Skip to main content

Preparing for Competition Season & All It’s Benefits

Preparing for Competition Season & All It’s Benefits
By Miss Janelle
When I was younger I always used to tell people I loved competition dance because of the time I spent with my dance family & that feeling when you walk off stage knowing you performed the absolute best. You could feel the energy and passion with your teammates and I always thought that was the greatest thing. As I have grown older, I realize all the things you receive being a competitive dancer.

Competition weekends teach you so much, most of the time when you are not on stage. Waking up at 5:00a to support teammates, helping someone during a quick change, getting back on stage after a big mistake, cheering for every routine even when you don’t get the results you hoped for; all these small moments make big impacts in the type of people we become. You learn to push through the pain, exhaustion, or embarrassment, to support every dancer for being brave enough to share their talent, and that it’s not all about you all the time. You learn your parents are the greatest and they sacrifice beyond belief for you, that your teachers love and care about each of you as if you are their own, and your teammates are forever friends.

But we learn the most during all the hours, days, and months spent preparing for these small moments.

Sacrifice
Dedication
Work Ethic
Passion
Attention to Detail
Drive
Teamwork
Supporting Others
Never Give Up Attitude

The list goes on and on. Giving up on other opportunities to show up to rehearsals and classes, practicing at home even when you are tired, helping another dancer during a rehearsal, dancing full out even at the end of a long day. These moments are what creates leaders in the community and schools, honors students, early college graduates, and entrepreneurs.

The trophies, pins, crowns, and plaques all end up in someone’s basement somewhere, but the person you become stands front and center for the rest of your life.

So the next time you are in a rehearsal, sitting at home, or contemplating missing a class: think of all the things you want to gain out of a competition team and push yourself to make it happen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Q&A with Miss Geneva - Reflecting on 10 years at DDA

  Miss Geneva with her class at the 2014 DDA Recital   What made you apply for the job at DDA? My husband and I had just moved to Illinois for his job and I was volunteering one day at a cancer center in Geneva teaching dance to kids to bring them some joy through music and movement. The director told me that one of the ladies she worked with had a daughter who had opened up a dance studio in La Fox (the previous location). Well, that was Jenny's mom she was talking about! So, I called right away to see if she was hiring.   Do you remember your first day?   I was actually nervous. I was feeling so out of place moving somewhere that had my first name on buildings (ha!), knowing that my desert blood had no idea how to handle zero degrees, everyone else seemed to have extended family here except me, and driving on roads with one lane was the weirdest thing to me. Those little things made me feel like this was not home. However, I remember walking into DDA being wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Injury Prevention in Dance - By Katie Behrens

  Dance is a performance art. The dancer uses their body like a carefully sharpened pencil creating the art of the choreographer. Keeping a dancer's body strong and injury free should be one of the top priorities inside and outside the dance class. This can be rather challenging when the dancer is continually pushing to advance their skills or they are in a competitive season. For much of history dancers have been known to grind it out even through injury, however times have changed and that mentality no longer is what is supported.  So, you might question as a parent and definitely as a dancer how can I prevent injury inside and outside of the classroom?  As a certified personal trainer and dancer of 30+ years, I am hoping the information that follows will add insight on how to keep the dancer in tiptop condition all year round. Cross training Shoes Rest Myofascia release techniques Seeking medical advice Cross training: Like any athlete, dancers have seasons. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Black History Month - Artists Who Inspired Me by Kelsey Green

  When I was around 3 years old, my mom signed me up for dance class to help with my confidence, as I was a very shy child. When I was five or six years old I saw Savion Glover on Sesame Street. I was in awe of his tapping and how much joy he emitted while he danced. I knew right then and there that I wanted to share dance with whomever I could in hopes I would bring the same joy into their lives, as he had to mine. I looked for him every time Sesame Street came on TV, and was so happy whenever he was on the show.     Around that same time, I was also highly inspired by Michael Jackson, as so many in my generation were. His movement was unmatched by anyone that preceded him, and I absolutely made it a goal to be able to learn choreography from music videos and put on shows in my living room to whoever was willing to watch (at times it was only my stuffed animals).    I learned to love moving and it became my outlet. Whether I was having the best day or worst day...
Post a Comment
Read more