Pushing Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone
Posted onIn order to succeed, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
It is easy in all walks of life when you become good at something to stay within those parameters and never challenge yourself.
If you want to become a professional dancer you have to start now. Even while you are still learning.
The only way to gain confidence and find your skills is to challenge yourself.
Participating in shows can have a significant positive impact on your confidence
Taking part in performances can teach you so much more than just coming to classes every week. It gives you the first-ever taste of what it takes to be a professional dancer.
Learning a set routine with other members of the class can teach you about choreography, teamwork, how to move around the stage with others, and what it feels like to perform for an audience.
Performing can also give you important life skills
Dancing in front of an audience can challenge you to overcome stage fright and nerves. The more you dance in front of an audience, the easier it gets. This can help you gain confidence in yourself to tackle many challenges with greater self-assuredness.
Expressing your creativity allows you to communicate your thoughts and emotions. This can be valuable as you go through school, college, and employment to communicate with others. It also gives you the confidence for public speaking or to host presentations.
The 2 D’s
Dancers cannot perform a flawless routine without discipline and dedication! The hard work that goes into each production will be the difference between an okay routine and a great routine! It takes a lot of practice. (It shows when you have not practiced!)
Learning the importance of being consistent, showing up on time, practicing and goal setting is vital in everyday life as well as on the stage. You will not get to where you want to be without these life skills (or in dance).
One of the hardest lessons to learn is resilience. Not all performances will go well. You may forget your steps. You may stumble or even get a bad review. It happens to the greatest of performers.
Learning how to stand up, dust yourself down, and carry on is crucial. Adapt, recover, and continue the performance. This will teach you how to handle any setbacks in your future.
There is no I in “team”
Dancing as a team is one of the greatest experiences. Learning to work together to execute a stand-out performance forms great friendships. Supporting each other through achievements and failings creates foundations for any professional or personal relationship.
A sense of accomplishment is a great skill to learn. Even if you don’t think it is a skill. You have to celebrate the wins in life. It boosts your confidence and self-esteem and helps you to learn how to manage stress and relaxation.
Performing a routine helps with your memory
As we get older our memory can deteriorate. The best way to slow this down is to improve cognitive function. (You may think you are years off yet, but it happens to the best of us at some point in life!)
Memorising routines, scripts, steps, and cues are a great way of keeping your youthful memory!
It can also help you improve on an academic level when you are revising for tough exams!
Being able to express your creativity on the big stage is an honour. Showing the world who you are and what you are capable of are moments to be cherished and absorbed. The benefits of performing on stage extend far beyond dance skills. It will empower you with life skills, personal growth, and positive development.
So, get yourself out of your comfort zone and get yourselves signed up for the next performance. You never know, one day it will be on a west end stage!