Are You Correction Dependent?
Dear dancers and parents,
A commonality among pre-professional and young professional dancers is their complicated relationship with corrections and teacher feedback. All dancers want corrections; they see them as
a sign of teacher interest,
a vote of confidence in their abilities,
and even as a value judgment: "I am worth correcting."
It's no secret why dancers attach these values to corrections: it has been instilled in all of you to want and even need teacher feedback to know
where you stand,
if you're improving,
and what to work on.
So it's normal that you crave feedback. However, I have seen this learned habit go sideways for many dancers. Like when...
a dancer loses motivation when corrections slow down or stop.
a dancer decides they're not improving because the corrections never change.
nerves and anxiety overtake a dancer when a director comes into the studio because that person's feedback is so valued.
In all of these cases, the culture of corrections leaves the dancer the loser: the dancer loses motivation, loses a sense of progress, and finally, loses a handle on their own emotional/psychological stability.
There's a solution to this (yay!) and it rests on building your independence from teacher input.
Needs vs wants
Yes, you want corrections and feedback, but do you need them all the time?
Surely you can walk into class with a short list of past corrections and get to work on those without needing anything new. Experiment with using what you already know and letting go of the misconception that you need more in order to do good work.
When you fall out of a turn, instead of thinking, "Why isn't s/he helping me fix this??" go into problem-solving mode and ask yourself, "What could I do differently to fix this problem?" You know so much more than you think you do. Challenge yourself to find your own solutions.
Admit you really want corrections, but you probably don't need them as much as you think you do.
Internal goals based on your values
Since you have corrections from past days/weeks, as well as an inner knowledge of what you need to work on, you are in a great position to set goals. Before you start, remind yourself that goals must be within your control. Then, get to work!
Write down 2-4 SMART goals for your week and then decide which ones you will focus on today.
As your week goes along, keep checking in with those weekly goals and see how you're doing;
adjust your daily goals if needed.
Once you get the hang of this, you can set monthly goals and then go backward to create weekly goals.
When you get in the habit of setting and achieving your own goals, you will find that your reliance on teacher input decreases. For some dancers, they get so into it that corrections become a welcome "extra," rather than a necessity. Can you imagine that?
Define your identity apart from your teachers
When your self-confidence and sense of self rest almost entirely on feedback, it leaves you vulnerable and dependent. I've heard dancers confess to a total lack of motivation and confidence when their teachers "ignore" them. Oof. That's giving up a lot of who you are.
Instead, work on developing your sense of self apart from your teachers and directors:
How do you respond to challenges?
How do you recover from a crisis of confidence?
How do you support your peers?
Are you a positive force in your studio?
Whether they lavish praise and corrections on you or not, can you be true to who you are?
In a field as competitive as ballet, being fully yourself will help you shift your perspective on feedback: if you know who you are and what you're doing, and you confidently set goals and achieve them, you'll be much less dependent on feedback.
If this sounds great, but too daunting to deal with on your own, then don't! That's why I'm here: I am coaching dancers at all levels of their training and might be a good fit for you. Our first phone session is free of charge and can be scheduled here.
Happy November!
Be well,
Elizabeth
