Tips from the PROS is a series where artists share some of their advice on how to do it right. It explores the dance world and offers tips coming the best of the best. 

Looking For Perfection? Stop Now! 

Analyzing what you’re doing well, and what you aren’t doing well will have a big impact on your dancing career. We all love getting a positive feedback, but what about a negative one? It’s easy to get upset and to freak out, but why not try listening to people and analyzing what you’ve been told? Who knows, maybe you’ll learn some very important lessons. But, you will never know what someone can teach you, if you think you’re perfect. 

Here are some tips on how to use feedback in a constructive way and stop letting your ego run the show in your quest to obtain perfection.

Getting Negative Feedback Is Okay

First, and foremost, don’t be afraid of getting a negative feedback. You’re only human, and we all make mistakes. So, it’s not the end of the world if someone after your competition says to you what you could have done differently. Sure, listening to what you’ve done wrong isn’t pleasant, but it can definitely help you in the long run and in more ways than one. 

People Just Want To Help You

Another thing that I want to note is that you shouldn’t take that negative feedback personally. I used to do that when I was younger. For example, after competitions, some people would come to me and give a negative feedback about my couple. At that time, I was angry at those people; they hurt my ego. But, in retrospect, I understand that those people weren’t telling me those things so that I would feel bad; they were just trying to help me. 

Trust me, the moment you stop listening to your ego, you actually start listening to other people and moving towards your goals. Of course, you won’t agree with everyone, and that’s okay. Even if you decide to let go of something people told you, that means that you learnt not to take things personally, which is a good thing.

You’re Only Responsible For Yourself 

“I would have won if judges didn’t actually hate me”, “It’s not my fault, it’s theirs”, “If only that happened.” Do you recognize any of these words as being yours? You probably do. Blaming everyone around you for not getting where you think is your right place to be doesn’t do you any good. So, let it go. 

What you need to do is realize that you’re the only responsible one for your actions. I never complain about judges, other couples, and things that can’t be changed. I give my best to analyze why certain couples are in front of my couples and what can be improved. 

So, the same should go for you. Make sure to analyze your performance, as well as other couples’. Maybe you’ll get inspiration and ideas for changing some part of your choreography or whatever else you think you should change/improve. 

Stay Up-To-Date With Changes 

The last thing is to always search for new info. Don’t let yourself become outdated. The dance changes very fast, and if you don’t follow those changes, you’ll become boring. Just because some things worked a time ago, doesn’t mean they will work again. Whenever you have time, watch videos, read books, and develop your skills.  

Dance is a way of expressing yourself, and if you learn how to deal with negative feedback and accept what you can’t change, you and your partner can make a difference in the dancesport world. 

So, embrace mistakes and learn from them!  The sooner the better.