Having Balance

Balance is something that dancers really struggle with. Starting from 5th grade, I was able to convince my parents to let me leave school early because the last hour of school was "stupid" and I just wanted to dance. (It also helps that my mother was a dancer–she got it!) I would then dance all day and into the night until it was time for bed. I never once noticed the lack of other extracurricular activities because I always wanted to be dancing. I didn't see a point in spending my time elsewhere.

I’m used to focusing all of my attention on dancing leaving little time for other extracurricular activities or “normal” social events. It never bothered me, and now that it’s my job, I still focus most of my day around dancing (depending on the time of year, sometimes it’s all of my day!) I don't consider this a bad thing, but as I’ve gotten more involved in the dance community I have found it's very important to try to have a somewhat balanced life.

Go to a concert like my brother and me!

I’m not saying that you should get a job or pile things on to your already full plate that will just stress you out. What I am saying is that sometimes it’s okay to focus on other things in the world besides dancing, something I never did growing up. For me now, writing is a crucial part to my balance. It clears my head from build up of irrational thoughts, and I like seeing how my mind works outside of ballet. Also I’m studying for my undergraduate at Fordham University, so every day I am forced to put away any ballet thought in order to focus on my schoolwork. Subconsciously, I think I’m trying to make up for all those hours I missed in middle school!

Achieving a balance doesn’t need to be as strenuous as continuing your education though. Make time for friends, go to the movies or a concert, or pick up a hobby! A recent one I’ve picked up is playing the guitar (I first mentioned it in my Welcome Post) and now I've picked up the ukulele. I love music so learning how it’s made and making it myself is so exciting. My dad is a classical guitarist so I get to go to him with any questions and it’s a fun thing that both of us share now. I’m not very good yet, in fact my neighbors might request my eviction, but playing is hard and requires a lot of focus so my brain has to truly step away from the dance world in order to play well!

Learning from my father, the virtuoso!

Obviously we all love dancing and nothing is better than days of total immersion in class, rehearsal, and performances. But being too invested and having tunnel vision can make you lose perspective and forget that there are important things in life outside of the dance world. Dancing is fun, but it’s also physically and mentally hard. Give yourself time away from it in order to prevent burnout or feeling overwhelmed!