Finding Your Voice as a Dancer

This is a topic that has been on my mind as I've come to realise that for me, this blog is my way of getting my voice heard and out there for others to hear and respond to. It feels both exciting and freeing to be able to share my experiences and thoughts, especially as this is something I have struggled to do for most of my life. I thought it was important to share how I feel about this as it may help other dancers, or people in general, to be brave enough to step out and share their thoughts as I know it is quite difficult for many.

I was always the type of kid to receive the school report that would say: 'Tessa is a dedicated student who does well with all of her schoolwork. However, it would be great if she answered more questions in class and was involved more in class discussions'. I got pretty used to getting that school report, it happened basically every semester that I went to 'normal' school (in Years 9 and 10, I did school via distance education, and therefore didn't really need to converse much with anyone at all!). I never really felt comfortable trying to change the way I was at school, because there was actually a reason behind why I didn't really speak up very much. I was very much afraid of being wrong, or saying something that would be deemed as incorrect. I think I cared a lot about what my teachers and peers thought of me (and to a large extent still do), and felt that it was easier to just rely on things I knew I could do well (like assignments and tests) rather than step out of my comfort zone and have a chance of being wrong or judged.

Sometimes I wonder whether this mindset was influenced or enhanced by my ballet training. In general, dance focuses on the movement of the body, and very rarely the voice. This focus on movement often means that dancers aren't used to sharing their opinions, or are shy and quiet by nature as they are used to expressing themselves in a different way to most. Often the people who connect most with dance are those who find it to be the best way to express themselves, as talking and other forms of expression may not be a strong point of theirs. In my experience, it is quite common for a ballet teacher to ask a question in a class, and for no one to answer or for only a few to speak. We are hesitant to share our thoughts because we aren't well practiced in doing so, especially as we are expected to take direction and corrections without really sharing how we feel. This is, of course, part of the discipline of the art form, but sometimes hinders our ability to speak up. It is however super important for us as dancers to find our own voice, opinions and thoughts, and to share these things with the world. This new generation of dancers has the potential to change the dance industry for the better, but we need to step up and speak about what we believe is right, as well as contribute to the creative process as much as we can.

The ballet world in particular is full of tradition and history, which is part of what I love about it. However, our world is changing and so is ballet along with it. For a while ballet has been evolving from pure classical works to include many more modern and contemporary ballet pieces, which involve a lot more input from the dancers in the creative and rehearsal processes. This is a great opportunity for us as dancers to have a say in what we do onstage, but to do so we need to be brave enough to speak up when given the chance. There is also growing opportunity for dancers to have more of a say in the industry as a whole: what we think is fair, what needs changing as our world changes, etc. Our voices can be more powerful than we expect, and even just sharing an idea could be the start of something great.

So, how do you start to find your voice? In my personal experience (although it is really still a work in progress for me), part of doing this is becoming comfortable in possibly being wrong or judged, and throwing myself into situations where I am challenged to share my thoughts without having had time to think things through too much. It can become easy to rehearse what you are going to say if you aren't very confident in your opinions or ability to articulate those opinions, but in allowing yourself to just speak without criticizing every word, it becomes easier to share what you are truly thinking. By putting yourself in these situations, you begin to practise this more often and of course, get better at it.

I would also love to encourage everyone to also practise putting your thoughts into writing, and sharing that as well. If you are reading this blog post and thinking 'Hmmm, maybe I should start a blog because I have thoughts I want to share', definitely go for it! Even if not a great number of people end up reading it, you may find that you will have touched or inspired at least one person by sharing something important to you. You also will at least be getting your thoughts out in writing, which can be really helpful for self reflection and discovery. I certainly feel so much more willing to be involved in discussions with others now, and I absolutely love writing blog posts - especially about dance and topics that are close to my heart. I believe dancers are some of the most interesting people, as they have had such unique experiences that are often so different to everyday life. This is part of why it is so important for us all to share these experiences and what they have taught us with others - to help bring them a new perspective that may be very different from their own.