You might look at dancers and think, “Wow, I wish I could do that.” You might think to yourself that it’s all sequins, costumes, and great performances. You might wonder what it’s like in the mind of a dancer because in all honesty…it’s not all rainbows and butterflies up there. I’m sure these are things that we can all relate to – dancer or not – but here is just a glimpse into the mind of a dancer.
1. Comparison — Ever wonder what it’s like to stand in a mirror 24/7? Well, a dancer knows how it feels. Not to mention there is a classroom full of people in the mirror as well, not just you. You start to think to yourself that he/she standing next to you has better turnout, a better center, a higher jump, a stronger point, the list can go on and on. We are taught to compare ourselves to those surrounding us. We are somehow wired to do this with not just our dancing, but with every part of our life. Or maybe it was just that way with me.
2. Thinking you might never have the right body — Let’s face it, that’s just the factor that will decide many things in our future as dancers. Am I slim enough? Do they like my body type, do they not? Will I fit into this costume well? How does this costume make me look? Crap, I need to loose ten pounds to look good in this. Keep in mind that we are constantly wearing leotards and bras/shorts, so our body image is the first thing we see every day. Every day we debate whether or not we are content with our bodies, the answer is usually no.
3. Beating yourself up over an injury — Getting an injury as a dancer is either no big deal or the one thing that can ruin your career. We are constantly throwing our bodies and doing things that bodies probably shouldn’t be able to do. So naturally, injuries are a given when you’re a dancer. However, if you don’t take care of yourself an injury that happens in a second can cost you a few weeks to a few months of sitting on the floor and stretching rather than being out on the floor. Also, as a dancer, we don’t always think the doctors know what they’re saying when they say, “take some time off." We are so stubborn when it comes to injuries.
4. Perfectionism – We get frustrated with ourselves constantly because we can’t land that turn, jump, or trick. We want to perfect, we strive to be the best. So you can imagine where the frustration flows in when we don’t get something on the first try. In a dance world full of close to perfect dancers, we strive to make it somewhere on the grid.
Welcome to the smallest part of our minds as dancers. In the end, it’s obviously all worth it. It’s worth it when we get up on stage and feel the rush. It’s all worth it. But like I said, it’s not all perfect in our heads…so welcome to our world.
