When you hear people talk about great dancers, you hear them discussed by their natural talent and abilities or even their physical traits. And while this does play a part in success, a lot more is down to certain traits that they all share. The majority of these traits are learned and then practised in dance lessons meaning anyone can aspire to be a great performer.
But what are the great traits that all dancers share?
Self-motivation and determination
Perhaps the most important traits are self-motivation and that sense of determination that you are going to succeed. This is common to top professionals around the world from sports people to actors, dancers to musicians.
They can motivate themselves to get up every morning and train or practice. And they have the determination to keep going, even when things are tough and attaining their goal may seem distant and nearly impossible.
Discipline
Motivating yourself to do something is one thing, ensuring you keep doing it in the right way is another. That is where discipline comes in and why it is another of those great traits all dancers share. Having talent, energy, or the determination to succeed will get you a long way but the discipline to learn what you need, improve yourself and achieve goals is what will make you a success.
Enthusiasm
Dancing is more than a job and you need to have that enthusiasm, or you can’t succeed. The idea of dancing needs to make your pulse race, you want to rush to lessons or performance and you talk about it all of the time.
That kind of enthusiasm is a big part of motivating yourself and maintaining discipline. If you don’t feel excited to be dancing, practising or performing, then you aren’t going to cultivate the other traits mentioned. This will mean that dancing then becomes a chore, something you have to do, rather than something you love to do.
Patience
Of all the traits, this is probably the hardest to master for many people, especially when you are younger. We all want to succeed, to be a great dancer and perform in front of huge crowds. But it doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen without years of training and practice.
Learning patience and that rewards will be there if you work for them is one of the hardest skills to master. Especially as kids, we want everything to happen yesterday! But the ones who master patience and understand these things take time are the ones that have the most success.
Using these traits in life
The great thing about these traits that the best dancers have is that even if you don’t end up becoming the next top ballerina or a dancing star, you can still use them in many other ways.
That drive and motivation can help you succeed in any area of life or your career and means that what you learn while dance training will help you for the rest of your life. So, start cultivating them today!