Perfectionists

               “Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.” – Martha Graham

 A thing most dancers struggle with is being perfectionists; this is a blessing and a curse. Dance is a sport where everyone loves each other’s imperfections, it what makes them interesting as a person, however everyone also loves, wants, and strives for perfect technique.

              Most of the girls I dance with that truly love and are passionate about dance are very hard on themselves, they could do a dance beautifully and still find one hundred things they could have done better. However, this is what makes most of them exceptional. The girls who always find something to work on and actually work on it until they are satisfied, are the dancers who transition from great to beyond compare, and sometimes they still will never achieve satisfaction with it. It’s a part of dancers nature to want to make everything in their dance piece or technique in general perfect, and that leads to a more desired work ethic.

Every teacher, or coach wants girls who are going to work hard and strive for perfection, it makes the team better and creates greater success in their season. However, sometimes this sense of needing to be perfect becomes unhealthy, and unfortunately it happens way too often. Instead of needing to perfect the dance and their technique, they try to perfect themselves as well, their body, appearance, and dancing is all being looked at through a microscope to find every possible flaw even the slightest ones. Often times the insecurity and feeling of being inadequate is carried into every part of life. It's a lot more common than people would realize and sometimes goes unnoticed.

             Although I find this strange that one would be so critical of themselves, I am one of those “perfectionists,” I beat myself up until I get everything the way I envisioned it, if not try to make it better. If I step off the dance floor and feel I didn’t have an outstanding performance I go home and practice it until it is how I wish it was before the next time I perform. I find myself dancing on average about 21 hours a week. I will stay up all night trying to make my assignment or project perfect for school. I spend all this time trying to make everything perfect and I still always wonder how it is that dancers value others imperfections and find them beautiful but can never except their own; but maybe that is what makes dancers grow to become better people.