Dancing is one of the most difficult crafts to try and master, as it takes discipline, passion, and large amounts of pain. Many muscles that most people don't even know exist are constantly being worked, bruises will cover your body and your feet bleeding becomes a normal thing. Even with all of this, dancers are still able to get up every day and do it all over again. People may try to underestimate the power of dance, and sometimes others words can really get to you. Here are some quotes to think about when times get tough.
1. "We dance because it's what we love to do." -Unknown
This might be a very simple quote, but I think it can be easy to forget. People ask why we spend so much time in the dance studio, and we think of complex answers, but it's very simple. We just love doing it.
2. "To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak." -Hopi Indian Saying
As a dancer, I feel as though using words to express feelings can be difficult. We don't all know how to speak about our emotions, maybe because there are no words to describe who we are. A simple combination of music, movement, and passion though can be much more powerful than words.
3. "Sometimes I hurt because I dance. Other times I dance because I hurt. Either way, dancing fixes it all." -Unknown
Your whole body may ache for weeks, but the more you dance the better you feel.
4. "I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself." -Mikhail Baryshnikov
This is one of the most important quotes to remember. Especially in the competition world, it can be extremely difficult not to look at other dancers and compare yourself. It will do you much better to accept who you are as a dancer instead of spending so much time trying to look like another dancer. As long as you are improving every day, nothing else matters.
5. "If you dance with your heart, your body will follow." -Mia Michaels
Mastering technique and trying to perform how your dance instructor wants you to can get frustrating, but sometimes if you stop thinking and just let go, your body will do what you want it to.
6. "It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer." -Shanna LaFleur
There is more than just strength and technique when it comes to dancing. Every movement matters, between the small transition steps and the big leaps and turn sequences. Don't forget to put yourself into every movement.
7. "Don't practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't get it wrong." -Unknown
The one turning day when you finally do a perfect quad, don't just stop then and there. Figure out what you did correctly and apply it every single time you turn again until you can do four pirouettes every single time.
8. "Practice like you've never won; Perform like you've never lost." -Bernard F. Asuncion
Stay humble, no matter how many competitions you've won or conventions you've gotten scholarships at. There will always be someone you see who is on the same level or even better. Always give it your all.
9. "Every correction you receive is a gift from a dance teacher who sees greater potential in you." -Unknown
It's easy to let corrections bring your self-esteem down as if you've done something wrong, but these corrections mean your instructor had his/her eyes on you. They care about your success and want you to be better. If anything, be worried when you stop getting corrections.
10. "Never let anyone tell you you can't do what you love" -Unknown
In any art form, there are always going to be people telling you to be realistic and to take a different path. If what you are doing is what you want to do for the rest of your life, then do it. Don't let others words get to you.
11. "You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back. No manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive." -Merce Cunningham
Sometimes the best gifts are ones that cannot be seen.
