My First Ballet Intensive

Hello dancers!

A few weeks ago I attended my first ever ballet intensive. It was only for five days, but I feel like I learned a lot and had an overall positive experience. I originally planned on vlogging the experience so I could share it with you, but I didn't have time to do so. Instead I'll be sharing what I learned during the intensive.

1. If it feels easy, you're not working hard enough.

A good teacher isn't going to give you an exercise that won't help you improve. After a while things like tendus at the barre can seem repetitive and easy, and it can be tempting to simply go through these familiar motions without thinking about them. But there is always something you can be pushing yourself to do! Things like keeping your knees straight, engaging your core and glutes, maintaining alignment, and any corrections your teacher has given you (or other students) should be in your mind at all times. If you're focusing on all the details and working your hardest then nothing in ballet should feel "easy". Ever.

2. There's no need to feel self conscious

It's easy to feel like everyone's eyes are on you. The thought of having to go across the floor to do a combination can be nerve wracking with the idea that everyone else in the room will notice your mistakes. But think about it, when you're watching other dancers in your class are you being harsh or rude when they mess up? Most likely not. There's a shared understanding that we are all doing our best to learn and grow. Maybe I'm just lucky, but when I made mistakes during intensive the girls in my class weren't rude or judgmental. Instead if they noticed they either wouldn't mention it, or they would give me advice on how to improve. If you dance hesitantly and hold yourself back in class, that's how you will dance on stage. It's better to go all out every time, even if it means you mess up.

3. Training isn't always intentional

This is kind of related to the last thing I mentioned, but "training" doesn't just mean following along to the exercises the teacher gives you in class. If you are consistently showing up late, being lazy during class, or even just thinking negative things about yourself when you make a mistake, you are training your body to make these things into habits. And we all know how hard it can be to break a bad habit. Always be mindful of your attitude and actions, not just your dancing, during dance class.

4. Set small goals

We all have at least one big goal we'd like to achieve in our dance career. Maybe it's a school you want to attend, or a company you want to work with, or even starting a school or company of your own! Those big goals are great, and you should hold on to them and pursue them with all of your heart. You're not going to achieve them overnight though, and it can be discouraging when you're working hard but still feel very far away from your goals.You're not going to feel accomplished when you master a double pirouette when you're hyper focused on achieving 32 consecutive fouettes. That's why having smaller goals in addition to your bigger ones is helpful.