I will preface this by saying: I'm not a dancer. But, having said that - watch some of the World Ballet Day class videos by some of the top companies in the world. The professional dancers still get corrections - even the principals still get corrections and still have things to learn and to work on. The best people in the world, in whatever profession or role, have one thing in common: They are *teachable*. Captain Joe, a pilot, ends his RUclips videos with "A good pilot is always learning," and you can replace 'pilot' with 'ballet dancer' or 'teacher' or whatever your own job or role is. I love you, Katie, you're so kind and thoughtful and just such a wonderful person, which is why I keep coming back to watching your videos even though I'm not a dancer.
Absolutely brilliant video! I have forwarded it to everyone I know, and none of us are dancers! Here is my contribution: Learn to be your own best friend! It seems to me that many dancers and other ambitious people are perfectionistic. This trait is often linked to negative self-talk. Would you tell a friend, "I can't believe you can't do that skill we just learned. Everybody else is doing it perfectly. You should be ashamed of yourself. Nobody will ever hire you." If you wouldn't say it to a friend, why are you saying it to yourself? Look up the list of "cognitive distortions." Having different standards for yourself than for others is a distortion referred to as "double standard." Look at all the other examples. Eg. Magnification, minimization, emotional reasoning, all or nothing thinking etc etc How many of these sound familiar? (This applies to everybody, not just dancers.) Why do cognitive distortions happen? Well, there may be many contributing reasons, but here are two BIG ones: Lack of sleep and lack of proper nutrition, which lead to low moods. And distorted thoughts. If you're having a particularly bad day, ask yourself whether you had enough sleep? When was the last time you ate? Keeping your blood sugar levels at a steady sameness, avoiding spikes of high and low, is one of the simplest ways we can help ourselves maintain a better mood. Thank you so much for this very excellent video! 🙏💚🎄♥️
All of this is so true, for anyone who wants to dig deeper I highly recommend looking up the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset (which is essentially what the word "yet" is). Life changing!!
I quit dancing when I was 15 because I was in an awful spot with my mental health and ballet became more of a chore than something I enjoyed. I’m restarting taking adult classes now at 22 and trying to go into it with a more positive mindset. Thank you for sharing this!
Kathryn I just love it. Today I ve decided to learn how to do foutte turns. I can t do them yet It’s so different then just saying lowing to myself that I can do it Your are remarkable!!!! Thank you ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you, Kathryn. I really needed to watch this. This morning in class, my brain and body were shut down, and had to sit out most of the class. My teacher and classmates, bless their souls, were gentle and caring toward me as they continued on - I felt so safe and loved during this time of great vulnerability. Thanks for reading and I'm especially enjoying your deconstructions. Merde! (but only if it's downwind of you.) 😉
Love this video Katie! All of these are great tips. I would also add that everyone has bad days in their field of work, no matter how experienced or skilled they are. It doesn’t mean that you’re terrible at what you do, it just means that you’re human! Remembering that has really helped me stay motivated and positive, no matter what I’m pursuing. By the way, love your outfit and lipstick. They look beautiful on you! ❤
I still remember my first audition experiences. I was 12 and my teacher said I want you to go to auditions with the older girls. She told me I wasn’t quite ready but she thought the experience would be a good introduction for me. Because of the way she explained it to me, I went in with no expectations and could just embrace the experience and the different teachers. It had a direct effect on my mindset going forward in my career.
I entered two minis in a mini painting contest & didn't win... but the judges took the time to talk to everyone who wanted it and gave each person feedback! It was awesome. I honestly wasn't expecting to win, I just thought it'd be cool to enter. I learned so much from the judge's feedback and from seeing the things other painters did, so it ended up being an even more positive and powerful experience than I expected. I'm currently taking a lyrical class (all the ballet classes don't work with my work schedule this year) & just found out I'm going to be in the recital. The problem? This is the first modern/lyrical class I've taken in 25 years! So... Yeah... You know what? I'm just going to do my best & hopefully I'll look OK on stage with the rest of my class, which consists of people who have been taking lyrical more recently than I have. 😂
As a teacher, the phrase we use for feedback is "what went well," and "even better if" so that students see things as a growth opportunity rather than a failure
Another one I use is “I get to…” instead of “I have to…”. Using “I have to” in my brain makes it sound and feel like a chore…whereas “I get to” brings excitement into play.
