You are not perfect. There are billions of people better than you. You are not the best in the world.
That’s reality, y’all. But before you close this blog, stay with me. Your job isn’t to be perfect, there is no such thing. It is to be the best YOU you can be. And this world is HUGE, it would be boring to settle at the top, who would you learn from and where would you GROW? That dose of realness is just a reminder that, in this dance world, we are all doing the best we can to be the best we can be. Hopefully you are now agreeing with me and I’ve gotten your attention back. So, here is my question-
Why are we still being so mean to those who seem “better” than us if we are all ultimately just all trying our best?
Why has a dance competition turned into a personal vendetta against anyone who scores higher or anyone you think is “better” than you? Dance is so incredibly vulnerable. We work so hard to present choreography that creates emotional response from an audience. We put ourselves on a stage in front of so many people to show the world all the things we have spent countless hours working on. We open ourselves up 100% for critiques and we are constantly on a journey of receiving and applying criticism. So if we are all aware that we are all doing this and we all know the hard work, stress, anxiety, and nerves that it takes, then why add drama? Why not acknowledge that every dancer feels the same way and respect every person who shares the love of dance and the courage to showcase it on a stage? Why not watch, support, and compliment those who inspire us? WE ARE ALL ULTIMATELY JUST TRYING TO DO OUR BEST.
Here is a story for you (names are anonymous but the story is real)…
Mary and Sue went to two different studios in the same city. Their studios had a history of being rivals and very competitive. Mary and Sue both took dance as much as they could. They both practiced and trained hard. They were both wonderful dancers. They both went to the same competition. They both were incredibly rude to each other. They both didn’t clap for each other, support each other, in fact they decided they would talk poorly about the other one just to cause more drama. When Sue took first place instead of congratulating her Mary posted some very mean things on Instagram. 5 years later Mary and Sue were both living in NYC. They both were dancing and training as much as possible. They both went to an audition and they both got the part. They were both cast as EQUALS. It didn’t matter to anyone at that audition where they came from, that Sue had once received a first place and beat Mary, that their studios had such a rivalry. IT DID NOT MATTER. All that energy toward being mean to each other, all those hurt feelings, all the negativity during a time where being supportive could have meant so much, it was all for no reason at all. At the end of the day all that mattered was that they were both dancing and training and working hard. They were actually EQUALS. They were actually working toward the same goal and there was enough room in the dance world for both of them to succeed.
So why are we wasting energy being mean to each other? You may not get first. You may not get cast. You may not land the job. But choosing to be mean to those who do seems like a lot of wasted energy when everyone is ultimately just doing the best they can do. We are all wanting the same thing. There is enough room for everyone. It is OK to choose kindness.
Focus on yourself and treating people the way you want to be treated. Clap, congratulate, compliment, support, acknowledge, inspire.
Hey y’all, Let’s all root for each other and watch each other grow.
Liz
