing you to be more anxious as well.  So could Butterflies be a good thing then? if your nervous and your adrenaline kick in, it may help you perform better. the increased blood flow to your muscles would help you be less tired and have more energy for the task your doing.

According to an Article on how to deal with nerves explains different methods to help with how to stop the butterflies and feeling of nausea. There's about five things that the lady who wrote the article, Izzy Nicol, found to be most effective for helping and getting rid of butterflies and calming your nerves. she wrote this article about exams but I think these tips can also be used for anything that requires performing or doing something in front of an audience. the first tip is to visualize success. When you review exactly what you're going to do perfectly then you have more of a chance to do it that well because you have success in your head. the second tip is to think positive, which kind of goes along with visualizing success because you need to motivate yourself in order to do well. The third tip is to chill out on the caffeine and sugar. This doesn't do any good for your body if you mix sugar and adrenaline together. It will most likely leave you tired and shaken up, emotionally and physically. I will also add to this eat healthy. Cleansing your body, especially if your doing physical activity, like dance, then you need to be at your top performance level. Eating healthy will ultimately give you more energy and make you feel better about yourself and what your about to do. The fourth tip is to remember why your doing it. Focus on why you're there, and the goal your trying to accomplish. Focusing on what your about to do instead of on yourself and your nerves and it will give you something to look forward to. The fifth tip is to breathe. I think this is the most important tip because it is so often and so easily forgotten. Taking a few deep breathes will help you focus and relax more. Calming your body and your mind so you will be able to accomplish your task more easily.

So no need to worry about your butterflies or nerves anymore. You have the tools and guide to get rid of them as fast as they came. It's only natural to get butterflies and everyone gets them. And butterflies can even help you. If your so nervous and have so many butterflies, your adrenaline will kick in and provide you with energy to complete your performance with ease. You won't be as tired and may be sharper and be able to hit everything harder. But be careful because you don't want to rely on your adrenaline kicking in. You still need to be prepared and work hard for when you perform. Because if you don't, and you only rely on your adrenaline, then let's just say that won't be a very pretty performance.

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Auditions

Auditioning can be very stressful, with all the nerves and worrying done it takes a lot out of you. But as a dancer it's something you have to get use to. It's the same with any performing art, auditioning is a part of life and it determines whether or not you get on the team or get the part. Auditions can be intimidating but with confidence and the right preparation you will be able to rock the auditions with few flaws and be able to leave with a smile on your face. Important tips for auditions involve your preparation, punctuality, appearance, and confidence.

preparation is probably one of the most important aspects or tips for auditions because the way you prepare determines how you will do in the actual auditions. Read your audition information thoroughly and carefully because that will tell you everything you need to know about your audition. What to wear, what to bring, where to go, etc. Everything you need to know is in there. Before you even show up at auditions you need to know what you're doing and this packet of information you get  becomes your life line. For me, I always resort to my packet of information whenever my mind goes blank I forget what I need to bring or what time something is at, etc. At my school our auditions take about three to four days and during that time we have audition clinics, where we learn the audition dance and technique we need to do for the actual auditions. Preparation for this is super important because you're already given what you have to do, so you just have to practice it and perform it for the judges at the best of your ability. Preparation involves practicing the audition dance so you remember it and practicing the technique so you do it well. I know that sounds easy, but with stress and nervousness mixed in there its very easy to forget the dance during actual auditions, so preparation is very important.

don't be late to auditions. Being late to auditions is one of the worst possible things you can do. For one, it shows the judges that you are not responsible and gets you on there bad side. Starting you off with a not so good reputation. Do whatever it takes to get there on time. Traffic, accidents, forgetting something, can all lead you to being late so leave with plenty of time for delays to occur. A girl on my dance team before was late to auditions and that got her on the bad side of our coach. She started off the season as an alternate and had to work her way up to competing because the coach didn't trust her enough.

Your appearance matters. Making sure you know what you're suppose to wear builds confidence with the judges that you are responsible. Showing up with all the appropriate clothing and not forgetting anything is important. Sometimes judges won't even let you try out if you forgot or don't have the correct or appropriate clothing on. Even if you have everything you're suppose to, make sure everything is covered and appropriate for when you're dancing. Don't be showing the judges anything you don't want them to see. Practice what you're going to do in the clothing you're suppose to wear before auditions. So you know how everything's going feel and fit for the actual auditions when you're moving around and actually dancing.

confidence is very important when auditioning. You can get so down on yourself when auditioning because you start to compare yourself to the other people around you. Being prepared will help you in your confidence level but don't ever get down on yourself or let your mind wonder to negative thoughts. Stay positive and you will perform the dance and technique with success. Mentally prepare yourself for the auditions and enter knowing that you will do well with confidence.

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Encouragement

Encouragement is so important. In any situation encouragement is needed so much but is often forgotten about or pushed to the side. Encouragement helps lift the spirits of the people around you and can even boost your spirits as well. In competitive sports sometimes our focus is so much on beating our opponent that we try so hard to bring them down, especially with our words, and loose our desire to have fun and enjoyment of what we are doing. Stated by dictionary.com, encouragement is to inspire with courage, spirit or confidence. Helping each other get through a hard time even just by encouraging them can mean a  lot.

