Balancing life and dance.



       This post may bring some parallels from one of my first posts from this time last last year called "Human or Dancer?". It remains my most popular post to this day, and for this reason it made me want to delve into the subject further. Since I don't know any dancer that has not had to choose one over the other at some point, it surely is a never ending endeavour to find the balance between building a life, in terms of putting certain needs first, and at the same time sacrificing time, energy and commitment to dance. 

    Dance is not a job in which the same hours you put in equates to the same money and reward you get out. Dance seems to be a passion, a lifestyle, a mentality in which you live by, but at what point does that strive for perfection and dedication to the art form become destructive to yourself and others around you? Dance cannot save you, dance is not life, and dance is vulnerable and easily swept from under your feet. 
It is wise to console yourself, take a pen and paper, and answer these questions in depth: 

1. Does dance serve me? 
2. Do I serve dance?
3. Does it align with my values? / Are my values recognised?
4. Does dance feed my body and soul? 
5. Do I feel more good than not, on a daily basis?
6. Am I appreciated in my dance environment? 
7. Am I appreciated in my home environment? 

    With regards to the second question, in our latest meeting with our sports psychologist, Snezana Stoljarova, we talked about values. It is worth noting that values are sometimes misinterpreted as goals. In a world where we relate our successes and self worth to the goals we achieve, our values are often overlooked. We did a wonderful exercise in which we wrote down what we would want to be said in a speech, when we retire, by the dancers and staff around us. It should not be focused necessarily on what we were now, but rather on the aspects that contributed and approached the environment we were in. Realising how we would want others to perceive our own values, we were able to see if we were working towards the same thing in reality, and therefore able to clearly apply them when given the right circumstance. 

    But how much do you value values? I have taken a short excerpt from ethicssage.com to further clarify how important they are, and I suggest you to follow the link if you're further interested: 
"Values are basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes or actions. They help us to determine what is important to us. Values describe the personal qualities we choose to embody to guide our actions; the sort of person we want to be; the manner in which we treat ourselves and others, and our interaction with the world around us."

    I truly believe that realising and being driven mainly by our values can help us create a healthy balance between our life and our career. 

In other words, tuning into our values can create a career of longevity and prosperity, on top of a life that is fulfilled.  

    If I put my career, thus far, on paper since I left ENBS 10 years ago, I've spent approx. 5 years without my dancing shoes on. In a way, therefore I've associated myself equally to life and dance. On one side I've lost half of my "potential career", on another, I've had to take a step back for my own personal growth and happiness. I'm not afraid to step away again, and I believe that incites the respect from the people around me, to know that as much as I am honoured to have the possibility to dance, I am fine with having to step away from it if I am no longer appreciated for what I have to offer. In other words, I offer my values and I ensue the respect to be acknowledged for them, because without them, who am I? 


Dear colleagues and friends holding me up, figuratively and literally. 
Taken by Silas Stubbs from a new work by Jack Traylen. “Little Claws” will be aired in the Metamorfoosid triple bill, Saturday 15th, on Estonian TV. 


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