Utilizing Emotion: Winning Dance Competitions by Tugging Heartstrings
Realizing My Strength
During my younger years, I recognized my talent for dancing, although I acknowledged that there were others who excelled more than me. I lacked proficiency in certain areas like turn sequences and sharpness, and I struggled with some dance styles. However, my strength lay in conveying profound emotions through both my facial expressions and body movements.
My First Solo
Competing in my first solo happened when I was 15 years old. While this might be considered late compared to many other competitive dancers, the cost of solos was high, leading my mom to opt for more affordable duos and trios. However, after persistent requests from me and encouragement from my teachers, my mom eventually agreed I could compete a solo. I chose "Begin Again" by Rachel Platten as my song, not realizing at the time how deeply personal it would become as I embarked on learning my dance routine.
Finding Solace in Dance
During my second year of high school, I made some unfortunate social decisions that led to me being isolated at school. I ended up losing several friends and felt completely adrift. I wanted so badly to "Begin Again". Expressing myself through my solo performance became a way for me to release my emotions and discover a valuable lesson that remains with me to this day: it's not perfection but rather connection that truly shines in competitions.
Competing with Emotion
As I stood on the side of the stage of my first competition, waiting for my turn, I watched the talented girl I was up against with growing unease. She possessed exceptional qualities - incredible flexibility, flawless technique, and a beautiful sense of musicality. I felt an increase of nausea. However, my personal experiences from school were at the core of my first solo. Before stepping onto the stage, I reminded myself of the emotions I wanted to convey to the judges. I aimed for them to empathize with my high school struggles and connect with my narrative. I yearned for a fresh start, hoping they too had experienced similar feelings and would relate to me.
Winning first place in that competition came as a surprise to me. In my following solo performances, I focused on the same concept of focusing on emotion to tell a story, including the more cheerful ones. One of the solos I performed was to "Beautiful Thing" by Grace VanderWaal, which I dedicated to my closest friend. There was a particular moment near the beginning of the performance when the music intensified, and I would break into a smile. Every time I did this, cheers would erupt from my friends as they became engrossed in my narrative. I distinctly recall one of the judges commenting in their audio critique, "Ah, yes, make it sappy!"
Helping others to experience a warm connection during my performance was a deep and inspiring moment, spreading joy to those who viewed my dance. The excitement of eliciting such feelings in others energized me and became a consistent goal for every performance.
The Impact of Storytelling
During my senior year of high school, I had an experience that solidified my belief in the significance of storytelling through dance. I did a solo to the song "Goodbye My Lover" by James Blunt at a competition and secured first place. However, it was only upon receiving the audio critiques that I truly understood the reason for my victory. One of the judges was deeply touched and moved to tears by my performance. While I recognize that my technical abilities may not have been flawless, it was my capacity to convey my narrative with authentic passion that deeply resonated with the judge on an emotional level. This incident acted as a poignant reminder of the importance of storytelling in the realm of dance.
Pulling from Personal Experience
By drawing from my own life experiences, I developed a deep emotional capacity. Each performance served as a platform to express my feelings and narrate my personal journey through movement. The sincerity and intensity of my emotions on stage struck a chord with both the audience and judges, establishing a profound connection that went beyond technical proficiency. Even if you do not connect to a song directly, you can always find ways to connect in your own way so that you can display the appropriate emotions and therefore share the story. In the words of the esteemed choreographer Martha Graham, "Dance is the hidden language of the soul," encapsulating the idea that dance is a means of storytelling and human connection, underscoring its unique ability to communicate profound emotions and narratives that words cannot fully convey.
Conclusion
Simply put, I strongly believe in the importance of prioritizing emotion in dancing. Dance serves as a form of communication that aims to unite us. Through the use of emotion, you can relate to others and express authentic human feelings in a manner that words cannot fully capture.
If you're looking for ways to up your emotion game, check out this helpful blog by Ian Crewe: How to Tell a Story Through Dance
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