I recently went on a church retreat and the topic was encouragement. We talked about how only good things can come from genuine words of encouragement and how important building each other up is. Our words mean a lot and can change someone's whole day around. We were encouraged to stand out and be known for our kind words and encouragement. The speaker at this retreat made the analogy of being called Barnabas. Barnabas was a man from the bible whose name means son of encouragement and our speaker encouraged us to be known as Barnabas's. We watched this video on encouraging one another, and although it's a little cheesy and on the kid side, I think it really gets the point across.

When a teammate or someone is having a rough day and may not be performing their best it's helpful to encourage them to keep up their spirits and keep at it. Building each other up can only help them as well as you. Especially on a team, it's important for everyone to work together and help each other out. And just think, if you were having a bad day then you would want people encouraging you to keep trying. Even just saying something small can mean a lot to someone. Even just saying "good job" or "keep trying" are encouraging words that can help. When you encourage others it makes you feel good as well and lifts your spirits to try harder. Working together and encouraging one another can only help out your team,  giving them confidence as well as you  to perform your best. So I encourage you to be an inspiration to others through your encouragement and kind words to lift each others' spirits up.

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Critiquing

Critiquing, according to Dictionary.com, states that it is a criticism or critical comment on some problem, subject, etc. And that's exactly what it is. Fixing your routine so it looks good and presentable to an audience. When critiquing On a team you want everyone to look the same and you want each move done correctly. Critique helps with both these problems. Critiquing helps your figure out those little details that make the routine look sloppy or not together. Although it can get stressful and emotional sometimes it helps make sure everyone is doing the routine right.

Critiquing can be very stressful sometimes. On my team, after we learn a routine and have worked on it then we start critiquing. The whole team sits down and analyze each person. This really brings out what mistakes are being make and shows if someone knows the routine or not. we critique each person individually or sometimes with a partner. Critiquing is very helpful because it makes sure everyone is on the same page and knows what they're doing. In your routine, when you're all dance together it's hard to tell who's making the mistake and it's hard to tell if they're making that mistake because they don't know the routine or because they learned it wrong. Critiquing makes sure all the little details are fixed and makes sure all the dancers look good together. Critiquing makes the routine look sharp and clean because it individually points out and shows what each person is doing.

Critiquing can get very emotional sometimes too, especially if you're not doing a part right or are having a hard time getting it. It may feel like the whole team is against you when they're all yelling at you to do it right or to do it over again. You feel horrible and tears may be shed, but just remember that you're not alone in this and everyone's just trying to help. It's okay to take a break or a breather to get your head straight if you're feeling like you're getting to stressed or about to cry. All it takes is practice so don't take everything as a personal attack and don't get too down on yourself because eventually you'll get it.

Critiquing is not very fun for anyone but it helps a lot as a team and individually. It also gets you prepared to perform in front of an audience. With your whole teams eyes on you, you may blank out or forget a part. If that happens it's just a reminder that you need to either go over that part some more or have more confidence when performing in front of people.

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Hair, Makeup, and Costumes

Dance hair and makeup has to be big, bold and out there. The audience has to be able to see it from the stands or from where ever they’re sitting. From far away, so the lips are normally red, the eyes are dark and the hair is normally done according to the style of dance being performed. This is normally how it’s done for any type of performance, whether it’s cheerleading, dance, show choir, etc. The makeup and hair must be big in order to be seen by the judges and to add to the overall performance and showmanship. It also adds to the theme or feel of the performance as well.

 
Up close each person may look like a clown with all this bright crazy makeup on, but from far away it looks more natural and normal but still adds to the feel of the performance. The makeup also adds another element of unification to the team, another thing that ties the individual dancers together to make the routine look more in sync and together besides just the costumes.


The costumes also add another element to the performance. Besides everyone wearing the same outfit, unifying them, they also add to the theme or feel of the performance as well. Dance costumes are normally made of stretchy material that’s usually sparkly. It’s stretchy so it’s easier to move around in and more comfortable to dance in. it’s sparkly because you want it to catch the judges’ eyes and make them remember you.

 
The dancer’s or performer’s hair is also another unifying element. In other performance’s it can be used as a piece to help project the theme of a piece, but in dance the hair is done more towards the practical sense than any. In individual dances or solos the hair is more important, but in team dances the hair doesn’t have to be big or voluminous, it has to be practical and mostly depends on the dancer or dancers. You have to be able to turn and do certain moves and tricks so you mostly want your hair out of your face and pulled back tight so you don’t have to worry about it. A lot of times in team dances it’s just too much work to get everyone’s hair done the same and in a timely fashion so simpler styles are done most often. On my team, during competitions, we perform two routines, our pom and jazz routines. Because we’re doing both and doing them pretty close one after the other than it’s easier to just leave our hair in the same style for both so we don’t have to mess with them.

Quality over Quantity

When will dancers realize that it’s not the quantity of projects you’ve done but the quality of those projects that yields better returns? It is better to do two high quality gigs in a year than it is to do fifty low quality ones. Your last project usually determines the quality of the next one.

