Hi Guys!
I know as dancers we're always thriving for perfection and inprovement and often get frustrated if we don't get something right away. I'm an incredibly impatient person and always want everything immediately. I often beat myself up about not getting the combination right or messing up my pirouettes or whatever is going wrong that day because let's face it, there is rarely a day you get all your combinations right, turn beautifully AND nail those allegros AND adagios.
We're our own's worst critic so while those little mess-ups might not go noticed by others or even your teacher, we're rarely ever happy with ourselves.
So here are some tips that really helped with my self-esteem for ballet. None of these are incredibly technical, those are some tips for the right mindset, because ballet really does start in our heads!
1. Think, but don't overthink!
Okay, it's obvious you have to use your brain to memorize all those combination and you might even be learning a full class of new combinations every day, so it's really easy to get caught up in all the steps. You obviously need to know what comes next but ballet is often build on the same patterns. Learn your vocabulary and ballet will get a whole lot easier. You probably won't end up doing different things in one combinations front, side and back, you will probably do the same thing to all sides and than reverse it or do a variation of what you did front and back to the side.
If you know all the port de bras you won't have to remember all the single parts, you can just think 1st port de bras at the end of thd combination or after this and that step.
The point is: recognize the patterns how combinations are built and you won't have to think about every single thing you have to do, which gives you time to work on your technique. Learn the rules and work by them and everything gets a lot easier on the brain.
Most important: never think you're going to look ridiculous doing something, if your teacher tells you to do something, trust them and don't overthink. They are taking time to correct you, so value that by applying corrections.
2. Don't complain
I would never do that but I have seen people complain to their teachers for not getting new corrections or not getting noticed enough and it really makes me cringe. If you're not getting new corrections, there is probably a reason for it. Make sure you're applying your corrections and show your teacher you want to get corrected. Mark the combinations and not just stand around not really paying attention. Make the most out of every class.
3. One step at a time
All the feet and arms and allignment can get very overwhelming sometimes, so instead of trying to perfect everything at once, concentrate on one thing at a time for a short period of time and when tou got it, move on to that next.
4. Know the arms
I often get so caught up thinking about what my feet are doing that I often completely forget about the arms, especially in those in-between moments. They're often clear in bigger movement and poses but get unclear in the in between steps like glissades or just simple steps. This happens to a lot of people so make sure tou really know where the arms are going before your starting the combinations. This can really make or break a combination cause when you don't know what your arms are doing, it becomes very obvious for everyone watching you and make you look uncoordinated. Also always make sure to have your shoulders down and engage your back, that's also the key to turning!
5. Practice and crosstraining
This is pretty obvious but practice at home, practice turning with all the right muscles engaged and really apply all your corrections. Also crosstraining can help your stamina and muscle strenght. So consider getting active outside of ballet class to get through the combinations easier.
6. Write down combinations and corrections
When you write down the combinations you are forced to remember them for longer and think about the combination again. If you repeating the combinations, you'll be on top of your game and can work on your technique more! Same goes for corrections, you are far more likely to remember them if you write them down and think about them again after class. You might see them in a different light and aometimes start to really understand them or they'll start to make even more sense. Because let's face it, sometimes we get corrections and have no idea how to really apply them...
Also if you write down your corrections, you will be able to figure out your biggest problems and can find something concrete to work on next class.
7. Just do it
Don't ask millions of quesions, just try to do whatever step your doing first. If it doesn't work, you'll probably k ow what's not working or your teacher will see the problem. Don't think "I can't do this" before even trying it. Try it, if you can't do ir, practice until you can.
8. Don't hate steps
Okay, this might be hard cause there are always things we enjoy doing more than others but don't start a combinations thinking "I hate frappes" or "I hate turning left". The reason you don't like doing it is probably that you are not good at it or don't feel comfortable doing it. The only way to change that is to do anyway. Instead of thinking "god, I hate this" think "yay, I can improve this". The positive mindset will help you get it faster, promise. Negativity ia a distraction you don't need.
9. Don't be afraid
This is a hard one, too, because fear is ofter hard to control. I used to be terrified of pirouettes en pointe and I'm still not good at them but I've gotten to a point where I'm not too scared to even do it anymore. Try to determine what is scaring you and then try to take a step back and practice the basic movement. For pirouettes for instance, practice the balance without the turn first, really making sure to keep your knees straight and engage your core and back and then gradually add turn once you feel more comfortable. You'll get there, you just have to want it enough.
10. Don't look at others
Especially if you struggle remembering combinations, don't look at others and copy them. Know what you're doing and do it! Others might make mistakes too, so don't copy them. It's okay to take a little peak at someone you look up to for motivation but don't stare at them for the entire combination because you don't know it yourself.
I hope you enjoyed those tips, mindset really is the key to most things in ballet, so make sure to stay positive!
See you soon!
Laulie
