It’s that time when we ring in the near year with fresh starts and resolutions! 2020 clearly panned out differently than we could have expected, but the year’s unexpected twists and turns delivered countless opportunities for reflection and growth in the face of constant uncertainty.
As we head into 2021 and begin setting broad, year-long goals and resolutions, we can also choose to approach each new day with fresh intention. By doing so, we can make the most of every moment of our beautiful, precious lives. As dancers, we can do this by setting an intention for each class we take.
During this past year, I learned to treat each class as if it were my last. This new appreciation led me to dig deep and reflect on my relationship with dance, how I take class, and why I dance. I have become more aware of my experience in each class, paying attention to what is going through my mind, whether I am learning, and most importantly, if I am enjoying myself.
I realized that I was often stressing about trying to remember all the choreography, comparing myself to the “best” dancer in the room, or getting frustrated for not dancing flawlessly. In short, I was stuck on achieving “perfection.” This forced me to address some important questions: Did I really want to flood my mind with thoughts of negativity? Did it feel good to cloud my headspace with preconceived expectations of perfectionism or with negative self-talk? No. I began to realize that I needed to release this idea of perfection. Holding on to the illusion of perfection left me little room for learning, exploring, and experiencing joy during class.
But how could I shift away from chasing this ideal in dance class? The answer was in setting specific intentions, which enabled me to release the desire to be perfect. I began to set realistic expectations and achievable goals before each class. The intentions are simple and straightforward, giving me a clear focus for class. They vary with every class depending on the style or level of the class, or even on my mood that day. For example if I am taking a beginner contemporary class, I might focus more on playing, exploring, and making creative choices with the movement. In contrast if I am taking a more advanced jazz class, my intention might be to grasp as much information as possible in a non-judgmental manner. If I am in a headspace where my mind is feeling clouded on a particular day, my intention might be as simple as “today I will try my best”.
Other intentions include showing up (just getting to class is an accomplishment in itself), standing in the front (if it’s a class where I typically put myself in the back corner), catching the details in choreography, attempting improvisation or freestyle when I would normally shy away from it, emoting more, staying relaxed, talking to someone new, embracing mistakes, and refraining from judging myself, others or the class itself.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to setting an intention. However, it is important to just choose one for each class to keep that clear focus. I have found that by focusing on one goal during class, I remain centered and I can walk out of class truly learning something and experiencing success.
Ralph Waldo Emerson beautifully described how I believe we should approach our dance training this year: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. My hope is that you do not allow the mythical destination of perfection to dictate how you experience dance this year. Rather, I encourage you to allow specific, personal intentions to carry you through your journey. And if you do that, you will end up exactly where you are meant to be.
Written by Alisa Iacovelli. Alisa is a member of Alchemy Dance Company and she is also a coach of the Stockton University Dance Team. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Dance, and a Bachelor of Science in HealthSciene from Stockton University. You can find Alisa teaching contemporary at Powerhouse!