-          Safi A. Thomas

This quote by Safi A. Thomas, describes the importance of quality over importance. Lots of dancers want to be in so many projects and be known right away, but little do they know that the more time and energy spent on a project it will ultimately benefit them in the long run. Making a project well and of quality will be more beneficial. This can be said about anything really, dance routines, plays, any kind of performance, even homework. That the more quality you put into something now the more rewards and satisfaction you will receive in return later.

Procrastination is a big problem for me, whether its homework or practice, I don’t want to do it. I always wait to the last minute to do my homework or practice my pirouettes, etc.  I need to remember that the more time I put into something the more quality it will be and the more quality I put in to something the better it will be for me in the long run. It’s better to spend more time on a certain move and get it right than to rush through it to get more done or to finish early. Quality is key.

 

Have you ever heard the phrase “less is more”? well as you know, that’s not always true, but sometimes it’s better to focus on what you have going on, whether it’s a project or something of that’s sort, than to cram up your life and your busy schedule with a billion little things that you have to do and that you have to get done. It’s better to spend quality time on a one or two items in your life and focus on those than to rush and cut corners too many projects or item that you already have going on. Because that is what happens when you have too much to do in too little time. You rush, cut corners, get lazy and your project that you once thought was going to be great, starts to crumble and fall apart because you have not spend enough quality time or energy on it that you thought you were.

Judges

Judges look for a variety of things in a routine. From formations to wow factor, they judge everything. Each judge is different and depending on where you go or wherever you compete there’s going to be different judges. Each judge can score you in a different way than from the judge sitting right next to them, and sometimes there’s even unqualified judges.

Judge’s look at everything, all the way from your starting formation to your ending pose. They judge the music, costumes, use of floor, faces, projection, energy, formations, technique, angles and sharpness. They judge each category out of ten for a total out of one hundred, depending on the competition of course, sometimes it’s out of a total of seventy or something else. At my school we always aim to be within ten of the total points you can earn. Our coach tells us that we should always get ten out of ten in the category of faces and projection because our faces should always be on and our showmanship to the crowd should always be there in its fullest. After each competitions we take the judges’ comments toward our routine and either change or practice more the parts that still need work or that we messed up in our routine during the actual competition.

There are so many different judges and each judge judges differently as well. One judge can say something entirely the opposite of the other judge sitting right next to them. Each judge notices something different, which can either help or hurt you depending on what and if they notice. As I mentioned in my  blog post before, that faces can be used to hide your mistakes. Sometimes one judge can notice a mistake and another judge won’t, thus helping you in your score better than if both judges noticed your mistake. This can also go the other direction though, if both judges noticed your mistake than that will hurt your score, but if both judges notice your mistake than this gives you certainty that you need to fix this mistake, thus ultimately helping you in the future.

 

Sometimes though there are unprofessional or unfair competitions. Every now and then, hopefully less, you are judged by an unqualified judge. At a competition that my team went to a couple of weeks ago, for solos, one of the judges was a dance mom. Obviously unqualified to judge. Not that she judged her own daughter or anything as extreme or unfair as that, but she had no previous experience to dance and therefore unqualified to judge fairly and correctly to the dance world today.

Faces

Faces are a big and important aspect of performing. No matter where you’re performing or who you’re performing in front of. Faces make your performance more enjoyable for you and your audience to watch. They also help in making mistakes less noticeable and add to the theme and mood of your dance.

Faces make your performance more enjoyable to watch. They make you look like you're having a blast even though you're actually exhausted and about to pass out. They make your performance more entertaining for people to watch and more enjoyable for you as well. Facials during your performance make you feel more energetic during your routine. The more faces you make and the more smiles you have the more fun you will have too. Faces help express the mood of your dance as well. Whether your dance is sassy, sad, or emotional, your face can express a lot to the audience.

 When you mess up, because it has happened to all of us, faces make it less noticeable to the judges or to your audience that an incorrect move was done. If you lose your face when you perform because you messed up or because you just don't do faces then the audience’s attention is drawn to you and either makes you look sloppy or unprofessional. Making the performance less enjoyable for you and your audience. Especially during a judged performance or competition it's important to play off incorrect moves, not that there should be incorrect moves, but if there is, not losing your face is super important so that you don't bring attention to yourself and get points taken off because the judges noticed you make a mistake.

 It’s important to practice faces in practice. Have you ever heard of the quote, maybe from your coach or the Internet, "perfect practice makes perfect"? Well this quote may not be entirely true because no one can be perfect, but this quote reaches a really good point. If you practice right in practice then you're going to perform it right. You'll get it right if you practice right. Practicing correctly and full out in practice will make it easier for you when competitions come. You’ll already have facials down and won’t have to be reminded or have to think about doing them in your routine or worry about them last minute. To help with faces, try practicing making faces in your mirror at home to get you use to making lots of faces. To help you make different kinds of faces try doing your vowels (a,e,i,o,u) faces. I’ve been told all the way back from when I was little and I was doing cheerleading that we need to practice our faces. Our coach would tell us to go home and practice our vowels in the mirror. Changing your faces a lot during your routine will make your performance more entertaining as well, so practice changing them often during your routine.

