confidence needed!

[miss ashley]

my dance teacher told me i need confidence in myself and that's the only thing i need to make me a better dancer. how do i get more confidence? i get a lot of compliments on my technique from teachers and friends. and how to i let go in class? i don't get what that means either. please give me some advice!

[Mel Johnson]

You're getting positive reinforcement from your teacher and your friends. That should encourage you to relax and let 'er rip during class. My thinking is perhaps you have self-doubt, and a fear that you don't deserve those compliments. Take them at face value and let it all hang out for a class or two. See what that does. (This is the third "ease up on yourself" suggestion I've made today! Must be the phase of the moon!)

[star13]

You just have to believe in yourself! If your teachers and peers are giving you compliments, then take them! They are probably not saying them because they don't mean them! So take the compliments and dance because you love to dance! If you think that, it will show through in your dance!!!

[miss ashley]

Thanks, guys!

 

I don't know if I have self doubt...it's just that I've never really seen myself dance before. My teachers constantly say that I could dance in "Europe" and "New York" and "Everywhere!" It's so weird because I hear my teachers talking about me in their office and in the studio all the time and in class, my ballet teacher looks at me the whole class. Every class she says to me, "Everything you do is perfect." "You're very talented." "You're such a beautiful dancer!" and I have NO idea of what to say back! I look like I just saw a ghost! What do I say back when people say those things?

[Clara 76]

Ho hum....it's always so nice when people make blanket statements that end up putting too much pressure on a person.

 

Basically, be gracious and simply say, "Thank you."

[miss ashley]

What is a blanket statement? Does that mean something that intended to be positive?

[prodancer95]

A blanket statement is a vague and noncommittal statement asserting a premise without providing evidence. I got that definition from the internet but it is basically a broad statement

[Clara 76]

Yes, it is when they make statements that are vague, like, "You could dance in in "Europe" and "New York" and "Everywhere!"

 

While it may be true that a dancer has all the necessary ingredients to become a professional ballet dancer, that person needs to be able to be free to figure out why they dance. In other words, if I am good at basketball, and I'm 6'8", and everyone tells me I'm so wonderful I could play in the WNBA, I might feel pressured to become a basketball player because I might worry that I could disappoint prople in my life who are important to me.

 

I would hope for you that you also have people in your life who encourage you to follow whatever your heart desires.

 

Understand that the people who say those blanket statements to you mean well, and they are not intending anything except to compliment you, so that is why a gracious, "Thank you" will do. But remember that you must dance for yourself- not any other person in this whole world.

[miss ashley]

thank you! i truly love to dance and i hope this hard work pays off someday!