Friday, May 6, 2011

CRISTICISM: Is it necessary for growth?

I just read this great article in Dance Spirit Magazine. It was about dealing with criticism in dance. When I first started reading it, I thought that is was going to make criticism out to be a negative thing. However, I was wrong, it did not. This is the quote that lead me to believe that...

"Sometimes a steady stream of corrections can leave you feeling overwhelmed, leading you to lose sight of your love for the art form."

Remember that you go to dance class to get better. "Try not to take criticism personally, especially when it relates directly to your technique. Getting negative feedback does not mean that you are not talented." Linda Hamilton (dance psychologist) points out, "to improve in anything, we need feedback to know what is working and what isn't."

How to handle criticism? "Handling criticism with maturity and positivity requires inner strength. You have to try to love yourself as you are and forgive yourself when something isn't progressing as fast as you'd hoped." There is not end to learning.