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Keeping Your Cool

As competitions come up and tensions get high on competitive teams, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out. That’s why it’s important keep your cool when those times arise. When Competitions come practices get more stressful and intense. Practices are longer and more tiring than normal. It’s important to keep your cool especially when you are being critiqued or judged. It’s easy to just think about all the negative in those situations but focusing on what you need to get better on and trying to fix what you need to fix is all that your team is trying to help you with.

When being critiqued don’t take all the negative comments as a personal attack on you. Your team is only trying to help you get better so as a team you can all look together, clean and sharp. It can get stressful, but just breathe and try to stay with it. Teammates during these, competition, times can easily get on your nerves as well too. Don’t take everything your teammates say as serious as you normally would. Routine critiques are important, but little obnoxious comments that people sometimes say shouldn’t be taken too seriously during competition times because everyone is stressed and anxiety in general is already coming from your coach not to mention your already boiling nerves.

It’s important to have friends on your team. It’s important to have friends on your team so you don’t feel lonely or left out. Especially when everyone else are friends, you don’t want to feel like the outcast. When competition times come it’s important to have friends on your team that can build you up and help you get through the long practices and critiquing of others. Sometimes it’s just good to have someone who knows what you’re talking about and can relate to what you’re struggling with. It’s also good to have someone you can have fun with on your team. As time goes on I’m sure you will be able to grow your relationship with the other people on your team and sooner than later you’ll all be friends.

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Important Aspects Of A Dancer

Dance is a very competitive sport, even if some people don't consider it a sport, it is. It is a high performance task and requires strength and skill in order to complete each move correctly and precisely. Sometimes you may mess up or do something wrong, but that’s why consistency as a dancer in technical ability and skill are so important. Other aspects of a dancer’s character are equally as important for success as well.

Important aspects of a good dancer are consistency, reliability, and trustworthiness. As a team and as an individual dancer you want to be able to respect and trust your teammates and yourself in order to accomplish the goals you have. Having these characteristics and working together with your team will ultimately bring forth productive actions and allow for more accomplishments. Communication and good relations with your team will also help and allow for better team work.

Consistency is an important aspect of a dancer’s character because as a dancer your job is to perform. Having consistency in your dance ability, as in skills and technique, will help you in your dance career and allow you to be looked upon as a reliable, consistent dancer. Giving you more opportunities and possibilities in your career as well as confidence in your dance ability. Consistency also in your punctuality and ability to keep your word will also benefit you in your relationship with your team and trustworthiness.

Reliability in a dancer is important because it allows people to trust you more. If you’re on time and take practices and competitions seriously then you’ll gain respect from your coaches and teammates. Keeping your word and promises will gain you respect and you will be trusted more with more responsibilities because people will know that you are reliable.

Trustworthiness is another good aspect to have because as a team if you can trust each other than communication will be easier and decisions and conflicts will be resolved easier if you can work together and trust each other.

All three of these characteristics work together to accomplish good communication and teamwork for effective decision making and goal accomplishment on your team.

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The importance of water

As an athlete and a dancer I am very busy and sometimes very distracted. With that being said it should not be a surprise to you that I sometimes forget things. And one of those things is drinking water. When doing sports it is easy to forget or get distracted from your regular routine especially if you're being rushed or stressed out for some reason. I tend to forget to drink water when we are practicing for a performance or a competition.

Not drinking water can cause you to be dehydrated and you may get dizzy or feel sick in some way. Dehydration can cause muscle cramps and cause you to not perform your best. Drinking enough fluids is important before, during and after your workouts. Drinking enough fluids before you exercise is important so you don't get dehydrated during your workouts. If you're thirsty then you should drink more because you're already dehydrated and your body is trying to tell you that.

Drinking enough water during your workout depends on how intense your workout is, how long it is, and how much you sweat. It's recommended that you drink 2-4 cups of water per hour if your practices are longer than one hour, if less than one hour then you can drink according to your thirst. If you sweat a lot then you should drink more water so you can replace the fluids that you are loosing.

After workouts it's recommended that you drink 2 cups of water. Do this in order to replace the fluids you lost during your work out. Sports drinks such as Gatorade can be used to replace water and glucose in your system. Its not recommended that you drink Sports drinks unless it is during or after a work out because of the electrolytes in the drink that replace stuff in your system that you lost in your work out. It's not healthy for you if you drink it when not working out. Remember to always stay hydrated, drink lots of water.

Sore Muscles

If you're a really busy dancer. Or just an athlete in general and your life is full of practices, classes, competitions, etc. then you of all people should know that your muscles get tired. They may hurt or feel sore, especially after a hard practice or full day of dance.The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries.  We have all been through this muscle pain and want it gone immediately for it is not a pleasant thing. You want to be able to perform at your best and having, for example, your legs "not work" is just unacceptable and quite frankly a pain.

