As I get ready to coach with the amazing Jonathan Roberts this week, I thought about some of the things I consider before taking a coaching session and compiled them for you! But before you read on, if you're wondering what a coaching is or looking for the best way to prepare for one, check out our Pro interviews for more information!

• Decide what you want to work on ahead of time. Do you want a new routine? Are you struggling with one dance in particular that you need extra help with? Having a specific area of focus can make your session more productive. Discuss with your instructor what you’d like to work on, or if you’re uncertain, ask your instructor what they think would be best.
• Use your coaches to their strengths. If a coach is an accomplished Rhythm dancer, then it might make more sense to work with them on one of your Rhythm or Latin routines. Now that’s not to say they couldn’t help you in another style since usually, coaches are very flexible and able to assist in most situations, but they probably have more experience and in-depth knowledge of the styles they’ve worked in more extensively. If you’re not familiar with the coach that’s visiting, look them up online or ask your instructor.
• Set your expectations accordingly. Know how many sessions you have booked with the coach and talk with you instructor about what you can expect to accomplish in that amount of time. You’re not going to be able to fix all of your problems in a 45-minute session, so decide what’s most important to you and communicate that to your instructor.
• Budget ahead of time. Coaches can be very expensive, so figure out what your budget is and discuss with your instructor how many sessions make sense for you. Many times, just one is enough to choreograph a new basic routine or fix a couple of problem areas. Keep in mind that your instructor also needs to be paid for their time during the coaching, so in addition to the cost of the coach, you’ll also be paying for a lesson.

I hope these tips help you get the most out of working with some of the great coaches out there, and please feel free to share your own tips in the comments! Until next time, happy coaching and happy dancing!

Author: D. Schoeppner
Tension. Fear. Cold hands. Sweaty palms. A racing mind about making mistakes. Will I remember that new part of the routine? I don’t want to disappoint my instructor. I want to perform well for my family and friends, judges and audience. I want to place well among the competition. Panic sets in. I have experienced each of these before a performance and competition, just as many of my dance friends, have experienced. It affects not just amateurs but professionals too. All these things can be summed up in one word, “anxiety.”

In this blog post I hope to pass along a few tips that I have found to be very beneficial in coping with, and even defeating, my anxiety about performing and competing on the dance floor. I hope this helps you, too.

​Anxiety is commonly defined as “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” It is based in our psychological thoughts about the imminent event and often leads to performing below your potential.

Some people suggest that you should breathe to calm yourself, simply relax, or just be confident. Although well intended, these have never really helped me and often frustrated me further. What I needed was a practical strategy beyond these superficial ideas of controlling my anxiety. One that can teach me how to gain control of my mind, and think differently by cutting to the root cause of the matter. But, how do I find such a strategy, then implement it?

What I stumbled across, and found to be effective, comes not from the ballroom community, but leveraging two concepts from other environments. The first comes from a world class Olympic Gold Medalist and the second is from the psychological training of mindfulness. By bringing these concepts together, I’ve successfully overcome my anxiety.

First concept - Mindfulness is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.”
Mindfulness practices were inspired mainly by teachings from the Eastern World and have been adopted by many individuals, sports professionals such as Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers as well as the corporate workplaces such as Google, Target, Goldman Sachs, and Aetna.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He says that mindfulness teaches you to be in the moment without projecting from the past or into the future. The present moment often gets squeezed out because we are focused on past mistakes or future results.

Your mind can only think about one thing at a time. So use your mind to stay focused on the moment, and think about what you need to perform your best. Don’t let your mind think of anything but ‘now.’ There will be plenty of time after the performance or competition to review and assess your performance and plan to improve it.

Second concept – A matter of perspective. Lenny Bassham, an American sports shooter who won a gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics, is author of the book With Winning in Mind and founder of Mental Management Systems LLC. He taught me that, to improve your performance, there are only a few things you have to accept. And if you accept them, you create a new and different attitude toward your performance and defeating anxiety.

He says: Everything that happens to you in life happens for a positive reason, if you look for it. Everything that happens needs to happen, because I know that only two things can happen to me. Either I win or I learn. Either I perform well, succeed and feel great about that, or I’m shown something that I absolutely need to see and experience in order to move forward.

When do we learn? We don’t learn much when everything goes right. Lenny said that every champion he ever met says the same thing: you learn more when you fail than when you perform well. We tend to learn when we struggle, when we realize that things didn’t go well because I didn’t train well on that item.

