Today’s blog post is about something that every dancer comes up against at one point or another and that is, having an off day. An “off day” is when you have a day in class where you can’t seem to get anything right. You fall out of a turn, your leap doesn’t get enough height, your muscles are tight, ect. Perhaps the element that makes having an off day so frustrating is that you know you can do everything properly! You know you can stick that turn, get that leap off the ground and those kicks high, but no matter how much you try, you just can’t seem to get it right. Having an off day from time to time is inevitable but there is a way to get through them and your friends at From the Top are going to show you how! Let’s get right into it!
“How To Get Through An Off Day”
The biggest way to get through an off day is to not get frustrated and keep things in perspective, which may seem like a little too much to ask when you’re dealing with it at that moment. Clear your mind by just taking a deep breath and calming down a little bit. During these times, just keep in mind that no, you’re not losing your mojo and you haven’t lost your dancing ability. You’re simply just having an off moment and it is guaranteed to pass. That alone will help get your dancing back on track and will lead us to our second tip…
Tip number two is to literally not care. Yep, you read that right. As I have said in many blog posts prior, dance is just as much of a mental sport as it is physical, and truth be told, the main culprit of our off days can be our mental space and the way that these times can be so mentally frustrating. If you harbor on the fact that you keep falling out of every turn you do, you will keep doing just that. You will keep falling out of every. single. turn. However, when you put mind over matter and simply say, “I’m going to do this turn and if I stick it, then I stick it. If I don’t, then oh well.” it will begin to take the edge off, help you calm down and get you back on track so you can execute any move you do correctly.
Finally, the third tip is to not get discouraged by your off days. As I mentioned in the first tip, having an off day or two or maybe even three, is all a part of being a dancer. Really, when you truly think about it, having an off day is all a part of any profession. Because you see, these kind of moments are simply just a part of life. So, don’t let a few moments of confusion take a blow to your confidence. You’re still an amazing dancer and you’re still killing the game. Become friends with the off days and accept them as they come because the good news is, they don’t last forever.
Keep dancing!
-Lexi
FROM THE TOP! 