The best way to get rid of sore muscles or help repair them in the best way is the RICE method. The RICE method is used best for soft tissue injuries such as a sprain, strain, muscle pull, or tear. The R stands for rest. Rest is best to prevent future injury to the muscle and help repair the muscle in the least and most effective time. The I stands for ice. Ice is necessary for the injured muscle because it prevents the muscle from swelling and provides short term pain relief to the injured muscle area. C stands for compression, which also helps keep the muscle from swelling and may provide pain relief to some people. And last but not least, E stands for elevation, also needed to keep swelling down.

Keeping the swelling down is most important in sore or injured muscles and there healing process. The quicker you rest and start the RICE process then the quicker and sooner you'll be healed and on your way again. Keeping the swelling down is important because if you don't then the more time it's going to take you to heal because then you're going to have to wait for the swelling to go down. Just remember the RICE method. R=rest, I=ice, C=compression, E=elevation. Remember that and you'll be on your way to a faster and easier recovery.

Tutus

As the school year session starts, you're working on the basics, learning some new steps, and working on your technique. Dancing at a studio, your instructor is probably already working on your recital dance, picking out your music, and picking out your class's costume as well. At my studio, my instructor just started teaching us the first part of our recital dance last week. I know it seems soon, but you know what they say, sooner is always better. At my studio this is the time when some of the instructors start asking us what costumes and theme we want for our dance recital. As we were asked this in ballet it was prominent that everybody wanted a tutu, but as we had this discussion no one knew what kind. Our instructor informed us what style she had in mind for us, but this made me realize that I as well as other people don't really know that much about tutus and its origins or styles as well as among other things.

Now if you don't know what a tutu is it is a skirt used in ballet, it's made out of tulle and it's use is to enhance grace, beauty and femininity in a pleasing way.  there are five types of tutus. There is the Romantic, Classical(pancake), Classical(bell), Balanchine, and Platter tutu. These different types of tutu's were developed over time and were developed by shortening them in order to see the ballerina's footwork better. The shortening of the skirt allows greater range of movement for the dancer and is instrumental in the development of ballet today. The tutu is now used all over the world, universally known and used from little kid ballet recitals to world famous ballet dancers and companies.

The Romantic tutu, credited to Marie Taglioni first in 1832, is  a three-quarter length skirt shaped like a bell. The end of the skirt falls between the knees and ankles. The romantic tutu is used to emphasize lightness and is free flowing. There are two types of the romantic tutu, but those just depend on where the skirt is placed on your waist.

The Classical(pancake) tutu is a much shorter skirt that, opposed from the bell shape, is stiff and sticks straight out. Wire hooping is usually used to keep the tutu stiff and straight as well as more layers are used to accomplish this.

The Classical(bell) tutu is a short and stiff tutu, similar to that of the pancake, but is shaped like a bell. It is usually a little longer than the pancake style and does not use a wire hoop to keep it stiff and straight but uses layers.

The Balanchine tutu, also known as the "powder puff" is a soft, short tutu that has little layers and no wire. This skirt is used to give a softer fuller appearance.

The Platter tutu sticks out straight from the dancers waistline. Similar to the Pancake tutu, but the Platter tutu is more stiff and straight whereas the pancake is a little fuller on the top.

I for one love tutus. When you dance they just flow and you feel so pretty when wearing one. You get all ready for your recital or performance and when you put on your tutu you just feel like a professional dancer. It's a great feeling to wear a tutu no matter what style or kind you wear they're always fun and enjoyable and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Improv

Dance is meant to be fun and creative. Improv is  a good way to let go and to just let the music speak to you. You improve everyday when you're in you're room dancing to your music. You listen to the beat and let your body move with out even thinking. Improv is a good way to just let go and be free. It lets you make up your own dance moves and dance with your own style.

At dance studios, often times the instructor will let the class improv for a song or two. Just to let you dance to your own style and be creative in your dancing. It's said that dancers are the first to loose themselves because they're told to copy and mimic dancers and learn routines as in synch as possible to other people almost to the point of perfection. They aren't allowed to have a personal feeling and style in a dance because it has to be together, or clean, as a whole with everyone else on stage and together. Improv every now and then is a good way to stay in tune to your style and enjoyment of dancing.

When improvisation is done at my studio, in my classes, I always get really nervous because I think I'm going to mess up or do something wrong and people are going to look at me because I messed up or danced awkwardly. When in reality no one really cares and the point of improv is to try new things and be creative with your dancing. It's hard to dance like yourself when you're surrounded by a whole bunch of people you don't know, but just listen to the music and dance to your own beat. You're there to have fun and dancing without stress, with you're own style can be very uplifting and enjoyable.

Improv is done a lot in lyrical classes. It's done in about every class, jazz, hip hop, etc. Lyrical though is a big place for improv though because its more of an emotional type of dance. The movements flow together more and improv is done a lot in this class just because since it is easier to express emotions there for easier to express your style and mood of dance in a lyrical class. Just remember to not think about you or how people think of you when you improv because it's a learning experience. It's a time to figure out what works and what doesn't, just have fun and dance to your own beat and style.

Choreographers

Dance clears the mind. The movement of your body allows you to forget about the stress of the day and lets you just focus on you. You're allowed to feel the music and listen to you're own beat. There is a whole creative and imaginative aspect of dance that you can have fun with. Even if you're not a choreographer, the different movements and angles you can accomplish with you're body is amazing.

