What Does Dancing Full Out Mean to You?
March 25, 2015
We are in rehearsal, and my dance students just KILLED the choreography. Energy was through the roof, they are all
breathing heavy, sweat dripping down their face. A team of 18 girls SMASH the last pose as I turn off the music and
say “YESSS!” and then I hear a student yell… “WOW, that was so much fun!”
Can I tell you how much that irked me inside? “But, Miss Cydny wouldn’t that make you happy?” Of course! I
want to hear these statements all the time, but it’s how it lead up to this one that got underneath my skin. We had 10
weeks. Ten 45 minute rehearsals to put this large piece together. It’s been a lot of drilling, yelling, and tweaking to
make this routine ready. No matter how much we ran it it, I felt like I never truly got to see its full potential. As a
teacher, this starts to make you wonder… “Do they not like the routine? Are they already sick of it? Do they
just not get it? Maybe they just don’t get it…” If I was doing this number I’d be LIVING in it. I may never know
the reason why it took so long to truly see them do it full out, but once they did EVERYONE felt it in the room. So
much so that they even had to yell it out loud! But in return I yelled out, “Dancing IS FUN when you actually dance
full out!” Eek! I couldn’t help myself.
I mean, seriously. What does dancing full out mean to you? It’s not completing your turns and pushing through your
leaps. It’s the reaching for the stars, opening your chest, breathing and releasing through every movement. That is
what dancing full out means! It’s when you realize that dancing isn’t a chore. I don’t know how to drill this
habit into my students. The more you dance full out, the better you will be and the easier it is to perform on
stage. Not to mention, the more you dance full out, the better the energy is as a whole in the classroom. We all feed
off each others’ energy and, as a teacher, I feed off my students as well. It’s human nature. The energy that moment
was perfect. Everyone felt it. Is it possible to have this all the time? I think so, if you are hungry for it. But it’s easy
to follow in the student next to you’s not-as-eager ways.
So think about that next time you are in a rehearsal. Think about how each dancer affects the other dancers around
them. Energy is contagious. If you dance full out, everyone will feel it and try a little harder to dance full out
too. Next thing you know, everyone will be sweating, panting, and smiling. We dance because we love it, so how
about we start feeling that from now on? Yes, even in rehearsal. Dance like it’s the last time you will be able to
dance, every time. Feel it. Live it. Not only will you make your dance teacher so much happier, but you will make
yourself happier as well, and you’ll be shocked to see how quickly your dance skills start improving.
Dance On!
Photo credit: Nicola Selby – www.nicolaselby.com