This does not mean you should deliberately fail. You don’t have to do that; life will throw you enough curves. Having the right attitude when you do have a bad performance is critical to your learning and knowing what to work on and where to improve. What happens to you in life doesn’t matter; what you do about it does.

To beat anxiety, go into the performance or competition with this attitude: Whatever happens to me needs to happen so that I can perform well or learn where I still need to improve. If you weren’t trying to improve, you wouldn’t be taking lessons and coaching.

SUMMARY:

1. Mindfulness (focus on the present moment). Focus your mind on the present moment, the now, not about what happened in the past or what the audience, judges, instructor or yourself might think after the fact. Let those thoughts about the past and future go and be in the moment with complete focus on your performance without any attachment to the result.
2. Attitude perspective. Everything that happens during your performance needs to happen. And only two things can result. Either you perform well/win and you can be proud of your accomplishment, or you learn what to improve upon. Either way you look at it, you win. This is what is called a win-win attitude perspective!

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

Mindfulness:

• What is Mindfulness? By Jon Kabat-Zinn.

• 60 Minutes Mindfulness Episode Correspondent Anderson Cooper investigates the benefits of practicing mindfulness techniques on the brain and body.
• Phil Jackson on mindfulness training of his NBA championship Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers teams.
• Stephanie "Steph" Davis on fear. She is one of the world's leading female rock climbers, BASE jumper, and wingsuit flyer who talks about her inside game and fear.
• Corporations’ Newest Productivity Hack: Meditation by Joe Pinsker

Lenny Bassham:

• How to eliminate fear forever and deal with pressure in competition a short discussion by Lenny Bassham
• An hour interview: With Winning in Mind with Lanny Bassham by Brian Johnson

Additional perspectives about managing anxiety from the dance community:

• YouTube video: Overcoming Performance Anxiety & Stage Fright by Kathryn (Katy) Morgan, a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet.
• Dancecompreview.com article: DanceSport Competition Performance Anxiety by Egor Shalvarov.
• Sport Psychology for Competitive Dancers by Joel Minden.
• Dancemania.biz article: How to deal with nerves before a performance by Sophie.
• Ballroom Dance and Psychology is a unique slide presentation by Elise Jones
• Article in Sport Psychologist, Performance Enhancement for Ballroom Dancers: Psychological Perspectives by Patsy Tremayne and Debra A. Ballinger

As promised, I’m excited to share with you another coach interview! I recently had the joy of working with an amazing coach, Mikolay Czarnecki. He had a great perspective to share on some of my rhythm routines, and while he was in the studio I asked him to share his perspective on how to make the most out of coaching.
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What advice do you have for someone to make the most of their coaching? How would you recommend preparing for a coaching?

The Basics
“I don’t think, generally, you need to prepare. You cannot be scared of taking the coaching. You should be excited for learning something new, and you cannot be afraid of making a mistake on a coaching. You’re getting some information that is new, and one suggestion that I have is to not overthink. When you hear information, you actually have to take it and understand what the coach says. Like if he says, ‘Take 3 steps forward,’ then you take it in your head and say, ‘OK he said 3 steps and he said forward.’ So, just physically try to execute the 3 steps forward. No matter how it feels, just take 3 steps and physically feel it. Some problems with the step or how you do it may be very complex, so there are stages of learning it. So in the 1 coaching lesson, you can get through the 3 concepts of 1 movement, but you have to try to physically execute the information you hear. So let’s say you do the 3 steps, and then the next concept is do the 3 steps, but do them all on the toes. Then the next concept is: the first step is on the heel then the next 2 steps are toes. I don’t care how you actually execute it, meaning if you wobble or not, but you still do that heel and then toe, toe - even if you stumble. That’s what I would generally say. You cannot prepare yourself generally, but let’s say you’re going to take a lesson with a coach. You need to practice what you’re going to work on before, so when you come to the lesson you don’t have problems with the routine or some stuff because that’s an additional stress. If you don’t practice, you’ll be focused on what it [your routine] was supposed to be, so then you don’t think about how to execute the step and what the coach wants you to do. That doesn’t work. Especially if you’re working with coaches you’ve never worked with before, you don’t know what to expect, so in the back of your head there is sometimes coaching that you’re not satisfied with in the end. That doesn’t have to be the student’s fault, but it can actually be the fault of the coach. The coach could be an amazing dancer, but he doesn’t explain or teach clearly. He asks you to copy the movement, but you still don’t understand the concept of how to do that step - how to copy the step. So it’s not being scared and have expectations of the coach, but not of yourself. Just go there and basically do your best. That is my suggestion.”

