The power of thought

'All postural alignment patterns, all muscle use and development, all human body movement is directed and coordinated by the activity of our nervous system, in other words, our thinking.' - Irene Dowd, Taking Root to Fly, 1990.

Self-motivation is a powerful force in the making of a dancer. According to Robert Slavin (2000), motivation is 'what gets you going, keeps you going and determines where you are trying to go.' It is the task of the teacher to reinforce the motivation that has brought the student to learn about dance. As teachers, we should be measuring a student's success in terms of effort, improvement and personal best, the achievements a student can control. Success is progress at the student's own level. Delighted recognition of the student's accomplishments reinforces the student's motivation to attempt further tasks and goals and to accept mistakes as a necessary part of learning. If, on the other hand, the student is criticised and corrected more than rewarded, this will prove de-motivating. Julia Buckroyd wrote in The Student Dancer, 'it takes psychological strength to accept and correct mistakes.' That strength is nurtured in a positive and supportive environment. Our motivation increases as task difficulty increases up to the point at which we decide that the goal is not worth the effort. Therefore, to maintain motivation, teachers should challenge students with work which is within their reach, but not their easy reach, and expect that by dint of effort this can be achieved. Dame Marie Rambert famously said, 'The trouble with you is you only believe in what's possible. You have to believe in what's impossible...' Able students need to believe that it is through effort, and not natural ability, that success is achieved.

Autonomous Dancers

Autonomous dancers able to grade themselves on improvement, is the ultimate goal of all dance teachers for their students. We need to help students set their own goals, not in comparison with others, and to link failure to lack of effort rather than to lack of ability. The fundamental principle of motivation is that people work harder for goals they set themselves. Students who are motivated to learn use higher cognitive processes, and absorb and retain more of that learning. The poet Gerard Manley-Hopkins wrote, 'There is a point in me when I must absolutely have encouragement as much as crops need rain: afterwards I am independent.'

Self Esteem

Self-esteem is low in students who perceive mistakes as failures that cannot be corrected easily, whereas students with a positive self-image view mistakes as experiences from which to learn. It is the fear of making mistakes and looking foolish that are the strongest obstacles to developing high self-esteem and motivation. Andrew Evans in his book, Secrets of Performing Confidence adds, 'Matching ambition with reality is the cornerstone of success – it ensures that we get real satisfaction and reinforces our self-esteem as we reach our goals.' We should teach students to recognise, analyse and work on their weaknesses without a teacher’s repeated corrections, and have the confidence to say to themselves, 'I can do this.' Finally saying, with a self-congratulatory mental pat on the back, 'I'm good at this.' It is challenge with success that builds self-esteem.

Anxiety

Anxiety is mainly caused by fear of failure and with it loss of self-esteem. Anxiety inhibits both learning and performance. Even high achievers may be terrified to be less than perfect. In the psychologist Maslow's view, a teacher who can put students at ease, make them feel accepted and respected as individuals, will help them learn for the sake of learning and give them the confidence to risk being creative and open to new ideas. Ninette de Valois described Nicholas Legat as a teacher who gave you a sense of existing in your own right, and never as an automaton for him.

Performance Anxiety, according to Andrew Evans (2003) is a similar reaction to that felt by our cavemen forebears when they confronted wild animals. The fight or flight response of released adrenalin causes the rapid heart beat and faster breathing. This is perfectly normal. Where people differ is that some associate this feeling with fear whilst others associate it with exercise or pleasurable excitement and respond with feelings of elation and positive thoughts of the challenge ahead. The adrenalin rush usually comes about ten minutes before the start of the performance and lasts about ten minutes into it, after which it drops steadily. It is best to accept the inevitable adrenalin reaction and manage it rather than feel intimidated and panic.

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