Almost every dancer has at some time in his or her career experienced the feeling of complete self-confidence. Honed, strong, and relaxed, you know you are dancing well. It is a feeling of invincibility that usually results in a great performance.
Self-confidence may be the single most important ingredient for successful performing. It enables you to extend yourself, to take risks, and reach inside yourself. It can be the difference between performing well and poorly. A distinguishing characteristic of all great dancers is that they don’t think they will dance well, they know it. Yet for most people confidence is very fragile; it is easily lost and tremendously difficult to rebuild.
Though self-confidence is an oft-used term, few people really understand what it is. Self-confidence reflects how you feel about yourself and your abilities. It determines how much effort you expend, your goals, and your expectations of success. Since people rarely exceed their expectations, the dancers’ level of self-confidence can determine how well they perform.
Dancers must regularly monitor their confidence level and be sensitive to changes. Instructors and choreographers should also be alert to this. A loss of confidence usually follows a period of unexpectedly poor dancing and results in depression, irritability and is reflected in severe self-criticism such as “I’ll probably fall” or “I just can’t dance.” These negative evaluations are disruptive both mentally and physically, hurting confidence more and causing tension that inhibits natural ability. A vicious cycle of low self-confidence results in which a poor performance causes lower confidence and on and on in a downward spiral.
There are effective means of building and maintaining self-confidence. Good training, the mastery of technique and the general feeling of competency that results will increase your confidence. The mastery of technique can then be carried over onto the artistry of the stage.
The teacher’s role in helping dancers develop and maintain a high level of confidence is essential. Because of the teacher’s knowledge and authority, dancers look to them for a pat on the back. As a result, teachers should pay particular attention to the quality of their interactions with their dancers.
The “Ballet Master” style of teaching dance is a thing of the past. Teachers who berate and embarrass their dancers will rarely improve their performance. Teachers must be sensitive to the individual psychological needs of their dancers just as they are to their physical needs, and should use feedback that fits those needs. For example, some dancers respond to positive reinforcement and react negatively to harsh criticism. Others may need pressure to motivate them. In general though, it is important for teachers to give feedback that is objective, specific, and positive.
The best known, but most underrated technique dancers may utilize to improve their self-confidence is positive thinking. I have been overwhelmed by the number of dancers who are their own worst enemies. Their behavior and attitudes are self-defeating and self-perpetuating. Positive thinking consists of always evaluating yourself positively and objectively, never thinking or making derogatory remarks about yourself.
If mistakes are made, dancers should say, `I made a mistake, now how can I correct it,’ not `I’m awful and I can’t do it.’ The former is positive and objective, the latter is negative and self-defeating.
For dancers with low self-confidence, these positive self-statements may seem alien and may not be believed at first. But with repetition and reinforcement through success and teachers’ feedback, the self-statements will be internalized and the vicious cycle of low self-confidence will be replaced by a growing spiral of high self-confidence.
To prevent the entrance of negative thoughts and to replace them with constructive ones, cue words such as `stop’ or `positive’ are helpful. These cue words help to halt the negative thoughts and refocus attention in a positive direction.
Teachers should actively combat the use of negative evaluations by punishing their use and reinforcing positive self-statements, thereby fostering a healthy, positive attitude in their dancers. With a little time and alot of effort, positive thinking and the other methods we have discussed can have dramatic effects on dancers’ self-confidence.
In conclusion, there are two points that should be remembered. First, self-confidence should be developed and nurtured prior to performance, just like technique and artistry. Second, self-confidence should be monitored continuously, and if a problem arises, it should be dealt with quickly and effectively to enable the racers to maintain their optimal performance level. Additional techniques to enhance self-confidence will be discussed in later articles.