For Advanced Dancers
“For advanced dancers, the explanations are more detailed, so if I work with you, and come back in 3 months, I expect that you’re going to work hard in between the coaching and try to execute whatever you heard the best you can. If not, then of course nobody’s going to yell at you, but deep inside the heart of the coach there’s a disappointment. I haven’t felt that many times, but that happens even with my own students. I know when they practice and when they didn’t. Even when they practice wrong, I can see that they tried to do something about it and then I can always fix it more easily. If you don’t do anything then I need to start from the beginning.”

In Summary
“So that’s just my suggestion; don’t be scared, whether you’re a beginner or more advanced. There’s no difference between the two; it’s basically the same. If you’re taking a coaching, you want to improve your dancing, so you should be excited about it. If it’s a good coach, and they explain enough, then you should feel really good. Sometimes you have a bad day, but [if you] still take the coaching with your teacher, then the teacher will remember. Even if you are falling off your feet and it’s a bad day, still try to do your best. I’ve had a situation where I go to a coaching and nothing comes out, and I get pissed off and it just goes downhill. My coach will stop me and say, ‘Listen, OK you have a bad day. That’s OK, it’s your decision.’ I just told a student it’s your decision. Either you can make it worse, or you can make the best out of it. So that’s my view.”

Bonus: Physical Preparation!

“It’s important to physically prepare, too. Stretch. Go through the motions of the dances you’re going to do. Go through the basic motions of the dance you’re doing and the routine if you’re working on that. Make sure your body is warmed up whether you do stretches or some cardio or go through your dance.”

Last month I had the pleasure of coaching with Alexandra Perzhu (Smooth and 9 Dance Champion if you aren’t familiar with the Pros yet). Coaching with her reminded me of my very first coaching experience and how terrified I was to work with a Pro I had never met before. Fortunately, my instructor pushed me to get over my fear, and I discovered how wonderful it is to work with amazing coaches. Before I jump into why working with coaches is so wonderful, let me first explain what coaching is.

Coaching Defined
A coach is someone, other than your instructor, who works with you on your dancing. Typically this person joins you and your instructor during your lesson, and can help you with technique, provide another perspective on areas you may be struggling with, or give you some new choreography. Sometimes coaches can be other instructors at your studio, or your studio may bring in professional dancers or judges to do coaching sessions.


Benefits of Coaching
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing coaches who have given me exciting, new routines, demystified some steps that just wouldn’t click in my head, and introduced me to new techniques that magically fixed areas I had been struggling with. Rather than going on about my personal experiences though, Alexandra was kind enough to give me an interview about why she thinks coaching is so important. So here, in her own words, are the benefits of coaching as explained by Alexandra Perzhu!

Why is coaching important for a student?

1. To have a mediator: “I used to be a student, and I’m still a student, and I know how much it means to me and why I believe in coaching. So from a student perspective, my answer would be to have a mediator between my partner and myself. To hear a common knowledge about something and a common explanation, because when you work with each other for a long time you tend to have tension about how you understand things. So when you have someone experienced come in to coach you, first of all, you have a certain respect and certain open mind because it’s new information, and you start to see a different point of view. Every coach has a very different way of explaining the same concepts - with different words, different images, and different personality types. So any coaching lesson you have to be smart and see, ‘OK that coaching really didn’t mean that much to me or didn’t do very much to me, [so] maybe that’s not my type of information that I need to do. Basically it’s all about that 3rd eye who is a mediator for me.”
2. To have an outside perspective: “A coach sees something from the outside…that you cannot see yourself. You have to be open about it, and realize, ‘Ok I didn’t do that,’ and then sometimes you will think, ‘Oh I did it!’ and then they are like, ‘No you didn’t.’”
3. To hear different viewpoints: “I think every coach has something to offer. I’ve had numerous coaches, and one coach was very good about footwork. The other one was good about connection. The other one was such a beautiful dancer that when I would watch it would give me such a full picture. I would be like ‘Oh I want to do that.’ It would inspire me. Some people are very good about telling the story behind the dance or behind certain concepts, so you get inspired by thinking about all these things [and] how they come together. Every person teaches you something different, so I think everybody should take coaching lessons. Not only for the sake of learning something new, but actually to have a healthy process and have that mediator between you and your partner.”

