Consistency Over Intensity
Dear dancers and parents,
Dance training, particularly ballet, tends to focus on intensity: teachers talk a lot about the importance of working hard, giving 100% all the time, and not being "lazy."
Perhaps as a result of this messaging, dancers are known for being incredibly hard workers who always give it their all.
However, dancers also get injured and burn out at very high rates.
As you go into your fall semester, you want to plan for a fantastic year of strong dancing, big improvements, exciting performance opportunities, and good options for your summer or maybe even a contract! All of these things require you to stay healthy in your mind and body.
So, as you start another year, I'd like you to consider letting go of the old "all or nothing" mindset and adopting new mantra, "Consistency over intensity."
What does this mean exactly? It means that it's more important to train well (efficiently, working "smart" not "hard," and targeting specific goals) at a lower level of intensity than push yourself to your mental and physical limits every day. Furthermore, being consistent in the way you train is actually a better predictor of your success during the year than working intensely.
Here is a way to think about this in concrete terms: Imagine a 1-10 scale where 1 is very low intensity and 10 is the highest intensity. If you train at a 9-10 out of 10 every day, there's research that shows that you are likely to either burn out or get injured before the end of the year. But if you train at a 5-7 out of 10 every time you're in the studio and maintain that all year long, you'll actually improve more and be less likely to get injured or burn out.
There WILL be times during the year when you'll want to give it 100% (or a 9-10 out of 10): certainly for performances and auditions. Those are 10 out of 10 occasions when you want to really go for it and show your audience what you can do.
The rest of the time, just aim for consistency. Working at a 5-7 out of 10 intensity doesn't mean being lazy; instead, it means working really well - doing your best technically and artistically - but with a little less mental, emotional, and physical strain.
Here's how some of the dancers I coach think about lowering their intensity:
"When I feel my stress rising, I keep telling myself: relax, it's not a big deal."
"I leave my corrections and ballet issues at the studio; when I go home, I just don't allow myself to think about that stuff anymore. That distance settles me down in time for the next day."
"During class and rehearsals, I remind myself, "This is supposed to be fun. Focus on the music and don't overthink every little thing."
Another way to integrate this concept into your training is this: try evaluating your days with the colors red, yellow, and green:
working too hard - to the point of mental and physical exhaustion or immense physical/mental strain - can be labeled as a red day;
working really well - efficiently, smart not just hard - is a green day;
working somewhere in the middle - some strain, but not too much, mostly efficiently, with some setbacks - is a yellow day.
At the end of the week, you want to have had more green days than red days: days where you feel good about your efforts, you like the way you're dancing, and you feel energetic, happy in your body, relaxed in your mind.
If you are consistently exhausted or frustrated with your training, and having more red days than green or yellow, you might be on the road to burnout. Remember that burnout isn't just physical, it's also mental and can present as low-level depression or feelings of dread or anxiety about dancing.
Keeping track of red/ yellow/ green days and weeks can help sound the "alarm" before it's too late. Once you see those red days piling up, then you can pull back and examine consistency and intensity, among other things that might be contributing to how you're feeling.
Examining this from a wider perspective, if you know that you are usually truly worn out by the end of your fall semester, then give this principle a try right away; see if you can maintain a balance that will keep you healthy in body and mind for the entire semester and beyond.
If you'd like support practicing this principle, please consider joining my group mentorship program!
Group Mentorship Program
In my group program, you'll be mentored by me and learn alongside like-minded dancers in pre-professional training programs across the country.
This fall, we'll be talking about:
Coming back into your fall program with a productive and forward-focused mindset
Setting achievable goals for the next 3-4 months
How to handle auditions and casting for winter performances
Planning for winter auditions
...and many other topics that come up along the way. Sign up for a Discovery Session so we can chat about your needs and if the group program (or individual coaching) would be a good fit for you!
Be well,
