What Dancers Teach Us

It has been an honor to work with trained performers from years as a musician, and in my current work as a photographer. What is it that makes these people a special breed, and what lessons can we take from them to improve our success? Today I focus on what I learn from dancers, and thank my young friend Pam (above) for the inspiration I get working with her and others in her field!

First, they're driven by something deep in their core, which we call passion. When someone discovers this purpose in something they're here to do, it sets the course for each day's expenditure of time and energy. While in this chapter of their lives, the daily discipline of training is accepted and understood. It's sad to see friends or family members who have no purpose or direction for their existence. It becomes a matter of "getting through" each day, rather than "getting from" each day.

Second, dancers take incredible measures to improve their strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. When we stop and think about it, wouldn't a dose of that be healthy for the rest of us as well? As a physical therapist, this is something in dancers that amazes me. They're masters of movement!

Third, they tremendously refine their music:body connection. Dancers literally are visual music. When you watch them, you are watching music! The music enters their ears, minds, and hearts, and is converted to physical movement. I love listening to music, but when I watch skilled dancers while hearing the same music, I get to "see" the music moving in front of my eyes. Sometimes the emotion they convey brings tears to my eyes, simply because they're so expressive.

Forth, the daily/yearly discipline of dancers is visible. They can't take it from someone else. They can't buy it. Someone can't give it to them as a gift, although others support them in many ways. Ultimately, what you see when they perform is THEM. I like the honesty of that. When I see a great dancer perform in something as demanding as ballet, I'm watching the story of that person's use of time and energy over many years. It's why I feel emotional when it's time to applaud a performance as they take their bows. It's not the show as much as the dedicated artists I applaud. The show is just the vehicle. Without skilled performers, it's just a bunch of pages, props, and lights.

So, what do dancers teach all of us that we can use as we get into our next week of work?

1) Find something in our work we care deeply about. If not, do whatever is necessary to get into a field where we feel our life matters to us and to others.

2) Develop and implement daily exercise habits that will improve our strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. It can be pure exercise, or an activity like structured dance or athletics that pushes us farther than we're likely to just slough through.

3) Find time to listen to beautiful music, view beautiful art, or read uplifting books that connect us with quality, and lift us above life's noise. Attend an orchestral concert for a change of pace. Attend a ballet performance and be moved by artistry second to none.

4) Set goals that only you can accomplish; things that can't be bought or received from others. Every so often, share true achievements with others for their applause. If no one else is around, give yourself a hand. The satisfaction of daily hard work, and finally seeing results, is a huge lift to self-esteem!

Tomorrow is Monday and a new month. Pick one thing to focus on this week. Add another each week until the end of March. When April begins, you'll be feeling great about yourself, and ready to enter spring with a fresh rebirth of YOU!

PS: I welcome any dancers to chime in on this blog post. How do you structure your day to get it all done? What motivates you to stick to your schedule? Any other information would be wonderful to hear. You're living proof that we can become more!