Thank you so much for this Kathryn, we are constantly in this dance we call life, we are all dancers of life. This goes so much deeper than you think, I really appreciate you for making this video, this was just what I needed to hear today. Thank you.
Voy a una clase de ballet para adultos y me esfuerzo mucho para hacerlo bien pero muchas cosas me salen mal aún , muchas veces salgo de clase deprimida y frustrada y solo me centro en las cosas que hago mal ! Tu vídeo me ha animado mucho , tengo que cambiar la mente y ver todo lo que estoy aprendiendo ! Me encantan todos tus vídeos , siempre practico puntas con tus videos ! Muchas gracias , hoy he salido triste de clase y este video me ha ayudado ❤🥰👍
I am capable of learning/doing this. Progress not perfection (much harder for a dancer than the designers I teach I'm sure) - My favorite that my daddy told me all the time when I was in my head about anything ... his response was whatever it was "is a marathon and not a sprint"
I will preface this by saying: I'm not a dancer. But, having said that - watch some of the World Ballet Day class videos by some of the top companies in the world. The professional dancers still get corrections - even the principals still get corrections and still have things to learn and to work on. The best people in the world, in whatever profession or role, have one thing in common: They are *teachable*. Captain Joe, a pilot, ends his RUclips videos with "A good pilot is always learning," and you can replace 'pilot' with 'ballet dancer' or 'teacher' or whatever your own job or role is.
I love you, Katie, you're so kind and thoughtful and just such a wonderful person, which is why I keep coming back to watching your videos even though I'm not a dancer.
Thank you so much for the kind words! And yes, you are SO right!
Yes! I get so much out of WBD classes. They help me to learn nuances to be a better audience member and in my own like.
Absolutely brilliant video! I have forwarded it to everyone I know, and none of us are dancers!
Here is my contribution:
Learn to be your own best friend!
It seems to me that many dancers and other ambitious people are perfectionistic. This trait is often linked to negative self-talk.
Would you tell a friend, "I can't believe you can't do that skill we just learned. Everybody else is doing it perfectly. You should be ashamed of yourself. Nobody will ever hire you." If you wouldn't say it to a friend, why are you saying it to yourself?
Look up the list of "cognitive distortions." Having different standards for yourself than for others is a distortion referred to as "double standard."
Look at all the other examples. Eg. Magnification, minimization, emotional reasoning, all or nothing thinking etc etc
How many of these sound familiar? (This applies to everybody, not just dancers.)
Why do cognitive distortions happen? Well, there may be many contributing reasons, but here are two BIG ones:
Lack of sleep and lack of proper nutrition, which lead to low moods. And distorted thoughts. If you're having a particularly bad day, ask yourself whether you had enough sleep? When was the last time you ate?
Keeping your blood sugar levels at a steady sameness, avoiding spikes of high and low, is one of the simplest ways we can help ourselves maintain a better mood.
Thank you so much for this very excellent video! 🙏💚🎄♥️
All of this is so true, for anyone who wants to dig deeper I highly recommend looking up the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset (which is essentially what the word "yet" is). Life changing!!
I quit dancing when I was 15 because I was in an awful spot with my mental health and ballet became more of a chore than something I enjoyed. I’m restarting taking adult classes now at 22 and trying to go into it with a more positive mindset. Thank you for sharing this!
