Dancing is about more than just moving your body and getting in shape. By taking a closer look at dancing, you can learn a lot about life. While dancing is having a moment in pop culture right now as a fitness movement, it’s been a part of human existence since before the first modern civilizations.
[Tweet “Dance has long been a way to express oneself, socialize, and exercise. Do you dance?”]Dance has long been a way to express oneself, socialize, and exercise. Not only does dance make us feel better and healthier, but it has strong ties to religion, mythology, and society. Dance halls formed the backbone of civilized communities for generations, and this is still true today. This guide will explore the top 5 things dance can teach you about life.
Discipline
Dancing isn’t easy. Like any type of fitness or sport, it takes hard work. You’ve probably seen clips of parents or coaches on reality TV who thrive off threatening their kids to reach gold in every competition. While this is an extreme example, dance still is a highly disciplined sport.
Many genres of dance like ballet require extreme stretching and painful positions to successfully complete moves. Even with other types of dance like jazz or ballroom, there is still a level of discipline necessary to land complex movements. This requires hours of practice each day, and it takes years for the best dancers to master their art.
Creativity
Dancing is an art form. Instead of using a paintbrush or an instrument, dancers create with their body. Creative dance students know how to express themselves because dance gives them a way to act out their emotions in real life. By feeling the core of the music, dancers are able to provide themselves fully to the movements.
This foundation of creative energy is useful not only in dance but in life. Learning how to be creative when faced with challenges and how to approach things differently is second nature for dancers. Whether they’re choosing the right dance costume on Alexandra Costumes or learning a new move, these are creative skills dancers can keep forever.
Working Together
While there are solos in dance, most routines are performed with a team or a group of dancers. Learning to work successfully with others is something not many people actually do, and this holds them back in life. As a dancer, you learn quickly how to avoid drama, work with different personalities, and form a group.
Dancing isn’t a team sport in the same way football is a team sport, but it does force you to learn the value of working with others. Learning to communicate effectively and be an active team player are skills everyone can take with them in the future.
Manage Stress
The world can be a stressful place. There’s always something to do, or somewhere to go. When you have to deal with a lot on your plate, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated. As a dancer, you quickly learn how to manage your stress so you can succeed even under pressure.
Dancers practice several hours a day which includes studio training, performances, and even competitions. That’s just dancing and doesn’t account for all the other stresses of life like family, work, or school.
Life is all about learning how to manage your stress. As soon as you realize that weight isn’t going to go away, but you can choose to work through it, the sooner you’ll live your life on your own terms. Like any sport, dance teaches a valuable lesson about the value of passion when it comes to your stress.
How to Overcome Fears
We all face fears in our daily lives that hold us back sometimes. Learning how to overcome these fears takes time, patience, and some bravery. As a dancer, you have to adapt to performing in front of others. Whether you’re competing on a small stage or appearing in a program, you learn to push through the fear.
Once you realize it’s not as scary as you imagined, you’ll be on your way to finding out your life purpose. The scariest parts of life are usually the most rewards. All significant steps lead to big rewards for those willing to try their best. As a dancer, you continuously push yourself to do better and to overcome challenges.
Life Isn’t Fair
Finally, one of the biggest lessons you can learn from experience is that nothing is fair. There are no guarantees when it comes to the real work. This is something every growing child and adult comes to terms with (if they ever come to terms with it at all).
Dance, like life, is not always fair. Sometimes you won’t get chosen for the solo even if you’ve spent extra time perfecting your moves. You won’t win every time no matter how much you think you deserve it and how much harder you worked. Some things just don’t come down to fairness, but learning to push past this is how you succeed. Continuing to dance because you’re passionate shows you’re above trivial concepts like fairness.
These are only 5 of the biggest lessons dance teaches about life. As a hobby or a sport, dance reveals vital steps for becoming a better version of yourself. If you’ve never tried dancing, now is the best time to start. See for yourself how the music and movements transform your body and mind!
Identity Magazine is all about guiding women to discover their powers of Self-Acceptance, Appreciation, and Personal Achievement. We ask that every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. Their answers can be random and at the moment or they can be aligned with the current article they have written. In that way, and as a team, we hope to encourage and motivate each other, thus inspiring you to Get All A’s.
1. What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? Additionally, what are you still working on accepting? Now, we’re not talking about resignation, rather stepping into, embraced, and owned.
I believe that accepting not being a perfect person is the beginning of becoming one. Life continues to throw opportunities at us to learn from our mistakes in order to better ourselves. I have my own share of hardships and successes and I am happy that I am on a learning curve and improving myself.
2. What have you learned to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? On the other hand OR in contrast, are there elements of who you are that you’re still working on appreciating?
Earlier I used to have intermittent bouts of anger and frustration with regards to my work and relationships, but gradually I started to overcome my insecurities and inhibitions. The fact that I know I have many weaknesses yet have the ability to make things better — is the biggest appreciation I have for myself.
3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? Tell us not only what makes YOU most proud but also share the goals and dreams that you still have.
My individuality and my attitude are the keys to unlock my own true potential to achieve something bigger in life. I think this is my most rewarding and enduring achievement.
4. Of course, we all have imperfections, or so we think. In truth, we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? Likewise, what imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
I agree that we all have imperfections, but the most interesting aspect of this is there is a perfect world out there; that is even if we are imperfect, we know to align ourselves perfectly to make the world a perfect place.
I am not the person that manages time effectively, do things correctly all the time so on and so forth. I am also not the person who stayed ahead of her classmates as well as colleagues, yet I always came up with solutions and answers that worked. So yes, this oddity is what defines me.
5. “I Love My…” is an outlet for you to appreciate and express all the positive traits that make you…well…YOU! In fact, sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (We assure you!) Therefore, Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?”
I love my individuality. I love my storytelling. I love my desire to touch people’s heart through my writing.
