Perfectionism In Dance

When I turned three, my mom signed me up for my first ballet class, and I loved it. Moving along to the music brought me joy and fulfillment. My liking for it has gradually grown into a passion. But over the years, I have also noticed a stigma for extreme competitiveness and perfectionism. Something that originally began as a form of worship has transformed into a celebration of the superficial and frivolous. Dancing often creates many concerns for young performers.
Within the dance community, there exist many unfortunate psychological problems, especially among young girls. Recently, the studio I attend preformed a dance worship night. Mere minutes before we walked onstage, I could hear a collection of anxious voices from around the dressing room. “Could you tell me if my arabesque is high enough?” “I wish I had better arches.” “Guys, look at how bad my middle splits are today!” Even though our teachers constantly reminded us to “Dance for the Lord alone”, we continued to harass ourselves about our own faults and weaknesses. This perfectionist behavior pervades nearly every styles of dance, from hip-hop to lyrical. Dancers constantly strive for a stronger, more flexible, more controlled body.
We will fail every time because The Lord created us as imperfect beings. Striving for something so impossible can lead to self-loathing and intense insecurity. In some cases, dancers develop eating disorders to achieve the long, slender figure, known as the ballerina body. Once, a friend of mine used the word anorexic as a complement during ballet class. She placed more importance on an unreachable body standard than she did on health or happiness. An obsession with dance can also cause us to drift away from God and our families, because of how much time this mania consumes. And, since human bodies only last for a short time, our abilities will eventually fade, leaving only memories of what we once had.