I have pursued dance training because I love it, it is a passion of mine that I want to explore and brings me joy to be apart of. However in dance being driven by passion alone doesn’t always work for me because I don’t always feel motivated to dance or be creative; this has often made me feel that I don’t have enough passion for dance and that I have failed if I feel burnt out or don’t have the mental energy to keep going. 

Motivation in dance is often portrayed through perfectionism, that you must keep going to reach a perfect standard which can often be grueling and take out the joy of dance which can lead you to not enjoy dance anymore and drop out of it, as stated in this study of perfectionism, burnout and motivation in dance, ‘researchers have consistently found that evaluative concerns (perfectionism) are associated with elevated burnout scores’ (Nordin-Bates, Sanna M, Raedeke, Thomas D, Madigan, Daniel J, 2017)

To counteract perfectionism in motivation I want to start implementing intrinsic motivation into my life as well as my dance practice. Sometimes I don't always follow my motivation to do something I want to do and instead force myself to do the things I should be doing (school work for example). I have written down what activities I do that are pursued because they give me joy: talking to my friends, doing art work, dancing, writing, reading and exploring the city. I can often neglect these activities as I feel like I have to be focusing on improving in dance. However when I ignore my many other passions and practice dance without intrinsic motivation I lose interest and excitement in doing dance. So I have looked at what aspects make me feel joy in doing my other activities and see if there is a crossover to ground base foundation. I have found seeing the openness in being in a new place to that of excepting that I am new to ground base and therefore have to be open to trying and failing at the movements. The enjoyment of perseverance in art, reading and writing can be seen in how I could approach ground base with more determination to improve. In this reflection I have seen how I can improve my motivation and my well being by changing my perspective.

The class that this video is from I remember journalling and feeling quite frustrated that I was struggling with this movement. I took time after class to write about it and then to try to improve the movement's fluidity. In this video I felt motivated after writing to attempt this movement that I was struggling with a few times.

Proper knee tracking in ground base foundation is important as many of the foundational shapes have our knees bent, such as the tripod stand. We often move through these shapes rather than hold them so it can be easy for our knees to fall out of line with our ankles. 

In my warm ups I now practice the tripod stand changes from left to right at a slower pace to check my knees are tracking over my toes to engage my body and mind with more awareness of knee tracking so I am less like to have an acute or overuse injury in my knees. This can be seen in the video attached.

SciDance Podcast, Kathleen Gaines, Why are we still so bad at addressing dancer’s mental health? (2022)

SciDance Podcast, Periodization with Kim Hutt, (2020)

Sport Motivation, Ken Hodge, (1994)

Nutrition For The Dancer, Zerlina Mastin, (2009)

IADMS Alignment of the leg and its impact of the dancer’s knee, Liane Simmel, (2014)

IADMS Nutrition Resource Paper, Jasmine Challis RD, Adrienne Stevens EDD, (2016, updated 2019)

Perfectionism, Burnout and Motivation in Dance, Nordin-Bates, Sanna M, Raedeke, Thomas D, Madigan, Daniel J, (2017) 

For example, in the mornings of an average training day I have oats/muesli and a banana as my carbohydrates, yoghurt and nuts for my protein and seeds and peanut butter for my fats. This meal has helped my energy last for a good amount of time before I need lunch or snacks. This is because of the low glycemic index (GI) in the oats and banana that releases energy at a slower pace, it is helpful to know that eating foods containing high GI will give me energy much quicker.

I have had times where I have seen how not eating fueling foods and hydrating frequently affects me in class; I once didn't eat enough breakfast and was shocked by my dizziness and lack of focus in class was so drastic from just not eating quite enough. I've also had days where I've forgotten my water bottle and have had headaches and dizziness in the day. From these experiences I know how important it is to make sure I am giving my body enough energy to get through tough classes.

Numerous classes in a day, like groove foundation, ground based foundation, cunningham and improvisation, means I will eat low GI carbohydrates in meals that combine the three macronutrients.

For days like this I have also changed the types of snacks I eat that used to be made up of higher fat and protein foods which wouldn’t give me energy quickly as fat takes longer to digest so now I snack with bananas, apples, satsumas and energy bars.

I am also starting to eat high protein snacks after classes as, according to IADMS paper on nutrition for dancers (Challis RD, Stevens EDD, 2016, updated 2019), protein contains amino acids that help with repair and rebuild of muscles, which after intense exercise helpful to reduce soreness. There is also research showing that the protein you eat after exercise can be stored in muscles and used effectively. Learning this information I am able to keep my mental and physical focus to engage and improve in challenging classes.