I'm pleased to announce the publication by Human Kinetics of my latest book: Dance Psychology for Artistic and Performance Excellence (co-authored with Dr. Elena Estanol). This is a follow-up to my first-ever 1995 book, Psychology of Dance, which I wrote with my late mother, Ceci Taylor. For those not familiar with my work in dance, I have [...]
Almost every dancer has at some time in his or her career experienced the feeling of complete self-confidence. Honed, strong, and relaxed, you know you are dancing well. It is a feeling of invincibility that usually results in a great performance. Self-confidence may be the single most important ingredient for successful performing. It enables you [...]
One of the toughest questions dancers can ask of themselves is “What should my goals be for this year?” Deciding whether to perform, teach, or attain a certain level in class can influence significantly what level is ultimately reached. In a recent post, various ways of increasing motivation through a well-planned training program were discussed. [...]
Recently a young dancer came to us with a problem. It seems that she always danced well in class, but on stage she got so nervous she would dance poorly or lose her balance. She and her teachers believed she had the ability, but they did not know how to deal with her anxiety. This [...]
Have you ever known a dancer who seemed to have everything: strength, skill, coordination, agility. But for some reason he or she doesn’t make it. How about the dancer who doesn’t seem to have those physical gifts? He or she is not exceptionally strong or agile. Yet, for some reason, he or she rises to [...]
The last post demonstrated how dancers may develop and implement an individualized Dance Imagery program. With hard work and commitment, dancers may be taking that extra step needed for them to dance their very best. But adhering to the program will not necessarily produce results. Consequently, this post will look at some factors that affect [...]
The value of mental imagery in improving performance has been supported by considerable research and accounts by many dancers. Dance Imagery refers to repeatedly imagining a dance performance with the goal of improving specific technical and artistic skills. Ideally, it involves reproducing the total sensory and physical experience of actual performance including visual, auditory, tactile, [...]
Dancers have been training for many years and are now physically, technically, and psychologically ready for the performance. They have laid the foundation that will allow them to perform at their highest level. Now all that remains is for them to prepare specifically for the upcoming performance. The following is a compilation of various techniques [...]
Dancers have been training for many years and are now physically, technically, and psychologically ready for the performance. They have laid the foundation that will allow them to perform at their highest level. Now all that remains is for them to prepare specifically for the upcoming performance. The following is a compilation of various techniques [...]
The roles of the dance instructor are many and diverse. The instructor must be a teacher, trainer, parent, friend, and a psychologist. This is a lot of responsibility for one person, and it takes considerable experience before an instructor is capable of fulfilling all of these roles effectively. Much time and energy has been spent [...]