Let's make one thing perfectly clear - you have overcome challenges in your life much greater than a dance competition.
Whether it was your SAT's, delivering a baby, filling out your first mortgage paperwork, or telling someone you love that you won't loan them money anymore - a competition will be sweet relief in comparison.
So why do so many people panic, bluster, or scoff at the idea of taking their dance hobby on the road? Whether it's feeling like the idea is premature, or completely irrelevant, you aren't the first person to ever have misgivings about the idea - hence the article.
The following is a list that is designed to shed light in the dark and mysterious areas of competitive dancing. Reading this won't make you an instant dance competitor, but maybe it will give you enough insight to see why your teacher brought it up in the first place.
Dancing at a competition is taking the total immersion approach to your dance hobby.
For the same reasons why you might take a vacation in a foreign country to act as a catalyst for your language studies, or why you might take a public speaking course to reduce and eliminate your fear of presentations - a competition is that, but for your dancing, and then some.
A competition is not your final dance destination. Not by a long shot. It's the training grounds for your perfect audience, a place to hone your confidence, so that way you will never turn down a dance invitation by your friends, family, or co-workers when you least suspect it.
Due to the Total Immersion listed above, and the number of minutes you are logging on the floor, dancers that participate in competition add years of experience to their hobby in the span of a weekend.
Have less than a year of experience? There's a division for that.
The Newcomer category is, unfortunately, the best kept secret in the competitive dancing world. It is designed specifically for people attending for the very first time.
Translation: The only people you'll be competing against are other Newcomers.
The best movies show the origins of a character, the humble beginnings, and that way you can better appreciate the evolution that occurs.
You had some humble beginnings as a dancer, and maybe that's exactly why you started taking lessons - but that doesn't mean your goals and abilities won't evolve.
No one gains anything if your teacher recommends the wrong thing. In fact, they just might lose you as a student.
While your dance teacher may be goofy at times, and may have suggested some things that seemed a little questionable on the surface, you should know that behind all of that is someone who wants nothing more than to help you reach your goals.
Even if that means recommending something that you may not be interested in right away.
Just remember this - your teacher wouldn't ask you unless they knew, without a doubt, that they could prepare you to go, that it would have positive results in your dance program, and that you would see a great return on your investment.
Imagine for a second that you sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl... and did it well. How scary would Karaoke night be for you?
Now let's take the dance comparison of that. You attend a dancing competition. Your confidence goes up, you're dancing longer, and in front of more people than you ever have. So how does a Salsa club or that Arthur Murray Practice Party feel after that?
You're overflowing with confidence.
The quickest way to unlock small and medium sized dance venues is to attack a big one.
Ultimately, your teacher wants you to use what you know. That's the general idea.
Your dance program is packed with great information. The only drawback? Sometimes there's so much information that it makes it difficult to demonstrate what you've learned.
The best solution is to set up "fun deadlines" to focus on Application. What, in your vast well of dance information, still sticks when the pressure is on. A competition is one of the best ways to refine your information, and trigger the strategy to make application a regular part of your dancing diet.
You may be the only one in your circle of friends that is a social dancer. This makes the studio your primary dance community. A dance competition opens that community up to a much larger scale.
Attending an Arthur Murray Dance-O-Rama gives you a chance to meet, interact, and root for other students all around the globe. It's the dance equivalent of a family reunion, and you're meeting distant relatives that all share the same passion.
One of the single greatest reasons for investing in a competition is to supercharge your dance improvement. Once you decide on your event, the fast track improvement can begin.
In addition to the competitive styling, think of a competition as adding reinforcements to your dance foundation. A common misconception is that once outside the studio, everything devolves into tricks, lifts, and fluff - not quite. Dance judges actually want to see clear basics, with great timing, posture, and technique.
If you're reading this post-competition, then there had better be a celebratory glass of champagne in your hand.
The baggage claim may be the first moment that you realize that the glitz and glam of your incredible dance vacation is coming to a close. Fortunately, your teacher prepped you for this. That competition was the first step of a larger process, an important part of your Dance Journey, but not the end of it.
So soak your feet, get a good night's rest, and expect to hold your head up higher. You may have left the studio as someone trying something new and scary, but you're returning home as an experienced dance competitor.
Want to learn more about the Arthur Murray Dance-O-Rama? Download this free guide to better understand what happens, and why it deserves a spot on your dance calendar.
Whether it was a really competitive job interview, or a really scary roller coaster, there's a feeling in the pit of your stomach that goes from panic to pure joy when you accomplish something that's a little scary.
Your ability to sign up, dance at, and completely take the mystery out of a competition will give you that feeling.
You may not have gone into your first dance lesson looking for that, but that doesn't mean that you aren't ready for that now.
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