There is much to be learnt from dance competitions as a young, aspiring dancer. However, it is sometimes hard to see it amongst all the craziness that preparing for a competition can bring. Dance competitions can teach many lessons, much more than just dancing on stage in a costume, but it can be difficult to remember this at more challenging moments.
Competitions give you chance to showcase your talents – you never know who is watching! It is a widely held belief that one half of success is hard work and talent, and the other half is being in the right place at the right time, and competitions are the perfect place to deliver your talents to a new audience.
Competitions are also a brilliant want to gain more performance experience. Once you are on the competition circuit they can be a regular occurrence – you might find yourself competing over multiple weekends for a period of time. Every performance is different so competitions act as a great way to hone your craft and learn something new by watching other dancers and soaking up the atmosphere. The opportunity to perform is precious, and every dancer takes something different from it. Competitions are also a place to take on constructive criticism, to make your performance even stronger.
With constructive criticism can also come disappointment. Competitions can be tough, and you may not perform as well as you would have liked to for any number of reasons. They can be hugely enjoyable but they are also a place to take on board less positive experiences and let them mould you into a well-rounded dancer – the dance world can be fickle so the learnings can be both negative and hugely positive. What is most important is that you persevere and push through disappointments.