Kathryn I just love it. Today I ve decided to learn how to do foutte turns. I can t do them yet It’s so different then just saying lowing to myself that I can do it Your are remarkable!!!! Thank you ❤❤❤❤❤
❤I don't dance currently, but this was so helpful for just life in general! Thank you❤
Thank you, Kathryn. I really needed to watch this. This morning in class, my brain and body were shut down, and had to sit out most of the class. My teacher and classmates, bless their souls, were gentle and caring toward me as they continued on - I felt so safe and loved during this time of great vulnerability. Thanks for reading and I'm especially enjoying your deconstructions. Merde! (but only if it's downwind of you.) 😉
Love this video Katie! All of these are great tips. I would also add that everyone has bad days in their field of work, no matter how experienced or skilled they are. It doesn’t mean that you’re terrible at what you do, it just means that you’re human! Remembering that has really helped me stay motivated and positive, no matter what I’m pursuing.
By the way, love your outfit and lipstick. They look beautiful on you! ❤
Yes! You’re totally right! It’s so important to remember we’re all human. ❤️
Thanks I'm a ballet dancer and your advice is valid.❤❤❤
I can learn it!!!! Sooo sooo precious video!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I still remember my first audition experiences. I was 12 and my teacher said I want you to go to auditions with the older girls. She told me I wasn’t quite ready but she thought the experience would be a good introduction for me. Because of the way she explained it to me, I went in with no expectations and could just embrace the experience and the different teachers. It had a direct effect on my mindset going forward in my career.
I entered two minis in a mini painting contest & didn't win... but the judges took the time to talk to everyone who wanted it and gave each person feedback! It was awesome. I honestly wasn't expecting to win, I just thought it'd be cool to enter. I learned so much from the judge's feedback and from seeing the things other painters did, so it ended up being an even more positive and powerful experience than I expected.
I'm currently taking a lyrical class (all the ballet classes don't work with my work schedule this year) & just found out I'm going to be in the recital. The problem? This is the first modern/lyrical class I've taken in 25 years! So... Yeah... You know what? I'm just going to do my best & hopefully I'll look OK on stage with the rest of my class, which consists of people who have been taking lyrical more recently than I have. 😂
As a teacher, the phrase we use for feedback is "what went well," and "even better if" so that students see things as a growth opportunity rather than a failure
Another one I use is “I get to…” instead of “I have to…”. Using “I have to” in my brain makes it sound and feel like a chore…whereas “I get to” brings excitement into play.
Another one I use instead of “I have to…” is “I want to…” like, instead of saying “I have to do my dishes” I would say “I want my dishes to be clean.”
@ Oh I like that! Going to try that one!
I knit. I just finished watching Knit with Hannah talk about these ideas in the context of knitting. Creativity! Woo hoo!
This is such a helpful tip for anything in life!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
I wrote this down and sent it to my son who started a new business. Thank you Kathryn.
I love that! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this Kathryn, we are constantly in this dance we call life, we are all dancers of life. This goes so much deeper than you think, I really appreciate you for making this video, this was just what I needed to hear today. Thank you.
I'm not a dancer, but this is excellent advice for anyone.
I love it, thank you
Love this! 💕
❤️❤️❤️
Definitely needed this today! Thanks Katie❤
My pleasure ❤️
OMG YET soooo powerful!
Great encouragement, Kathryn! You are a gifted mentor and teacher for so many dancers out there.
Thank you so much!
Great, thank you!
Voy a una clase de ballet para adultos y me esfuerzo mucho para hacerlo bien pero muchas cosas me salen mal aún , muchas veces salgo de clase deprimida y frustrada y solo me centro en las cosas que hago mal ! Tu vídeo me ha animado mucho , tengo que cambiar la mente y ver todo lo que estoy aprendiendo ! Me encantan todos tus vídeos , siempre practico puntas con tus videos ! Muchas gracias , hoy he salido triste de clase y este video me ha ayudado ❤🥰👍
I am capable of learning/doing this. Progress not perfection (much harder for a dancer than the designers I teach I'm sure) - My favorite that my daddy told me all the time when I was in my head about anything ... his response was whatever it was "is a marathon and not a sprint"
You’re absolutely right - progress not perfection is key! It’s so good to remember!
Katie ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 😊
Your as Beautiful as Cruella De Vil Kathryn 😍😍😍