Flip the switch on your practice journey!
When most people hear the word practice, their first instinct isn’t excitement. It’s the weight of obligation. Something they “have to” do, and feel guilty about skipping or forgetting, while simultaneously not being compelled to complete. Even well disciplined people can find themselves procrastinating or accidentally making it through the week without having prioritized a practice session or two. We get it – sometimes practice can feel like a burden! Like you’re being given extra work because you’re not perfect yet, or an endless task you’ll never finish, or a confusing vague command that is hard to execute.
But what if we shifted that perspective? What if practice wasn’t punishment at all, but a privilege? An opportunity? Not a burden, but a gift? Is it possible to remove the pressure to practice that gives guilt, and turn it into a feeling of accomplishment? We say YES!
Practice is an Opportunity
We’ve all felt it. The sigh, the visceral UGH that sometimes happens when practice is mentioned. But what if it didn’t? Or more accurately, what if we reframed, and didn’t assume that the first thought or reaction defines how we have to feel about it? Have you ever heard the quote “your first thought is what you’ve been conditioned to think, but your second thought defines who you are“? What a principle to apply to your practice! You’re not responsible for that first sigh; you’re responsible for how you reframe it and what you do about it. In other words, you’re responsible for your second thought and your first action.
A simple reframe after the first ugh – “I get to practice” instead of “I have to practice” – changes the tone entirely. Suddenly, practice becomes an act of appreciation, not obligation. It tells your brain that you have this beautiful opportunity to move closer to your goals and dreams!
Imagine getting to train with a professional entirely focused on you and your goals, progress and limitations, who knows your emotions and motivations inside and out. Most people would jump at the chance! Let us let you in on a little secret: every time you practice, you get that! That professional is YOU! What a gift! What an opportunity! What a privilege!
Practice is the Laboratory for Growth, Where You’re Set Free!
We all know champions don’t just appear out of thin air, already good and needing no corrections, but it can sometimes feel that way only seeing them on stage, competition to competition. The stage is where dancers publicly share the polished product, but they were able to do so because they privately worked to get that polish in consistent, purposeful practice. Practice sessions are where real technical perfection is forged.
It is the laboratory—the place you test, tinker, and explore how to implement changes and improvements without fear of failure. You can try 87 toe heels and nail 6 of them, learning to feel the difference in your muscles, without worrying about placings, feedback or judgement. Did this feel right? What about that? What if I engage this muscle group, does that help? Practice sessions give you time to learn exactly what works for your own body, without others watching, waiting, or critiquing, which is freeing!
Builds Confidence, Not Pressure
When we put in that quiet, consistent effort, we begin to feel and perform differently. You know how those toe heels should feel, so you don’t have to guess or hope that you’re showing the instructors or judges the right thing. You’ve done 439 of them in the last month, and each time you could feel more and more of them being polished! This means that when push comes to shove, when you’re up on stage waiting to bow, you don’t have to hope that you’ll get it right. You know. That knowledge is powerful, and it brings a sense of peace and relief that helps calm even the worst competition nerves. You can lower your shoulders, calm your mind, and lean into the joy of your dancing as your confidence shines on stage.
Being able to change your inner dialogue from ‘pressure to do it right’ to ‘knowledge that I’ll do it right’, your confidence will SOAR.
Practice is Where Progress and Retention Thrive
We all love the idea of breakthrough moments—the leap that suddenly, instantaneously feels effortless, the backstep that finally slides. But the truth is, progress is rarely An Event ™. Progress and polish slowly filter in during the countless repetitions, the consistent 5 minutes you take each day, the invisible hours nobody applauds. And yet, these small, unseen, incremental investments add up to transformations that are impossible to miss on stage.
We also love the idea that once you polish something, it’s there for life. Sadly, any retired dancer can tell you that those hard won skills slip away. The best and most simple way to ensure you don’t slide backwards is to remind your muscles every few days that there’s no time for slacking off! Even one or two repetitions helps lock skills into long term, subconscious movement patterns that easily rise to the surface when needed.
Shapes More Than Dance
The lessons learned in practice stretch far beyond the studio. Diligence, patience, resilience. The ability to keep going when it’s hard. The willingness to return to something again and again, not because it’s easy, but because you care about the outcome. Once you teach your brain that there’s pleasure in hard work, in repetition and ritual, you’ll be unstoppable!
These are not just dance skills. These life skills will serve you throughout your schooling, career and relationships. They are cultivated, quietly and consistently, in practice.
A Shift in Perspective
The next time you think about practicing, pause for a moment. That first intrusive thought might be “Do I have to?” But now, you’ll be able to reframe into “I get to!” Practice is the chance to become stronger, to grow more confident, to move one step closer to the dancer and person you aspire to be.
It isn’t punishment. It’s an opportunity.