Do you have any advice for somebody who’s never taken a coaching and doesn’t know what to expect?
“I think coaching lessons should be done at any level of dancing. For example, I had a student who was dancing with me for a couple of years and then I took him to a competition. We started doing mambo, and I didn’t prepare him very much, so…[he] stumble[d] through the steps. Then we had a coach come to the studio, very famous name, Rufus Dustin. He worked for a Fred Astaire chain studio for many, many years, plus he’s been a champion in so many styles and divisions. He actually gave him (my student) a story about mambo, and gave him that whole (full) explanation, so by the end of his explanation my student had a much better understanding. Even without drilling all the actions, even though he wasn’t that experienced in the body movement, the story helped him to understand much more about the dance. So try it. It never hurts to try. Be open minded; let it happen. It’s an extra investment, but you realize that it pays off.”
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Hopefully I’ve convinced you to take advantage of the great opportunity it is to work with a coach! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact us, and stay tuned for more exciting coach perspectives over the next few weeks!

As I thought about all the things I want to write about, and tried to figure out where I should start, I remembered the very first question I had when I started dancing: what the heck do I wear? When I first walked into the dance studio on July 22nd 2009 (yes, I’m crazy enough that I remember the date), I was a bit apprehensive and had no idea what to expect. I was greeted by Richard, the friendly receptionist at the time, and he asked me what brought me in. After chitchatting a bit, he asked me if I wanted to get started—since they had an instructor available in about 15 minutes. PANIC! I had not mentally prepared myself for dancing right away, and I looked for any excuse to schedule my first lesson at a later time. “Oh, I’m not dressed to dance” is what I blurted out. I had come right from work and was wearing some khakis, a tank top with a pink cardigan over it, and some ballet flats (again, I’m kind of a crazy details person). Thankfully, Richard accepted that excuse (maybe he saw the fear in my eyes) and scheduled my lesson for the next day. When I got home that night, I realized I had absolutely no idea what to wear—even though I had given my outfit as a reason not to dance. Flash forward to now and I can give you some advice that I wish I had received before my first lesson. Simply wear something that you’re comfortable in! I’ve seen people take lessons in jeans, skirts, dresses, work clothes, workout clothes, casual wear, and (my personal favorite) leggings with a flowy top. I’ve seen girls in crazy-high stilettos and guys in running sneakers. As long as you’re comfortable, and not self-conscious about the outfit, you should wear what you’d like. Now as you start progressing, and depending on your goals, I might recommend switching over to practice wear or more athletic clothing—but more on that in a later post. Now, there are a few recommendations I have for your first lesson no matter what your clothes:

• Make sure your shoes are comfortable; if you opt for high heels, make sure you aren’t wobbly in them. Aside from making it harder to learn, if you’re constantly thinking about how smooshed your pinky toe is or worrying if you’re ankles are going to buckle, you could actually injure yourself or at the least give yourself some unpleasant blisters. Now, sneakers may also be a little hard to dance in since they grip the floor too much to allow for super-easy rotation, but for the first few lessons you should be fine. I’ll post later on what shoes to invest in if you plan on dancing for a while.
• Make sure you’re covered. Ladies, there is a good chance you’ll do a few turns and maybe even be dipped. Super fun, but also potentially super revealing! If you’re wearing a skirt or dress, I recommend some shorts underneath for modesty’s sake. My personal favorites are by Capezio (link at the bottom of the post). I’ve had a few pairs for several years now and they still have their shape and stretch. They come in a variety of lengths and colors, so you can choose some that are long enough for you to feel comfortable and match your dress (not necessary unless you’re doing a performance, but certainly fun).
• If you’re self-conscious about your legs, you can always wear tights or stockings. If you plan on dancing for a while, and maybe even performing or competing, I recommend investing in some fishnets. I don’t mean your normal fishnets from Macy’s, or even the more risqué burlesque-ish fishnets you may be picturing (that was my first mental image when I was told to get some fishnets). I’m referring to dance fishnets. I personally love my fishnets from Capezio (I promise they’re not paying me to write this; they just make really good dance clothing). They’re made for dance, so they’re both super stretchy and durable. I’ve had mine for 3 years, and despite quite a few snags during quick changes, they’ve never ripped. I got mine in Caramel, which is a slightly darker tone than my natural skin color—to better match my legs when I tan for competitions.

To finish my story, I ended up wearing business casual clothes to my first lesson with some strappy kitten heels. I was a bit self-conscious until I looked around and noticed several people had also clearly come from work. After that, I was able to focus completely on my lesson and proceeded to be swept off my feet by the joy of ballroom dancing. I hope you are as well!