Making up and choreographing different dance's can be really stressful, but if you're given the time and you have the motivation, it can be really fun and enjoyable. The creativity you have to go through to make up a dance can be really fun, but often times is looked down upon because most time people don't have enough time or energy to make up a dance to its fullest potential.

Choreographers think of dance's and routines in different parts. They look at it as a whole and decide what they want to do and then break it up into a whole bunch of little tiny pieces of one whole dance. piece by piece. I honestly don't know how they come up with all the different ideas they come up with, but dance and especially choreographing is definitely an art on it's own. Choreographers have to be very open and willing to change and go with the flow as the ideas in their brains do not always come out in reality as planned.

The ability of the dance has a lot to do with  the ability of the dancers. That's why there's different levels and try outs for dance's and dance teams, because the more and closer the ability of the dancers are the more in synch and flexibility you have with the dance and certain moves you do.  You wouldn't put a bad dancer and a good dancer in the same dance routine, the bad dancer would just end up bringing the whole routine down and even at competitions and stuff, you get judged on team skills, how many people can do a certain skill, as well.

Choreographers have to think of everything. Between formations, angles, skills, arm placements, often times music, and tempo. They have a lot to think about. They somehow manage it all and address everything eventually in someway. In the end though the routines come out to be wonderful pieces of work that look very astounding and creative.

Challenge Yourself

Challenging yourself is key in whether you want to improve in your dance ability or not. We're not all perfect dancers, but  we all want to be. In order to reach our goals and our desired dance capability we have to work hard and push ourselves to improve. Whether you have to improve in strength, flexibility, or technique, we all have to work on something.

Challenge yourself by taking harder dance classes. Don't be afraid to join a studio or move up to a new level of dance class. I know we all want to be comfortable, but sometimes trying new things in order to get better is worth the discomfort. Even if you don't have any friends in your new dance class or you don't know anyone at your studio. Don't let stupid, minor things get in the way of your ability to improve in dance. I've only been at my studio for about a year now. I remember when I first started, being super nervous and scared because I was new and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It ended up working out just fine and I was worrying about nothing. Everyone's in the same boat and going through the exact same thing you are. You'll get to know people and make friends fast.

Challenge yourself by trying harder skills. the only way you'll be able to dance like your favorite dancer and get to the next level is by trying new skills. Practicing these skills and getting better at them will ultimately help you in the long run. High technical skills really show off your dancing ability and will help you reach the next level. The only way to get better is to keep trying and try, try, again. Dancing takes practice and the only way to get  better is practicing.

Also, being around more advanced and higher skilled dancers will help you and push you to reach their level. We all want to be better than the person next to us, so if you are around better dancers than you will want to be a better dancer. Especially if you're on a dance team at your school or something, you might not be best friends with the person dancing next to you, and so the competitive level is probably higher. If you want to be better than the girl next to you and she wants to be better than you than you will push each other to be the best you can be and will feed off each others energy to make the dance routine the best it can be. So challenge yourself to be the best, hard work always pays off.

Goals

Goals are very important in anything you do. Whether they're long term goals or short term goals. Setting something to work towards is key in improvement. Setting goal will help in your ability to become a better dance and setting multiple goals will help break up your journey towards that. I talk about setting goals and working towards something in my Flexibility blog post you can look at as well. Thinking long term will help you enjoy the project you are working on now and thinking short term will help you accomplish the goals you have that will ultimately help you accomplish your long term goals.

When setting long term goals you want to look to the future, what do you ultimately want to be doing in life or in dance. Whether that's this year or the next year or in five years. You want to set practical goals, but don't be afraid to follow your dreams and shoot for the stars. Anything is possible, refer to my Keep the Faith  blog post. Don't be afraid of goals that seem impossible now because later they'll be possible. Be prepared to work hard and go full speed toward you're goals.

When setting short term goals, think about what goals you want to set in order to reach your long term goals. What can you work towards short term and that's practical that will help you accomplish your long term goal later. For me, I want to compete at dance competitions. That's my long term goal, but in order to accomplish that goal I need to set short term goals. My short term goals are to get more flexible and to get better, more consistent pirouettes. So far I've been doing pretty well with these goals, but it's an ongoing journey, like anything, that needs lots of work.

Of course, sometimes you won't make as much progress as you would like, but keep going and eventually you'll reach you're goal. Making a deadline for your goals will also help in your effort to accomplish them in a timely manner. Deadlines with consequences will help motivate you to get something done or to reach your goals. Also, having someone keep you accountable for your goal will help you too. Try writing you're goals down in pen or telling someone what you goals are so they can keep you accountable by helping you or even just asking you how you're goals are coming along. Just keep going and work hard. Don't give up if you're not progressing how you would like either. We all get set back sometimes, but if you keep going it'll benefit you in the end and you'll be happier if you stuck with it.
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STREB Extreme Action

Dance is an art. and Art is seen different to all people. Unique and interesting as it may be, it is taken and interpreted, seen differently through people’s eyes. There are many different types of dancing. Hip hop, lyrical, ballet, jazz, modern, etc. and many different reasons people dance. Either to express emotion, for fun, competition, religion, and much more. I recently found out about a different dance style that may interest you. It's called STREB Extreme Action. Founded in 1985 by Elizabeth Streb, a choreographer whose studies the content of movement. Streb is fascinated by movement, and uses angles and gravity to create different routines and actions that will surprise you.


