Will being more mindful really make me a better dancer?

Mindfulness: what a hot topic right now!

I'm currently on a journey to really discover what mindfulness means in dance, what the impacts of it can be, and how exactly it can be applied. 

I will be running a scientific inquiry via Middlesex University around the subject, to investigate how it applies to myself as a dancer, and also to dance in general. But first I wanted to unload some thoughts here, in a less mindful way, to explore the already pre-conditioned ideas and concepts that may fool us. To simply discover what is already there, before I delve into giving an answer to the title of this post in a more constructive and evidence based way. 

So, what is mindfulness? In the words of Peta Blevins on the podcast SciDance, via Dr Russ Harris, it's recognising and observing your thoughts in a non-judgemental way, which then allows you to tap into a mental awareness that is focused, open and curious, with more flexibility and compassion. 

This is something that appeals to many of us, but this approach in the ballet world is not taught to dancers in training, and never recognised as a popular method to apply in ballet companies. Why not? I would say it's because ballet is very regimented. It strives for physical perfection, and is often met with the attitude of: "just do it"; there is one correct way to do something and if you can't do it, it's more than not, up to you to figure out how; in silence, with little to no thoughts of the mental considerations that may have upon the dancer. Ballet is an embodied practice as it requires your whole self to communicate and express feelings and sensations through the body alone, but it is not recognised as an embodied practice. I believe the discipline and tradition of it holds it back to be recognised as one. Why would you say it's not? What are your ideas on this? 

     My ballet company are now half way through our short course with sports psychologist Snezana Stoljarova. I was fairly surprised that she did not necessarily want to concentrate on tackling the particular aspects that an athlete or dancer may face, for example: stage anxiety, eating disorders, perfectionism, career transition etc... but instead she wanted to talk about mindfulness. She believed that being more mindful would then have a positive effect on dealing with any other kind of problem. She made a particular comment which resonated with me: she stated that the best athlete (or dancer) was the one who was vulnerable, sensitive, fragile, in other words suffered from the human condition, but at the same time was able to deliver their best performance. This felt like a revelation to me as when I perform I block all the bad feelings, push them to one side and try to ignore them. I was then to discover that a lot of my thoughts were only natural human reactions that everyone else also experienced and for a reason: at one point we needed those thoughts to simply survive. We needed to compare ourselves to others in order to bring a purpose or skill to also keep others alive. We needed to worry about possible bad things happening in order to avoid danger. We needed to feel guilty for not being enough incase our group got rid of us. The people that had all those thoughts were the ones who were not killed, and that is the simple basis of evolution. 

Nowadays those thoughts and comparisons remain, but instead of comparing ourselves with the few people in our group, it is to the thousands we see on social media around the world. So we are consumed by these thoughts, with no more than harmful and mounted self criticism. How many hours of the day do you spend looking at other people on social media? Already discovering that those negative thoughts come from a place that had reason to be there was already more helpful to be able to approach and accept them. Have you asked yourself what is your relationship to your mind?

    Snezana started our course off with countless examples of what we are likely to see on social media these days. We are bombarded with gratitude and happiness quotes and courses from influencers appearing to be happy and successful all the time. These include captions and memes such as: "Don't worry, be happy." "Choose to be happy." "Think happy thoughts, be happy." "Unshakeable confidence." These are not just shown in quotes but also in videos, stories, reels, posts etc. But what are all these unrealistic aberrations really doing to us?  

    I've taken the first extract from the book "Embodiment - Moving beyond Mindfulness" by Mark Walsh to explain why society is making mindfulness through embodiment mainstream and trending:

• In times of chaos, the body is an anchor. 
• In times of mistrust and "post-truth", the body is a source of wisdom.
• In a time of disconnection, the body is where reconnecting begins. First to ourselves, then through that to meaning,  then each other, and vitally, to the planet. 

     You may've read this in a previous post, and I am not shy to admit that I agree with the phrase: "To make a real difference in the world, it starts with yourself". I am always trying to find new ways to get closer to my authentic self with the body and skills that I have been given. 

We have been so privileged, as a ballet company, entirely supported by our Union and our Theatre, to try various exercises with Snezana and to delve into our minds and gain fundamental psychological skills. I have had superb feedback from the dancers. I think ultimately it feels freeing and empowering to be able to open up to our colleagues in this competitive industry, which in fact does not need to be toxic, and so competitive as we are all lead to believe. 

I am so appreciative that we are in this fortunate position that enables free help and guidance, where we can have a voice and be heard by a professional so passionate about what she does. But I understand many people are not in this privileged position, therefore I am here to share anything I learn and discover. In the meantime I'll be sharing my journey here: on a quest to reveal how mindfulness can make me a better dancer and a more liberated artist. I hope you'll be able to follow along with me and feel free to ask any questions along the way. 

Via the inquiry I would like to understand how exactly can mindfulness impact dance? Does it have the ability to change the way people dance and perform? How does it need to be implemented and how will it be accessed? Will it be accepted and normalised within the industry? Will psychological training be recognised as much as physical training? If this has got you thinking, what sort of thoughts has this post left you with?

Finally, I would like to use this post to say a big thank you to our theatre director: Kristiina Alliksaar, for being immediately on board with my ask for psychological support for the dancers. Also, to the Union for linking us up with Snezana; we couldn't have imagined anyone better! 

Photo by: Alan Proosa

Embodiment - Moving beyond Mindfulness. M. Walsh 2020 Published by Unicorn Slayer Press.