3 Things Every Dancer Should Know About Setting And Achieving Their Dance Goals

By Kimberly Kjersten, Dance Instructor and Life Coach

PART 1 OF 3 – this is a 3 part series, stay tuned for parts 2 & 3!

Knowing how to set and achieve your goals as a dancer is about as close as you can come to rubbing a genie bottle. Whatever you want as a dancer you can have through goal setting, and growing the skill of goal setting and achieving will not only help with your overall improvement as a dancer, but will help you succeed in the rest of your life as well!

Why should we set dance goals? Achieving goals that are meaningful to you can:

• Help you to enjoy your dancing more

• Lead to improved health and well-being AND

• Increase your self-confidence and belief in yourself

The first thing you need to know about setting and achieving your dance goals: There is a right way to decide which goals to set!

Decide The Result

Think about what result you want in your dancing. Do you wish you had a big, beautiful grand jeté? Want to be able to turn without hopping? Do you want to be less distracted in class, or not get upset when you get corrections from your teacher? Wish you could nail a certain Acro or Tap trick you’ve been working on for a long time? It’s important to know exactly what results you’re looking for, rather than just wanting to be a better dancer.

Set 2-3 Goals That Lead to The Result

Once you know the specific result you’re looking for, consider what is keeping you from having that already. Are you not quite flexible or strong enough for that trick, and if that is the case, what parts of your body need to be stronger or more flexible? Does your brain tell you things that keep you from getting what you want? Are you practicing enough throughout the week to get the result?

Once you know what is in the way of having that result (the obstacles), you will set 2 or 3 goals based on those obstacles. For example, if your goal is to get a really strong grand jeté, then one of your goals might be to get your right and left splits all the way down, and a second goal might be to be able to jump off one leg high enough to reach a certain spot on the wall.

Specific and Measurable

Notice how both of those goals are things you can easily measure to know if you are making progress and to know exactly when you’ve reached them. If you can jump and reach the spot on the wall, you’ve achieved that goal. If there is no more space between your body and the floor in your splits, then you’ve achieved that goal. It is not enough to just say, “I need to jump higher,” or “I need to be farther down in my splits.” Ask yourself, “How will I know once I’ve reached my goal?”

Focus On 1 Goal At a Time

Okay, have your two or three goals? Next, you will pick ONLY 1 GOAL to focus on and perfect first! When working toward achieving your goals, it is important to only pay attention to improving one thing at a time before moving on to the next. This way, your attention is not split between more than one thing, and this one goal can become a habit so you don’t have to work as hard on it when it’s time to move on to the next goal.

I want you to write this goal down somewhere where you will see it regularly and be reminded. Goals need to be front and center, or else they can be easily forgotten!

Ask For Help!

If any of this feels too hard to figure out on your own, ask your parents or dance instructor to help you! It is very common to need some help and input when learning a new skill like goal setting.

I do recommend, though, either emailing your teacher, or setting up a time outside of class to speak with him or her about your goals. In class, your teachers will likely be focused on their own goals for the class and may not have time to give that individual goal attention.

Now What?

Now that you have your set of 2-3 goals, and have decided which goal to focus on first, we will create our plan next. My exact guide for breaking down and planning your goal will be included in Part 2 of this series, so be sure to have that first goal front and center and stay tuned so you know what to do with it!

Much luck with this, dancers. You are already well on your way to becoming the dancer you have dreamed of being. With some thinking, planning and focus, you get to decide your future, just like that genie from the magic lamp granting your wishes.

Kimberly Kjersten
Dance Instructor – 18 years
Retired Professional Dancer – 6 years
Goal & Results Life Coach – 3 years
www.theabundantedge.com