Successful Dancers
Being a successful Irish dancer is actually very simple -- just follow these steps: - Decide what 'successful' means - Work hard - Be honest - Believe in yourself
What? It can't be that easy? You want to know more?
Second, the steps might be simple, but nobody said they were easy!
But you do want to succeed, right?
So what does 'successful' mean?
Success means different things to different people, and you have to decide what it means to you. The meaning will change as your dancing improves, though. Success for a beginner could be winning the reel at a feis and moving up to advanced beginner, while a championship level dancer might be disappointed, or ecstatic, with 10th place in the country.
You also have to decide how badly you want to achieve your idea of success. It's not easy to do anything worthwhile without making sacrifices -- top athletes don't spend every Friday night out partying! Remember, if it was easy, everyone would do it.
You have to balance what you want to achieve against what you're prepared to give. Do you want to come in first at your next feis, or would you rather watch TV and settle for that comfy third place you got last time? It is up to you
And by the way, it's no good just saying you want to succeed unless you mean it -- because you have to make it happen.
Hard work -- yuck!
Funny thing, work. Even if you work like crazy there's no guarantee you'll get to the top -- but you'll certainly get a lot nearer than you would without working.
The other thing about work is that some people seem to get away with doing less of it than others, while still getting further. But it's no good moaning about it -- life's like a game of cards -- somebody deals you some cards and you have to make the best of what you get. You have a simple choice -- play your cards or fold!
The honesty bit.
This part is crucial. You have to be honest with yourself. We don't mean you have to beat yourself up all the time -- that doesn't help anyone except your competitors -- but you do have to know what you're good at, and what still needs work.
You also have to be honest when you dance in competition. We all know that sometimes a judge may not like your style of dance, even though you danced up a storm, but one of the easiest things in the world is the 'cop-out'. You should be able to tell for yourself whether you danced your best or not. The important thing is figuring out why you danced like you did.
The opinion of your teacher is the most important of course. She sees you dance all the time and has the expertise to make judgements about what she sees, so think about what she says and then act on it.
Do you believe in yourself?
Do you find yourself driving to the the feis thinking 'I can really win today', only to have your confidence evaporate when you see the number of dancers in your age group, or a certain dancer who always wins? You're not alone if you do, but you have to overcome it. You can't control the other dancers, or the judges -- that's all out of your hands. Make sure you concentrate 100% on your own dancing -- nobody else's -- and do your best. That's all anybody can ask of you.
Remember, even a world champions has times they'd rather not remember, and part of becoming a champion is taking positive lessons from those things, rather than curling up like a little mouse. If you make a mistake, be determined to improve next time and hold your head up high.
And don't forget your friends are there for you, knowing what you're going through -- because you're there for them, right? Always, always show your support and congratulate your competitors and friends. This kind of good sportsmanship is contagious.
So -- it looks like it's really up to you -- have you got what it takes?
WE THINK YOU DO!!
Special thanks to friends at the world renowned McGahan-Lees Irish Dance Academy, England, for use of this piece!! www.mcgahanlees.com