How to express myself better in my dancing class?

by Bridgit
(Estonia)

Hello, I have danced contemporary for a year now, and the improvement I have made… well it's just amazing.. but when I go to my dance class... I just can't express myself the way I do at home....I have loads of potential... but it's just stuck inside of me... what to do ?!

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Dec 15, 2012

Maria's reply
by: Maria

Dear Bridgit,

First of all, don't worry about that situation because that is something that happens to many dancers. When we dance alone, at our pace, at home or at a place that we're used to, we're usually more relaxed and outgoing. Therefore, we are likely to achieve a better display of our skills.

There may be different reasons for you to dance differently in the dance class. You may be experiencing some degree of shyness (even unconsciously), the specific class may include new content that you're just assimilating, the room or situation may be less comfortable than the one you're used to, etc.

I'd recommend you to simply keep studying and dancing. Time will bring both the confidence you need and an improvement of your skills.

Not giving too much importance to what others think of how you dance may also help to go over this situation; you will never know what everybody thinks of your dancing style and that will not improve your skills anyway, so try to keep some psychological distance from any type of audience to attain some self security. It is normal that we feel intimidated while being observed but you will get used to that in time too.

Besides, you've only danced for a year, which is a short time for a dancing career. So don't be impatient and continue taking your classes and studying with discipline. That is the key to become a great dancer.

If what you feel is more like a 'creative block', that can be solved by using strategies, like documenting your self in the search for inspiration or asking your teacher for some creative guidelines. Again, practicing and trying with persistence will show you the way.

Keep going on... you’ll see ;-).

Maria

P.S.: Sorry for the great delay to answer. I was on holidays and just came back... ;--)

Dec 07, 2016

Shyness and my style is an obstacle.
by: Anonymous

(female)I'm currently 13 years old and going to turn 14 in two weeks. I've never had a dance lesson in my life. In fact I've never even danced at family parties for fun. The only time I ever dance is when I'm in my basement alone. I'm really shy when it comes to expressing myself and I feel that maybe I might just freeze in front of people. How could I ever dance? Another obstacle for me is my style of dancing.I can't really find a name for how I dance. The closet thing to it is contemporary dancing, but I still feel it's somewhat not a perfect fit. I've evaluated myself and can see that I look as if I'm dancing like figure skating, ballet, and ballroom dancing got thrown in a blender. Also, I'm not exactly flexible. Any advice please?

Dec 07, 2016

Maria's reply
by: Maria

Hi there,
I recommend you to choose a dance type that fits your personality and take classes. Continue dancing alone if you like it. That’s perfectly o.k. But if you want to go further, it is good that you socialize your dancing. That’s why I recommend you to take classes. If you persist, that may guide you to other steps in your search for dance.

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