First, let’s get into what “successful” in dance even means. The good news is that it’s totally unique to you and you get to decide what it means. Your definition of success in dance may also change over time.
For the purposes of this post, I’m going to define The Whole Dancer perspective on dancer success. It’s about reaching your dance goals in a healthy, sustainable, balanced, and intentional way. If your goal is to make it to the paid level of a corps de ballet, true success would mean that you care for yourself as you do the work to achieve that goal.
By taking care of yourself through the process of getting to your goal, you’re going to thrive on the path towards that achievement. Unfortunately, a lot of dancers take an extreme, non-supportive, potentially harmful approach to reaching their goals in dance. This can lead to unhappiness and eventually burnout or complete loss of love for the art.
Make your health and well-being the top priority.
In order to find success in dance and do it in a sustainable way, your health and well-being need to be your top priority. This doesn’t mean you aren’t disciplined or hard working. It means you are connected to your personal needs and listening to your body, mind, and soul.
Prioritizing your health means fueling adequately even if it means your body is not the tiniest version it could be. For health, and injury prevention, you must put your health above aesthetic goals.
This doesn’t mean you don’t feel strong, capable, and confident in your physical shape. It means that you are doing the work to accept that your best shape and strongest body for dance may be bigger than you think it “should” be.
As much importance as you put into having a healthy body, the same is true for your mind. To be a successful dancer you need immense mental strength. Not so you can endure harm or undue pain but rather so you can advocate for yourself and those around you to make this artform a healthier place.
Stay connected to your mind, body, and soul.
The most successful dancers have found a true connection to their mind, body, and soul needs and prioritize them with the same or greater priority than their needs simply as a dancer.
Your mind
The mental aspects of dance and performance are undeniable. Beyond that, a dancer’s self-perception and body image need to be in a solid place in order to not just find confidence but also to feel joyful in the dancing process.
Many dancers tell me: “I figured all dancers feel badly about their bodies.” Or, “Don’t all dancers struggle with body image?”
And while yes, I agree that most dancers have moments of struggle, I also know for certain that you can get to a place of body image resilience — where body image challenges arise and you’re able to move through them with ease.
Your body
Through your years of dance, you were probably at some point encouraged to ignore or push through pain. You may have gotten into the habit of rehearsing or dancing with very little in your stomach.
As much as dancers can be very aware of how their physical body is working and moving, many are incredibly disconnected from what their body needs.
The most successful dancers are committed to honoring and caring for their bodies as more than their instrument — as their home. This means again prioritizing your physical well-being over any aesthetic pressure or aim.
Your soul
To truly reach your highest, most successful level as a dancer, you need to connect to yourself on a deeper level. Knowing who you are, who you want to be, and what you value in this world is going to direct your dreams in full alignment.
Making a soul connection could mean exploring religion or spirituality. It could also mean connecting to nature or the universe. Finding the bigger forces outside of yourself that resonate is going to allow you to view the world outside of dance with awe. Then, you’ll be able to bring big, aligned energy into everything you do.
Nourish yourself holistically.
Food is a key form of physical nourishment. However, to nourish oneself holistically means to address all aspects of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Many dancers don’t pay great attention to their sleep habits, hydration, morning, or nighttime routines. Each of these areas has to be addressed, and the most successful dancers have very clear and supportive practices in place.
If you’ve not spent much time really addressing your needs, then pick one area and commit to making some significant changes. Sleep is often a great place to start, so we’ll address sleep as an example. First, consider how many hours of sleep you’re getting. Most dancers get somewhere between 6 and 8 hours, but most dancers would benefit greatly from 9+ hours of sleep.
To start improving sleep, commit to putting your phone away much earlier in the evening. If you use your phone as an alarm clock, invest in a sunrise alarm clock or another traditional wake-up device. Include things like journaling, reading, or meditation in your nighttime routine and you’re going to set yourself up to sleep better and therefore to perform with more precision in dance.
Set boundaries, seek support.
The dancers who find true success and longevity in this career aren’t afraid to seek support from outside their current circle. Successful dancers know that simply getting by isn’t enough, and to thrive, you might need someone else to help you identify blind spots.
That’s where coaching can provide a transformative stepping-stone to finding true, sustainable success in this career. I’ve had the honor of working with soloists and principal dancers at top companies. And also with pre-professional students at the start of their professional journey.
In each of those cases, the dancers knew that they had another level they could reach and support from someone who truly understands the challenges of dancing at a high level would help achieve their biggest goals.
Are you ready to get to the next level?
Is it time to create a path that’s not just about surviving but thriving?
Do you want to create happy, healthy, sustainable success?
Take the next step and book your free, coaching consultation call here.
