#dancing

New Post has been published on http://dancecompreview.com/from-dancing-to-education-going-beyond-disciplines/

From Dancing to Education: Going Beyond Disciplines

Last month, Erin was celebrating her birthday with family, friends, flowers and her favorite fluffy cat, a gray tabby Main Coon with expressive emerald eyes. She’s from Richmond, Virginia, but lives in New York, with her husband and daughter, where her talent for the multidisciplinary merges two worlds: one where the body tells stories and another where letters dance. Or is it the same?

She is a ballet and ballroom dancer, a dance teacher, a writer of now three novels and an editor at a non-profit digital magazine. Everything seems to fall into place under the overarching mighty spirit of dance.

I interviewed her and published the piece on my blog, but I thought the outcome was worth sharing once again.

So here a few espresso shots of what lessons we can learn…

LESSON #1 – BE CURIOUS

 “I’ve always been naturally curious.”

It’s crucial never to stop learning: talk to experts, study their work, gain more insights. Then, you can share the marrow of your discoveries through your experience of dance. Never forget that the interest people carry for your craft mirrors the attention you put into it.

LESSON #2 – LIVE WITH PASSION

“My passion has been, currently is, and probably always will be dance.”

Living with passion is about ceasing the opportunity, directing one’s energy towards it and transcending it. The same way curiosity shows your interest, passion tells your story. Both are crucial to step beyond all limitations.

LESSON #3 – CONNECT THE DOTS

“Dance is unique in that it, just by its very nature, is a cross-disciplinary activity, both in practice and performance […] I’ve trained myself to seek connections between what can be, at first, disparate elements.”

Dance embodies the physical, the mental, the emotional, the intellectual and the existential. It can have even an influence beyond its circle, from life lessons to learning strategies. The limitlessness of the craft carries in its practice an intensity and a wisdom that narrow paths cannot achieve.

LESSON #4 – REINVENT YOURSELF

 “My passion-centered life is a direct result of being willing to reinvent my place in the dance world.”

Unexpected obstacles, like injuries, and personal changes, like new interests, can make it or kill it. It can nurture the passion and multiply it, only if one knows how to reinvent the self. It’s your capacity to sail through the stormy changes that will get you to port.

Last words…

“Be open to reinvention: yourself, your dancing, your goals, your life.”

Interested in reading the full article? Check it here.

Author:Alexandra Kodjabachi
Exclusively for Dance Comp Review

New Post has been published on http://dancecompreview.com/dancing-vs-banking/

Dancing VS Banking

So, my boss knows that dancing is my life off work and during a small talk at the office the other day he asked me how it influenced my day job. I gave him this long explanation on how banking and dancing correlate… but then it hit me! I thought that it’d be cool to put together my correlating experience of banking and dancing, hoping it could be useful and fun for others.

1. Style and Dress Code

Ballroom dancers are very stylish! Ladies in gorgeous gowns with ostrich feathers and dazzling rhinestones, gentlemen in sharp tailcoats and shiny shoes. Everyone tries to look their best and show themselves off. The business-banking situation is quite similar. We have an office dress code as, of course, we try to impress colleagues and clients with our looks, but, obviously, no stones. So I decided to join the two and now have an evening dress with ostrich feathers for business, and a ballroom dress with a tie and cufflinks.

2. Analysis

Dancing is not only about emotions but also closely associates with science and mathematics (at least for me). We think about timing, lines, directions, positions etc. Moreover, we have the ability to analyze what we do. The precision of coaching methods, depth of our progress and if our dancing is competitive enough compared to other couples. Just like in business, there is no exact formula for success that will suit everyone, but general principals and rules definitely exist. Analysis is the key element in business and in banking – analysis is everything!

3. Partnership

This, probably, is the most important element in both. The principal “only business and nothing personal” does not work (even though some of you might think that this is exactly how it works in banking). An individual approach makes a huge difference! We are not robots and our emotional vulnerabilities actually make us attractive. If you think of your dance partner as a stepping stone to a higher position, your partnership will most likely end in quarrels and irritations. But if you are caring, interested and giving – bingo! You both will gain from it!

The story with banking is exactly the same. We do a bit more than what our business partners expect from us. We offer not only good service, we add personal touch to make every client feel special and important. We know when our customers’ birthdays are, where they spent their vacations, and etc.. and in the end, in case they need to make a choice, they will most likely choose us over our competitors.

4. Quantity & Quality

I’m sure everyone knows of the philosophical law that quantity will transfer into quality. It is not always the case, but if the quantity is used with proper directions, it shall transition into quality. The way it works in dancing – the more you repeat the difficult element, the more chances you have for it to finally look good on the floor. In the office life, quantity of deals, customers, and interesting projects will also result into quality – the quality of your performance, leads and a few extra benefits at the end of the year.

5. Being Well-Organized

To tell the truth, not all dancers are well-organized and have inner discipline. When being creative and emotional it could be rather hard to make yourself obey some boring rules. But it’s necessary to be punctual, have goals, plans and structure your activities in order to hit your dance targets. In business – you do the same! Goals, plans, TARGETS!

6. Persistence

I think the hardest part is not to quit when you’re down. It could be your results, your personal feelings towards your dancing, or not so flattering comments from your coach, or maybe even some partner issues. In business life we also have bad days! (duh!) Deals don’t seem get closed, irritated customers, arguing colleagues… But, you know, the sense of purpose usually helps to find inner strength to keep going and never mind difficulties. You just need to remind yourself how much you love dancing and your job and how many wonderful people you encounter with. Most of all you, you do this for yourself!

I wish everyone to find their favorite job and a lovely hobby, to make your life bright and full of colors! But since you’re here reading this, I bet your job or hobby have already been found.

Author:Anna Pechenova
Editor:Egor Shalvarov
Cover Photography: Elena Anashina
Exclusively for Dance Comp Review

Pennywise Ask #6 - Savage and Sassy

He has respect for nobody except himself…
Don’t talk about his vulnerable baby form, he hates that.

“Year Of The Jellyfish,” 1984.