Tag Archives: confidence

Apr18

Got Confidence?

Posted on by
Got Confidence?

 

sa-toad-faction

 

photo by: Lorenzo González

 

I’m in the middle of writing a YA novel about a young ballerina’s struggles in the dance world. Needless to say it’s given me the opportunity to think about what helped me to achieve success as a dancer. I’ve concluded that the ingredients for success are the same for anything: dedication, discipline, persistence and confidence. The last one, confidence, has always been a bit of an achilles heel for me and it’s only in recent years that I’ve learned some techniques to help with that.

 

So how do you “get” confidence? I mean, it’s an intangible thing, right? It’s not like you can hop in the car and pick up a little extra whenever you’re running low. So many of us spend time looking for approval or validation from others, thinking that this will give us the confidence we need, but in reality this is a losing proposition. Other people don’t give us confidence; we give it to ourselves. How? By changing our minds.

 

Oh sure, you say, if it were that easy I would have already done it. But what if it was that easy? Think about it: we all wander around with an internal dialogue playing in our minds about our lives; it’s a never-ending commentary. Every waking minute of every day we are telling ourselves a story. Have you ever stopped long enough to tune in and see what kind of story you are telling yourself? Does it match with the story of what you want for your life? For most of us, the answer is probably no… and the inner story sounds something like, “I’m not good enough” or “I could never do that” or “it will never happen because my life never works out”. But it would follow that if you are telling yourself a story all the time anyway, it may as well be a good one, right? Even better, make it the best possible story you can think of.

Words of wisdom from Louise Hay about confidence:

 

It’s time to write a new story. A good story. An empowering story. And once we get that story straight, guess what will follow? Yep, you guessed it. Confidence.

 

So, take a moment to get a clear vision about what you want before you begin to write your new story (also called an affirmation). There are only two rules to follow: your story must be written in the present tense (as if it is already happening) and must be simple, short and easy to remember (because you will end up writing and repeating it many times). Let’s say you want to be a dancer. Your new story might go something like this: “every day I am taking steps to be the best dancer I can possibly be” or “my love of dance and my love for myself moves me ahead in my career.”

Dancers on confidence:

 

Once you’ve re-written your story it’s time to glue it in your brain. Repetition is key. Write your story on a piece of paper ten times every day. Repeat it to yourself throughout the day while you wait in line or ride the subway (although I don’t recommend repeating out loud or people will think you are a crazy person). Sing it in the shower. Wash, rinse, repeat. Over time it will become your new story.

 

Confidence is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. Not only is it empowering it’s also incredibly attractive. It may even be contagious.

Here’s Brazilian psychologist Chris Lenarres’ method:

 

More recommended reading/listening:

Share on Facebook+1Pin it on Pinterest
Mar21

Dance helps raise test scores and more

Posted on by
Dance helps raise test scores and more

brainBox

At the tail end of spring every year, my daughter’s school spends a week rehearsing, dancing and performing for their World Dance Festival. Frankly, I wish that dance was a part of their curriculum all year long, because aside from the obvious physical benefits, it has been shown that students who are dancers are not only better, more confident students, but hey, they get higher test scores. Coincidentally, that’s one of the primary motivating factors in today’s school system, so shouldn’t more schools be looking at implementing a dance program?

The potential benefits run the physical, emotional, social and academic gamut. Here are a few factual tidbits to chew on (compiled from the a study by the National Assembly of State Art Agencies titled: “Critical Evidence: How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement”):

• In a well-documented national study using a federal database of over 25,000 middle and high school students, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles found students with high arts involvement performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts involvement. Moreover, the high arts-involved students also watched fewer hours of TV, participated in more community service and reported less boredom in school.

• In an experimental research study of high school age students, those who studied dance scored higher than non-dancers on measures of creative thinking, especially in the categories of fluency, originality and abstract thought.

• Dance also can affect the way juvenile offenders and other disenfranchised youth feel about themselves. One study demonstrated that when a group of 60 such adolescents, ages 13 to 17, participated in jazz and hip hop dance classes twice weekly for 10 weeks, they reported significant gains in confidence, tolerance and persistence related to the dance experience

• Dance has been employed to develop reading readiness in very young children.

•
 According to the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts, higher academic test scores, higher self-esteem, stronger social skills, and greater content knowledge can be attributed to students participating in groups in dance classes.

Dance uses both the right and left hemispheres of the brain as dancers learn and memorize combinations of movement as they express concepts and emotions, focus and count every beat of music while inhabiting a different world- something other than the monotony of rote repetition that school can often be. Spatial awareness, motor coordination, strength and flexibility all come into play, too, with the end result being… stronger, more confident human beings who possess greater cognitive skills.

Isn’t that supposed to be what education is about?

Share on Facebook+1Pin it on Pinterest
Feb12

Walk Around the Clock

Posted on by
Walk Around the Clock

WalkingFeet

The way we walk in the world says a lot about who we are. Whether your walk is springy, shuffling, or swaggering, it is a statement. Some walk gently on tiptoe, others pound the pavement with splayed feet… but when working with children, teaching them to walk correctly and with confidence will help them move forward.

To work with walking in a class setting, begin by having everyone walk normally, in any direction they choose. Have students begin to notice their own walking styles. Do they move slowly or quickly? Heel first or toe first? What happens with their arms as they walk?

Next, try playing with some exaggerated walks. Walk slowly and carefully, placing the heel first, then rolling through the foot to complete each step. Kids can walk like different animals, such as ducks, horses, or frogs. Try taking huge steps with the arms swinging, and then contrast that and take tiny tiptoe steps. Walk very quickly, then very slowly.

Finally, encourage students to come up with their own variations, each person taking a turn at leading. Walk like an Egyptian, walk backwards, or try a kicking walk. Who knows what other funny interpretations might arise.

Walking is one of the first skills we develop, and one of the best forms of exercise. It’s also a whole lot of fun to explore the many different ways it can be done.

Share on Facebook+1Pin it on Pinterest