One of the greatest things you can do is prove somebody else wrong.

     As I dive head first into my inquiry topic, exploring mindfulness within ballet, one of the most fascinating things has been discovering and connecting with key theorists and scholars. I like to discover these people through podcasts and TED talks, by hearing their voice and the way they communicate and express their ideas resonate with me on a deeper level, rather than just reading their work. Sharing their passion by listening to them is something which I have found to have had the power to really move me. I have shed a tear many a time just by hearing about their research, and along with their findings, the story that lead them to delving into that precise research topic.

     -Beyond that research and scientific discovery is a person who has been driven by their past and guided by their own unique path, to uncover and delve into topics to reveal data, that could lead to positive change and pivotal development.-

    This meaningful connection they have within their research motivates me into having a deeper connection with my own. More than anything I'm interested in people. I'm fascinated by what people think and why they think it. What is their drive and where does it take root within themselves? How can I feel more connected to the people around me? How can I get to understand them better, to ultimately understand myself better? How do I then encourage positive change in this world? How can I make sure this comes across in my work and ultimately everything I do in my practice? 

    Peter Lovatt's story is a story worth noting. In the last section of his book "Dance Psychology" he opens up fully to reveal how he went "From Dancer to Dance Psychologist". At some point he took a brave step away from dancing professionally, not obtaining any academic qualifications, to deciding to become an academic, despite not being able to read(!) Early on in his endeavour he had an academic friend who was able to put on a theatre show which annoyed Lovatt hugely as he confessed:  

"I kept thinking how unfair it was that despite his ability to achieve in one area he was also able to achieve in another separate area, my area."(Page 214)

    This jealousy and frustration seemed to be the drive for him being able to transfer his dancing skill and natural flow of his body into being able to make sense of words: 

"..if I could find a rhythm, or sets of different rhythms, within the story then I could break it down and learn it "one eight at a time." (Page 215)

    I found that truly fascinating that he could transfer his skill of dancing into conquering another skill. He has later gone onto study the cognitive, relational and social benefits of dancing and followed it through scientifically to benefit many other people. He is a prime example of how his weakness lead him onto greatness. Something that really shone out for me was his transparency and realness within his work. Passion was obviously an undeniable force, but there was so much humility and lightness that came from him. 

    I guess something about Peter reminded me of myself. I have never thought of myself as an academic and I have never been an A grade student. I have always had highly academic friends, and certainly what Peter had to say about that spoke to me. Being able to work like this on my degree is uplifting and creating a shift in what I thought were my own limitations. Right now I spend all of my free time thinking about my work. 

A conversation I had in high school with my head of year springs to mind: he asked me to focus less on ballet and more on my academics because it was more reliable. I hated that he said that, all I heard was to care less about ballet. I believe he was missing one crucial factor: that in order for me to care more about other areas was to take full pride in the area that I was most connected to. Maybe all I needed to do was transfer my skill set of dancing and connect to other areas of my life. I think we forget that ourselves and experiences are our greatest teacher, and being able to turn that judgement of somebody else's vision of who we are is one of the most empowering things we can do for ourselves. After all is the title of my post exactly what research is all about? 

Woah this blog has gone somewhere deeper than I had originally imagined... 

    Just wanted to point out a few others that have captivated me as much as Peter has: Carly Harrison, Peta Blevins and Erin Sanchez all have some great work out there and I'm still up to learning from more people who have a similar drive.

Bibliography: 

Lovatt P. Dance Psychology. 2018 Poland by Amazon Fulfillment. 

This is Peters new book for anyone who is interested in his work: