Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed this meme and others like it floating around in Facebookland. It’s the sort of thing that’s a little funny when you see it posted by a non-dancer or by a newish student who is still struggling to get used to an unfamiliar way of moving. But when I see it posted by people who present themselves as performers (professional or amateur), it gives me pause. Sure, it may be funny to share with your friends, but don’t you realize that your potential clients might see it, too? Who is going to want to hire you to dance at their wedding or buy a ticket to see your student showcase if you post memes that boil down to “LOL, I’m so bad at dancing!”?
That’s not to say that you have to go around pretending that you’re perfect at everything. It’s just important to think of how you phrase it when you admit your weakness. For instance, let’s suppose I go to rehearsal and as we’re running a choreography I notice that my mayas are really sloppy because I hadn’t drilled them for a while. I have three options. I can not post about it at all, I can post “Ugh, my mayas suck so much right now” or I can post “My mayas are feeling a bit rough, I’m looking forward to drilling them this week so they’ll be better than ever.” The first option is always viable, the second is negative, and the last shows that you’re aware of your occasional shortcomings but willing to work on them.
It’s also important to think about how you’re presenting yourself in class and workshops. If every time the teacher describes something that seems like it will be difficult you say “I can’t do that!” or you heave a deep sigh, the people around you are going to either think “If she can’t do it, I probably can’t either” or “Geez, I wish she would shut up and let me concentrate on trying this.” Having a negative attitude about yourself and your ability to tackle a challenge is contagious. Plus you have to remember that your classmates are the people you will be working with in the future when it comes to community events or being considered to join a troupe or be invited to take over a paid gig. If you’ve given them the idea that you’re not confident about your abilities, they’re also not going to be confident about you.
You never know who is watching when you put yourself down. The moment you post a self-depreciating meme might be the moment that someone is looking at your FB page to hire you for their huge birthday bash. The moment that you say “I don’t want to layer a chest box on top of that hip pattern” might be when the leader of the coolest troupe in town is deciding whether to invite you to dance with them. The moment that you Tweet “I can’t believe I still suck this much after ten years of dancing” might be when a newbie dancer is trying to decide whether she should keep going to classes.
This isn’t to say that you can’t ever feel bad about yourself or feel frustrated by your lack of progress on something. It’s just that when you have those moments where you can’t believe that you still can’t do three chaine turns without crashing into the wall of the studio, you probably shouldn’t post about them on your Facebook fan page. You should ask your teacher what you’re doing wrong, or cry on your spouse’s shoulder, or go out for drinks with your best dance friend and commiserate about your struggles.
Come back tomorrow when we’ll examine the other side of the coin.