Dance’s competitive aspect is apparent. Whether you’re a competitive dancer or looking for your next professional career, you’ll face competition, which means stress. To achieve success and perform at your best, it is critical to promote balance and well-being in dance.
You must have procedures to combat the stress of your dance pursuits. Consider your mentality and habits in diet, body image, dancing progress, and lifestyle to make practical changes. These components are all necessary for peak performance. They are essential components of dancer wellness.
It may be easy to convince yourself that the only thing that matters when you’re in the studio is the work you put in.
The truth is that taking care of yourself outside of the studio and prioritizing your mental and physical health will make you more resilient in dance.
Food: The Mindset
Your performance will be influenced by the food you consume. There’s no denying that the fuel you use can either hinder or help your dancing. Are you planning to fill your sports car with regular or premium gas? The same should be said for your body.
Food is your fuel, and it should be appreciated as well. However, you must develop a healthy connection with food and stop viewing certain things as “bad” or “off limits.” When you label some foods as “bad” and others as “good,” you usually feel guilty when you consume the “bad” items.
You may also get into the trap of believing that all delicious food is tasteless and bland. On the contrary, delicious healthy meals are essential. When you think of all the food you consume as food, fuel, and something you should enjoy, you’ll develop a more positive attitude about food.
Food: The Practice
It is critical to consider how your day will unfold when developing a dietary plan. For example, when do you take your breaks? How much time will you spend in class, rehearsals, and cross-training?
Then consider how you’ll receive plenty of vitamins and minerals; consume various colorful meals. Consume greens, fruits, and colorful vegetables — disease-fighting, health-promoting foods.
Finally, consider what balance means to you. Avoiding things that bring you genuine joy, such as cake, cookies, and desserts, will not make you feel more balanced in your approach to food. How will you combine such meals so that you can enjoy them guilt-free?
Body: The Mindset
When you look in the mirror as a dancer, your natural reaction is to point out what is wrong. What can you do better? How do you improve your physique, which isn’t as good as it could or should be?
To be a confident dancer, you must accept and embrace your body exactly as it is. Your body type is relatively consistent. Yes, you may make changes, but some things are set in stone. When you reach a point of self-acceptance, you will become a more confident person and dancer.
Try to watch your dancing without pulling your body apart. You can dance brilliantly and to your total capacity, even if you have larger thighs, calves, arms, or a butt. When you concentrate on your abilities rather than your body parts, you will improve faster and gain confidence.
Body: The Practice
It takes time to develop positive self-talk and a positive body image. Whatever messages you consistently repeat for yourself are the ones you’ll begin to believe. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are sufficient. You have one-of-a-kind abilities. Dance is something you can master.
Outside of the class, pamper your body with massage, foam rolling, Epsom salt baths, supporting cross-training, and health and nutrition advice.
Progress: The Mindset
It’s critical to think of your dance progress as a journey. There will be high points and down points. There will be moments when things are more accessible and other times when you face a more challenging difficulty.
Successful people are believed to be successful not because things become more accessible to them but because of how they respond to setbacks or perceived failures.
Progress: The Practice
Do you write down your goals and keep track of your adjustments, technique, and choreography? Have you formed a vision for your life and dancing and considered where you want it all to lead you?
When you dream and visualize a greater goal, you are more likely to achieve it. Rather than aiming for perfection, consider setting goals that prioritize steady development.
Lifestyle: The Mindset
Your ability to perform in the studio is directly related to how you create your life outside the studio. If your life outside of dance is chaotic and lacks organization, you will most likely lack the attention and determination required to achieve.
It is advantageous to have a life outside of dance to cultivate relationships and experiences that can nourish your dancing. In addition, you’ll offer much more to the parts and choreography you perform if you have more breadth and depth.
Lifestyle: The Practice
Support your dancing by doing things outside of dance, but remember to allow yourself time away from dance. How do you communicate with your soul? How can you achieve peace and serenity in your own house or outside?
Learn more: Dance Nutrition Workshops’ 5 Red Flags