8 Struggles Only A Dancer Can Understand (And How To Overcome Them)
Every professional has struggles with their art or career. For dancers, the difficulties are compounded because it’s both an athletic and artistic profession. The struggles range from being a klutz outside the stage to developing foot calluses.
Sometimes these struggles can bomb on our self-esteem. Here are more problems dancers deal with daily and the remedy for all of them.
1. Comparison is a confidence killer
It doesn’t matter what genre of dancing you specialize in. There will always be people who will compare you to famous and professional performers. And that could seriously wreck your self-esteem as a dancer.
There are three ways to overcome this: You can either be inspired by the one you’re compared to, strive to be better, or just ignore and keep doing your thing.
2. The pressure to perform well
In the auditions or at live arena performances, you have to live up to the expectations of the judges and the squad coach by giving your all. Sometimes you just can’t no matter how much you try.
But speaking from experience, constant practice and a solid mental focus are all you need to perfectly perform a dance routine and impress everyone.
3. Dance classes and gear are expensive
The best dance classes and apparel don’t come at a cheap price especially for what you’ll wear at the auditions. Pointe shoes, rubber shoes, leotards, and dance tops will eventually tear due to sweat and constant friction. The worst part of it is that they don’t usually last for more than 2 months and could break during practice.
It’s best to have at least an extra pair of shoes or dancewear every practice just in case. When buying your apparel, always buy two quality products. For your dance classes, go for longer memberships because you’ll save more money that way.
4. Missing out on life
You’ve probably noticed that you’re replying to your friends’ texts that you have squad rehearsals, dance practice, audition prep, school, chores, or work for most of the time. To prevent yourself from missing out, talk to them and schedule a hangout time that you all can agree on.
You can also balance your schedule to make sure you have enough time for everything.
5. Daily makeup and dance makeup becomes one
Removing dance makeup or ordinary makeup is as hard as applying it and you would eventually prefer to wear everything the whole day than removing and reapplying. Sometimes you’ll forget to remove your makeup and sleep with it. This could pose a serious threat to your skin health.
If there’s no need to wear heavy makeup during a live performance or practice, then don’t. Go for natural beauty or wear light makeup. Better yet, put extra emphasis on skincare to eliminate the need to wear cosmetics.
6. Injuries on feet, hips, knees, and legs
There are perfect performances but there are no perfect dancers. Even the performers who have been compared to you have tripped at some point in their career causing a sprained ankle or joint. And every dancer and athlete is familiar with this: Foot blisters.
You can prevent these problems by wearing the right socks, shoes, and performing every dance move with the right form and technique. Also, pay attention to your dance instructor and do exactly what they say.
7. Wearing open-toed shoes gross people out
As the popular meme from 2015 said: “What are thoooose?!” referring to a cop’s shoes. Other people could also feel the same thing when looking at your callused feet. This experience is a huge confidence-killer.
Calluses often form from blisters. But as I said, you can prevent that from happening by wearing padded socks. Even ballerinas have special padded socks to protect their toes from forming calluses.
If you really don’t want other people to see your feet, carry a pair of slides and socks to wear after dance practice just like athletes do. It’s also very comfortable. You can also remove your calluses using these tips.
8. Being a klutz outside practice or the arena
Dancing for most of your time can make you dance involuntarily when you’re at home or in public. Sometimes you’ll just catch yourself subconsciously moving to a rhythm. Because of these events, you’ll bump, kick, hit, or trip into objects where other people don’t.
A good example of this scenario is performing your squad’s routine while preparing your meals. You’ll be shocked to find that you’ve been smearing pancake batter all over the kitchen already. The fix? Resist the urge to whip out some dance moves out of nowhere and be mindful of your actions all the time.
In summary, dancer-related struggles can be overcome if you calm yourself down first and before looking for a solution. It’s also important to do research on various apparel that would make your dancing experience easier.
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