According To Merzenich's Neuroplasticity?

In the past, the brain was believed to be the most capable and adaptive during the earliest stages of human development. Scientists believed that as people grew older, the brain’s capabilities slowly faded and that they would become more and more restricted as to the overall capabilities of their brain in regards to recovery, receiving information, and retaining memory. In today’s world, scientists have found the adaptive capabilities of the brain to be far more capable and resilient than ever thought previously and as a result, coined the word “neuroplasticity.” Neuroplasticity is “the capacity of the nervous system to develop new neural connections.” (Graham, Judith). Every thought, action, or change in our behavior is manifest in tiny neural
As seen through Merzenich’s work, neuroplasticity leads to the effectiveness of decision making. Making split-second decisions is an important aspect of intelligence and one that dancers use often in their dancing. Neuroplasticity and the thickening of white and gray matter improve not only your capability in regards to memory, creativity, and health but also for quicker decision making. As dancers, we need that ability in order to pick up combinations quickly, retain choreography, and be able to choreograph when required to do so. Dancers need to be very ambidextrous in their abilities in order to rise above mediocrity and the best was to achieve that other than extensive training is to improve the root of their abilities, the neuroplasticity in the brain. Haenggi Jurgen, after performing his study of professional ballerinas and novice ballerinas, found that neuroplasticity was only long lasting when people were truly focused on their actions and not just performing them systematically- a likely assumption since the professional ballerinas retained less neuroplasticity then the novice dancers. (*) Not only is it important for ballet dancers to be ambidextrous but also to be focusing on all their movements to the best of their ability so the changes they invoke in their brain are
Allowing ourselves to be limited to what we’ve inherited or by our circumstance is the behavior of mediocrity. If we push ourselves to learn what can be learned and ultimately improve our mental capabilities, we will rise above the limitations life places on us. Neuroplasticity is important because it means we have the ability to enhance our intelligence, cognition, movement, and overall health if we merely choose to do so. As a dancer whose been told by many teachers of her limitations in regards to being able to dance by natural ability, I understand the frustration that comes with the unfairness of circumstance. It wasn’t until I took responsibility for the aspects of my life that were not only a product of my actions but a product of mere circumstance that I began to see incredible growth and personal improvement. Losing mental capabilities and suffering from health disorders are not necessarily our fault, but we still retain the responsibility to take action to rise above these circumstances as much as our abilities allow. As a parallel, in class, we may not be blessed naturally with an incredible “ballet body” or even receive the same amount of attention from a teacher as someone else. This is not directly of our own doing. However, rising above outside limitations is what separates those who succeed and those who do not and will ultimately lead to your