Streb calls her dancers "extreme action heroes". They take immense hits and impacts to create what Streb has envisioned.  To create something new and different. As said on her website Streb, once called the Evel Knievel of dance, Elizabeth Streb's choreography, which she calls "POPACTION," intertwines the disciplines of dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stunt-work. The result is a bristling, muscle-and-motion vocabulary that combines daring with strict precision in pursuit of public acts of "pure movement." Streb's choreography of movement attracts all types of audiences, kids, adults, and the public eye in general because of the fast, intricate, movement of these dancers.



This type of dancing is very new, unique and modern. Entertaining because you don't know what's going to happen next. Streb uses this to impact art and how we see it. She uses hardware to create angles and to manipulate movement, to defy gravity and create illusion of epic proportions. This type of art is very enjoyable because it resembles gymnastics and dancing. It seems very intense and hardcore because the dancers have to be very fit and athletic to do all these flips, jumps, and falls and to take the impact of each on ones body.



At the London Olympics, STREB Extreme Action performed around the London area. Sreb wanted to show London and the world the sense of wonder and impossible, something that they would remember for the rest of their lives. You can see what they did and how they performed here. Streb has a warehouse called S.L.A.M.(Streb Lab of Action Mechanics) where classes can be taken, and practices and rehearsals are open to the public. Streb wants to be an inspiration to children and the public of her community to have an impact on arts and how they’re viewed.

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Flexibility

If you're like me then you know how hard it is to get more flexible. Naturally not being a very flexible person, seeing those double-jointed girls pulling their legs up above their heads and beyond can make dance class kind of stressful for you. As you, knowing how important flexibility is, wants to be able to do that too. But have no fear, everyone can increase their flexibility.

Flexibility is very important in dance. It provides a wider range of styles that can be used and allows the dancer to accomplish higher and more advanced skills or tricks. It also creates more fluid motions that may be required for certain styles or dances. Flexibility also reduces the risk of injury and provides a better range of motion for the dancer.

Flexibility can be accomplished by stretching often and correctly. You're not going to get any more flexible unless you make the effort to get more flexible. Set a time aside to work on your flexibility or other skill that you need to get better at. We all say we'll do our splits while we watch TV or something, but how often does that actually happen. Setting a time aside will help in your effort to stay accountable for stretching on your own. Also, having someone else keep you accountable for your stretching is good too, it provides an outside force to get you to do you're stretches.

Stretching correctly is very important too. Don't ever force a stretch, you'll end up pulling a muscle or hurting yourself in some way. I've pulled a muscle in my leg before, doing the splits, and it took about two weeks for me to do a decent toe-touch again. It's not worth it to force you're body to extremes because most of the time it doesn't work out.  Make sure to stretch before and after you work out. Stretching before will prevent you from injuring yourself during your workout and stretching after will help in your effort to become more flexible. Stretching after your workout will help you become more flexible because your muscles will already be warmed up and will actually make the stretches count. Remember to actually relax into your stretches, this will help you get a better and deeper stretch. Do the stretch correctly too. Stretching the wrong way will not help you at all and will ultimately hurt you. You'll train yourself to do the stretch incorrectly and won't make any progress on your flexibility at all.

So remember to stretch often and correctly. set a time aside or have someone hold you accountable. Stretch before and after your work out and don't ever force a stretch. With a little time and effort, you'll be able to get those splits down and lift those legs up high. Little by little you're increase your flexibility.
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Practice,Practice, PRACTICE!

Practice is everything. If you want to get better, than you have to practice. You can improve so much if you practice consistently and often. I know it’s hard to find the time, but if you make an effort to practice than it will pay off. It may not pay off right away but eventually you'll be happy you put in the time to get better. You can practice you're flexibility, your pirouettes, you're jumps, or whatever else you want to get better at. I've been on dance team at my school since the beginning of the summer and we had practice about every other day during the week. My pirouettes were very bad technique wise, but after working on them consistently and often they have gotten a lot better. They still need work, but I'm very pleased with the progress that I've made already.

Practice the right way. If you Practice right, then you'll perform it right. You may hear this a lot, but it's true. If you learn your skill or dance right, then practice it right, it will ultimately make your life easier because then you won't have to spend so much time fixing the mistakes you could of had right all along. You'll end up having more time and energy to spend on other things instead of stressing about the move or dance skills you need to work on.

Practice the little things. There's a difference between going through the motions and then actually hitting, or sharpening the moves. Finishing each move strong and together is very powerful and gives lots of energy and purpose to the dance. When you're watching two people do the same dance and one's smiling and the other's not, which one are you going to watch or enjoy more? Obviously the one smiling. Smiling or doing facials is a little thing that can make you're dance a lot more enjoyable to you and the audience, and is a huge factor in your stage presence. As a dancer you want to entertain your audience and practicing your moves right will help in accomplishing this.

