Ever been caught up in a bad cycle?
Often times, it's a simple decision, followed by another similar one, and before you know it - you're completely off course.
When it comes to dance competitions, it happens. A lot.
The following is a Competition Cycle. A series of decisions that will keep you from trying the highest level dance events. What starts with a sprinkling of fear, left unattended, can turn into a cycle that ends with you finding no value in a competition investment.
Here's the cycle, and then we'll pinpoint how to stop it.
Fear is a natural and expected part of a competition. In fact, fear is the first stage in the metamorphosis any competitive dancer will go through. The problem? It's scary.
Due to this, the process of attending a competition hits a fear log jam. Like if Disneyland had a 50 foot wall you had to scale just to enter the park, you'd probably see a drastic reduction in wait times on the best rides.
The result is that most people will choose to stick to their comfort zone and the competition idea that they may have been entertaining can get swept away as an afterthought.
Going to a dance competition isn't like paying your taxes. There are deadlines, but not Tax-deadlines. With a Dance competition, if you miss one, there are at least half a dozen more as alternatives.
Can't say the same thing about your taxes.
It's Not Just the Deadline
Think of this like karaoke night, or public speaking. If you are afraid of doing it, chances are you won't be the first to sign up, or anxiously waiting your turn like a contestant on The Price is Right.
We will let deadlines for fearful things pass, as long as the penalty doesn't outweigh the activity (see: Taxes).
The unfortunate byproduct of this cycle is feeling a lack of preparation.
Imagine you had to use the bathroom, and it's urgent. Then your boss walks into your office and you're trying to keep your cool without tipping her off that your bladder is in a state of emergency. What's that conversation like? In that moment, how would you rate your listening skills?
Not good.
Feeling unprepared is normal. It's a byproduct of attempting to step out of your comfort zone. But that feeling can fill up, and unless it is addressed, make you numb to any improvement you're actually making. It's hard to focus on the details when you're distracted by the unknown environment you're inching towards.
The Unfortunate Truth: People will quit the competition process here due to a lack of preparation, even if, in reality, that was not even an issue.
There's always another event, so what's the big deal?
This is the blessing and curse of having so many great competition options in Arthur Murray. The blessing is that if Chicago doesn't work, there's Las Vegas. No go on Vegas? How about Hawaii? The options and great locations are endless.
The curse - it's easier to back out.
Sure, there are times when life gets in the way of our dance goals, where a competition may interfere with an important presentation at work, or your perfectly planned dance vacation was blown to shreds because the babysitter got tickets to Coachella. It happens.
But that's a monkey wrench in your plans, and not the byproduct of this cycle.
This cycle is about preventable assessments and decisions, where the enemy is a fear-based thought process that evolves over time, not your boss or your babysitter.
It's a dance competition snooze button, and, unfortunately, it's well within reach.
Unfortunately, the fear doesn't drift away over time. That feeling of not being prepared will hibernate, only to rear its ugly head the next time you decide to give a competition a try.
This stage also creates a series of assessments that start with things like:
"I'll have to try this next year."
But with enough iterations of this cycle, it can turn into:
"It's too expensive. Why would I spend money to dance in front of people?"
This cycle is built for repetition, unless you make some changes.
As humans, it's far easier to come up with a comfortable rationalization to our behavior, than to dig deeper and determine the root causes of our thinking. The following are solutions that can steer things back in a healthy direction. Follow these tips, and even if you don't make it to a competition right away - you'll at least have a clearer mindset on how to proceed.
1. Start Early
Whether you are going for sure, or debating back and fourth, give your teacher the opportunity to push your dance development early on, so preparation isn't an issue.
2. Take Measurable Action
Put down a deposit for the competition of your choosing. Do it as early as possible, and then moment you do - #1 on this list really kicks into gear.
3. Fill in the Gaps
You've got a large event on your radar. Now it's time to load up on small and medium sized events to enhance your training, and beta-test your material in a real audience environment.
4. Ground rules
Agree to some "in case of dance freak out emergency" ground rules with your teacher. Doing this early on, and not in the heat of the moment, can equip your teacher with the tools to get you re-centered, and help put things back into perspective.
5. Set Milestones
Your dance milestones are the short runs that prepare you for the marathon. Whether it is specific to things like style and technique, or finishing sections of your dance routines, milestones will ease you into your next competition.
Think: In the next two weeks, finish 30 seconds of Cha-Cha choreography. By the end of the month, the goal is to dance all 5 American Rhythm freestyles to music without stopping.
6. Track Record
Take inventory of the track record your teachers have amassed since you started taking lessons. If you're in conversation about a competition, then they have probably done a pretty bang up job in the trust and delivery departments. Why would this be any different?
7. Momentum
John Maxwell, business author and one time Arthur Murray student, talks a lot about the power of momentum in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, "Your problem is not your problem, the problem is that you were lacking momentum." Your lessons are designed to create momentum, and increasing the frequency of your appointments can create the progress and momentum necessary to feel prepared.
8. Establish Expected & Bonus Goals
Sometimes the "big unknown" is your teacher's criteria. No one wants to let their teacher down, and this is why specific goal setting will eliminate this potential misconception before it starts.
Expected Goals - Things you have done already and can do consistently with effort
"Maintain clear timing through our entire Waltz."
Bonus Goals - Things you have done, but have yet to do them consistently, or things that are outside of your control.
"Make the finals in Waltz, and use sway consistently."
9. Prepared or Ready?
From now on, think of the term "ready" only in the past tense. "Wow, I was ready for that competition". It's subjective, it can be all encompassing, and it's tough to argue with when you use it projected into the future "I'm not ready to go".
Instead, think of the word "prepared". That's like a to-do list instead of a feeling, and that preparation is shared with a professional who knows what they are doing.
Every competitive dancer would love a few more weeks of practice, but when the work has been done, they are prepared to walk on the floor.
10. Clarify the Return on Investment
Sometimes the pink elephant in the room is the financial commitment to a competition. It's similar to what you'd spend on a nice vacation, and that may seem to be a deal breaker unless you understand what kind of value it can add to your hobby. Ask your teacher to give you a clear expectation on what it can do for your program, and that way you can determine the best course of action for yourself.
You don't have to compete to have a dance hobby. There are plenty of social dancers that have never stepped foot on a competition floor, but have used their dancing on vacation, at weddings, office parties, and nightclubs.
But keep in mind that it's rare when a student starts their dance program with competing in their short term plans. It's also rare that a student who tries one for the first time regrets their decision.
Ultimately, it's a decision to eliminate the fear of the unknown, or to allow it to linger. But hopefully, we can put an end to a negative Competition Cycle of thinking.
Thank you for taking the time to read our Dance Advice content here at Arthur Murray Live! We hope you'll take a minute to subscribe to our articles. You'll get one email, once a week, with all of our best stuff.