10 Daily Practices for Dancers
Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
Get up 10 minutes early to do theraband exercises or any supplementary exercises that can fire you for the day ahead. Perhaps listen to some slow, relaxing music to be sure you are not rushing through the exercises without proper attention.
Before going to sleep each night, lay comfortably to visualise specific daily class corrections. Affirm the corrections you have been given by your teacher or coach. If it is apparent to a teacher/coach that you are pre-thinking your work, he/she will be more inclined to give you attention in class to reward your dedication.
Be prepared to perfect the art of perseverance in preparation for sustaining a life in ballet.
Realise personal limitations, but strive to extend yourself. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.
Ballet is an ever-evolving art form.
The brain needs 600 to 700 repetitions to learn a movement and 3500 repetitions to change a habit.
It works if you work it!
Make it a habit to write notes after class. Maybe keep a page or more for each exercise, so that you can continually add to it and access it easily.
When you feel nervous in performance, try to trust yourself wholly and let your intuition guide you. Nervousness surrounding what you are doing is a sign of acute awareness, turn it into a good sign, a sign that you deeply care about your work.
