Hellooooo beautiful people! I hope you all are having a great day so far!
Happy Friday Eve! ? I wasn’t originally planning on posting this because I was feeling a little brain-dead after yesterday, but this topic has really been on my mind since being here at my intensive.
Wouldn’t today be a perfect day to think out loud then?!
Oh wait, it is!
‘Cause it’s Thursday!!! ?
As always, thank you to Amanda of Running With Spoons for allowing me to share my random thoughts on this day!
As a young and eager girl, I started out my dance career by doing what most young dancers do: ballet. It is a great foundation for dancers and teaches them the basic principles of musicality, positions, posture, and body alignment. I was also taught what a ballerina should look like: tall, long-legged, and slender.
Picture below is probably the world’s most famous and highest-paid ballerina, Svetlana Zakharova. Ever heard of her? Her talent, grace, and leg extensions are insane.
Seeing that I was neither tall nor had long legs, I still thought that’s what I HAD to look like in order to become a successful dancer. This is also another reason that my eating disorder began to develop.
As I grew to about 7 or 8, I discovered the world of modern and contemporary dance. How incredibly different it was from ballet!
Everything was parallel as opposed to “turned out”. You had the freedom to be more expressive with the music and didn’t have to worry about looking exactly right all the time. You could be YOURSELF. I loved that!
When I got to college, I was freaking out that everyone else would be skinnier, taller, and have longer legs than me. Boy was I surprised!
I loved being in class and not feeling awkward, self-conscious, or out of place due to body insecurity. Literally EVERYONE had a different body shape and size and they were all beautiful movers. That’s the beauty of contemporary dance, YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE. As long as you can maintain rhythm and move, you’re solid! ?
That’s what I’ve been experiencing here at my intensive. Size means absolutely nothing if you know how to move.
There are so many beautiful dancers who all have different shapes, sizes, and technical abilities. But they’re STILL DANCERS.
Even the company members at my intensive are all different shapes and sizes, and they’re pros! It doesn’t matter if you’re short, tall, big, or small. If you can absolutely KILL IT in class, on stage, or in an audition, you’ve made it. Your body size does NOT matter. Again, this mostly applies to contemporary dancers. Ballerinas obviously have a specific “look”, and that hasn’t changed.
Not all dancers, even contemporary dancers, have to look alike, and I think I’m FINALLY starting to realize that now. It only took me 17 years to figure it out, it’s fine…..
I have way more confidence now when I dance because I know that a teacher is not judging my body, they’re judging my ability to execute movement, rhythm, and presence. Sure, they might have to make sure that my body parts are in alignment, but they’re not looking for visible abs or bulging muscles. I can feel alive in class and know that I gave it my all and people might be watching because of how I’m dancing, not the way my muscles or body looks. ?
To all my fellow dancers out there, the next time you’re feeling “judgy” about your body, DON’T. Stop, look around, and realize that the size of your waist doesn’t matter. The size of your heart is what matters. The size of your work ethic is what matters. You are beautiful on the inside and out. If dance makes you feel amazing, then by all means, dance your heart out.
I’ll be in the audience cheering loud for you. ?
Now tell me…
- Do you like to dance?
- Have you ever felt insecure about your body in a social setting?
Be well and stay golden.
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