Work For It, Enjoy It, Keep The Faith

 

 

 

If you're a dancer, then you know that dance team is a big deal. No matter if it’s at you're school or you're studio, everybody's working toward the same goal. To be the best dancer they can be, to get to varsity or the top team, whatever that may be. I'm on dance team at my school and take classes at my studio, so most of my knowledge of dance teams comes from my school. In order to get on dance team it's going to take work, and I mean hard work. No matter what you're skill level is you're going to have to work on something. Whether that's hitting you're moves, turns, flexibility, or jumps, you’re going to have to work on something.

Being good at dance or being good at dance compared to the people around you is definitely a confidence boost. Everyone wants to be good at something, and everyone one is, you just might not have found it yet. But just because you're good at something doesn't mean you're better than anyone else. Often times our performances in life dictate our social status, whether that's in sports or just in an ordinary day. We're told to win, fix our mistakes, and be better than the person next to you. Although in some circumstances that's true, we're trained to compare and judge ourselves and the people around us in order to succeed. Success is fine, it's enjoyable and pleasing, but when you take it away what holds you together? What makes your life worth living, what makes you happy?

 We're told to do lots of stuff, to get involved in so many sports and so many clubs and activities. These pressures come from our parents, school and friends. But how many things do you do that make you happy for no reason at all? That's what dancing is for me. I'm not as good as the other girls on my team, but I enjoy it a lot more. There's definitely challenges that come with it, but isn't everything a challenge? At least in its own way it is. It doesn't matter how people look at you. How cool or popular you are, what your reputation is. Everyone is on a journey, to figure out who they are and where they fit in, what their purpose is in life. We're in this together, so we must stick together.

I'm not here to tell you what is right and what is wrong, but I'm telling you to keep going. To listen to your dreams and follow your heart. If you want to be a professional dancer than be a professional dancer. Take the steps to become better, join a studio or make JV and keep working toward your goals. Anything is possible. In the Bible, Philippians 4:13 states, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~So Keep the Faith~

 

Homecoming Dance

 

As homecoming comes around, lots of people are buying expensive dresses, getting their hair done, doing their nails and toning up that tan. But as homecoming night approaches the dance is the big attraction, this is the reason you spent all your money from that crappy job you had during the summer. All so you can look good for the Homecoming Dance (and also for cute pictures, can’t forget that!). You want to have fun, you want to have a good time, but most of all you want it to go well. I’m not saying it has to be perfect, cause we all know that’s not true, but we want there to be as little mistakes as possible. Often times though we obsess over how we look and for it to go right that we forget to loosen up and have a good time. 

 

 You have all your makeup done, you have your hair done and you’re looking might fine in that brand spanking new dress. So what, you messed up your eye shadow a little and it took extra time to do your hair, you’re looking good and you’re ready to go to the dance. Oh no, the dance! You totally forgot about the dance. You think, “I can’t dance, I’m a horrible dancer". Well, you probably should have thought about that sooner, but homecoming is full of last minute touch ups and plans. So it's all good! I'm actually glad you didn't think about it sooner, because now you're committed to going and you're going to have a blast!

 

 Some people don’t like to go to dance’s because they claim they “don’t know how to dance” or they "don’t like the songs or dance’s they do". Well that’s a bunch of crap and absolutely not true because everybody can dance and I encourage everyone to go to at least one dance in their life time. No matter how big or how small you are, how awkward or weird you are, you can dance. You shouldn’t worry about how you look when you dance or if you're doing the right moves, as long as you move to the beat and don’t worry about it you'll be fine. You never know, you may surprise yourself and actually have fun. Dances are not supposed to be a worry some event, of course the prep before the dance is a whole different story, but you're there to have a good time and DANCE!

 

Attitude is a big thing while you dance. Don't be so caught up with yourself that you're bringing down the mood of your party or whoever you're going with. Everybody wants to have fun so be aware of how your attitude affects the people around you. Don’t get down on yourself because you messed up on a silly little move and now you think everyone noticed. When in reality no one noticed, and besides, everyone's too concerned in themselves to worry about it anyways. Stay positive, don't keep telling yourself that that girl over there looks better than you. Girls have a tendency to compare themselves a lot to other girls and that's not going to get you anywhere in life. It's not good or healthy for you to compare yourself because it's just going to be an ongoing battle that you'll never win. Be comfortable in your own skin. Have confidence, you're the hottest one there and you know it, so glow with the confidence and personality God gave you.

 

 Don't feel intimidated by the girls, or guys, who you think know what they're doing because most of the time they don't. Just because they're on the dance floor shaking it like they're something special doesn't mean anything. Dance how you're comfortable dancing. There's only one you, so don't feel like you have to dance the way that that girl is over there. I don't care if you're doing the 'shopping cart' for twenty straight minutes, you're original, so embrace it!

 

YouTube is very helpful in teaching dances too. A lot of songs and dance's for weddings or school events are not that hard to learn or memorize. Popular songs to look at are the Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, Macarena, Dougie and The Wop. There's different versions of these but learning these popular songs will help in your effort to feel more comfortable dancing at homecoming or wherever your new learned dance skills will lead you!