Today I would like to talk about how important it is to surround ourselves with an environment that is supportive for our goals and visions.
In my life, I have experienced moments where I would actively visit dance classes either by being a member of a dance group or attending dance workshops out of the group.
Building your dance career when not being a part of a dance group might be more challenging as you need to find other ways how to stay committed and focused on what you want. But at the same time the journey might be more colourful and also testing you, if that what you do is what you really want.
I had so much fun and beautiful things happening when walking this dance path out of the dance group. I had many beautiful encounters with people when exploring new creative environments.
And I also see how beneficial it is to be part of a dance group. The community is very powerful and when healthy and supportive, your dance and creative progress might be very accelarating. Aside of building your dance skills on regular basis, you can meet great friends in your dance group and have life long experiences together. The problem might occur when your dance environment, dance group is not that healthy and supportive. There might be a lot of comparing between the members coming from sense of hierarchy in the group. This is something that I also experienced and for young people this experience might be negatively impacting their future dance life, if not overcomed. I know several people who stopped dancing because they just didn't feel validated within the group.
This could be negative side being in a wrong environment. My experience mainly comes from hip hop dance communities which are highly competitive and sometimes based more on fear than love but it also took me a moment to recognised it. It takes good leaders to create a healthy environment, and it is a gift to encounter them. I am also aware that the experience of each person in the group is unique based on his/her own internal environment (belief system).
Nowadays, I believe, there is more awareness among young dancers and their nature is more collaborative than competitive.
What can we do if we feel that we do not fit to any existing community nearby? We can start to create our own community by doing things that we love. Our vibe starts to attract our tribe and we create our own environment full of people and connections that resonate with us.
The environment is not just about taking or giving classes, it is also about information we choose to listen to, what we watch and take in, who we meet, where we go, what events and gatherings we visit. This all could be supportive to build our creative environment if chosen properly and with intention. We can ask ourselves if this event or person is supportive of the direction I am taking. Who are your cheerleaders and who are those who watch you but stay silent?
I wish you as much cheerleaders as possible on your dance and creative journey.
With Love,
Jindriska
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