Dance advice – Anthony King

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Maintaining your Talent and Staying Well

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:11:52 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Maintaining your Talent and Staying Well

Maintaining your Talent and Staying Well

I thought I’d cover some things not necessarily in my book but that might be helpful for dancers, artists and creative people. A little bit of motivation, help or positivity for you.

Fitness

Fitness and exercise affect well-being and ability to interact with the world. Exercise produces endorphins which lift our mood. It goes without saying that any regular fitness activity will improve your self-confidence. If you incorporate a fitness routine, which you are comfortable with and enjoy, you will receive significant benefits to your outlook, mood, health and general well-being.

Sleep

When we’re tired it doesn’t help us interact with the world in a happy way. So it’s important that you get enough sleep. How much sleep is a personal thing based upon your own body and your own activity. You want to sleep until you feel rested and then wake up. It’s probably not a good thing to sleep for less than eight hours regularly but you should experiment and see what amount of rest helps you to feel best. For me, the way I am awoken is extremely important. Get into a relaxed state prior to sleep – this might include not having a television or other screens on in the bedroom.

Sugar

Cutting as much sugar out of your life may change your life your life. When I cut sugar out, I felt like a different person. My mood changed, as much as I became more patient and more tolerant. I also felt more energetic and more stable.

Meditation

I would encourage you, if you wish to meditate, to find one that you are comfortable with and works for you. You can look online or in books. Another thing you can do is just sit peacefully. Turn off the electric gadgets and phones as well as the lights and just sit for a few moments and be peaceful. You will be surprised how many ways this benefits you. Another brilliant way of relaxing the brain is to find a peaceful meditative piece of music, say, Erik Satie’s relaxing ‘Gymnopedies’ and again, turn off all the lights and gadgets and just sit and listen. If you can’t find a meditation that you like then feel free to make one up!

Control Surroundings and Environment (Recuperate and Safe Spaces)

It’s very important that you create a safe space in your life where you can recuperate and relax without being disturbed, for an amount of time which you feel recharges your batteries. I would suggest that you do whatever you need to do to make it the best it can be. Fully soundproof a space if you must; just make sure that you have a place in your life to retreat to when things get too much. If you can remove yourself from noise and disturbance then this is the best way – by creating distance. Or move if an environment really doesn’t work. Don’t be afraid of change as this will improve the quality of your life.

Get up to date medical attention and any psychological care you may need

Make sure that you see the doctor regularly and keep up to date with your check-ups and medication. Also, do not be afraid to ask for any kind of psychological help you may need.

Cultivate Human Real World Relationships

Remember that you must try as hard as you can to put time aside to cultivate real world friendships and relationships and invest in them. This is good for you but your friends can also help you in times of need. Being an artist, dancer or creative person can be lonely, insular and internal so this one is really important.

That’s this particular series wrapped up! Make sure to check out all of my books and especially The Dancer’s Study Guide. You can find out more about me and how to get in touch on my website anthony-king.com. Now, go and be creative! I’m rooting for you!

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | You are not beneath anybody

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:10:14 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | You are not beneath anybody

You are not beneath anybody

I thought I’d cover some things not in my book but that might be helpful for dancers, artists and creative people. A little bit of motivation, help or positivity for you. Now … here we go … as an artist, performer and even as a human being, you should never look up to anybody and never look down on anybody. It’s as simple as that. I’m talking about a very different thing from say, “respecting” somebody or appreciating their skill and talent. If you do so, you are at the very least, psychologically elevating yourself or you are demeaning yourself. The reason is simple: you are not below anybody and you are not above anybody. So it’s at the very least unnecessary but also unhelpful for you. Maybe you connect with an amazing artist, dancer, athlete or celebrity … just remember that unless you know everything about a person you’re “looking up to”, which is impossible, it’s best you see them for what they are – just a human being, with talents, flaws and abilities. They are not infallible or super human – no matter how great a dancer or person they might appear from afar or from the outside. They’re not above you and certainly not below you. It might be an idea to instead be inspired by art, nature or a philosophy or a way of thinking or an attitude or an attitude – these things can be worthy of admiration. Although, even these powerful ideas are not necessarily infallible. So, what do we have left? Well, we have things the way they are. There is no need to characterise anything or anyone at all and that includes yourself. Those characterisations are often barriers and walls of mental restriction. They can restrict you and restrict you seeing things as they really are and it’s that clarity of vision which will help you succeed as an artist and express yourself to the best of your abilities. Remember, you don’t “need” to be inspired anyway! You have all of the abilities that you need to create and succeed inside of you right now at this very moment. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of that… I am reminding you now.

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Being unique and dealing with negative people

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:08:31 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Being unique and dealing with negative people

Being Unique and dealing with negative people

I thought I’d cover some things not in my book but that might be helpful for dancers, artists and creative people. A little bit of motivation, help or positivity for you. Now… I think that we all like to think of ourselves as unique people and we surely hope that we are, but what’s the fact of the matter? What makes me different from the next person? The writer and philosopher Alan Watts points out something very interesting: QUOTE

“We seldom realise, for example, that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society. We copy emotional parents… society is our extended mind and body.”

So, Alan Watts is saying that we copy our emotional responses from our parents. So is it possible that even that which we claim to be our inner thoughts and opinions didn’t really originate from us? Now that’s a thought! If they didn’t originate uniquely from us and were possibly placed upon us, then what hope would we have for style, talent or anything else? Let’s take a look at that though. We are trained beings; we do what our parents and teachers taught us, turning us into what we are today. We are bombarded daily with what we need to buy or think or consume, in order that we may be happy or popular. We are engulfed with the concepts of what our limitations are and our place in society. That we will never be like those amazing people up there in front of the bright lights and walking down the red carpets on TV or in the movies and magazines. We act as if those people are from another planet, different from the rest of us. That’s just what is thrust upon us from the billboards and advertisements daily. We are being spoken to, literally all the time through advertising, TV and the media, parents and friends, colleagues etc. Does the world influence you? Does it enhance your uniqueness, buying into somebody else’s idea of beauty, success or morals, or does it detract from you? Hmmm… so when I say to myself “I’ll never be able to dance like that!” Am I being fair? Am I being honest or am I just repeating what I think to be correct because I’m not thinking outside the box, but inside the parameters set by other people (which are usually so limiting)? I would say that it’s based on other people projecting onto you and you reflecting that back. The key points to remember are that:

– You are the number one expert.
– You define your own parameters.
– What’s good for everybody else might not and probably isn’t perfect for you or your set of unique talents and set of circumstances.

“We project our own unpleasant feelings onto someone else and blame them for having thoughts that we really have.”

Put simply, this is somebody telling you, for example: “You’ll never go far” Or “That’s a really competitive field. Do you really want to risk it?” Or “Are you really going to wear that dress?” When somebody restricts you or tells you that you can’t do something, or has such negative opinions of your chances, it is usually a reflection of them onto you, and should not be taken as fact. The idea was studied in depth by Sigmund Freud and is a ‘defence mechanism in which the individual attributes to other people impulses and traits that he himself has but cannot accept. It is especially likely to occur when the person lacks insight into his own impulses and traits’. That’s an important point to take note of:

“Especially likely to occur when the person lacks insight into his own impulses and traits.”

Again it’s a case of, how can anybody, other than yourself, know what you’re capable of, especially when they probably lack insight into themselves and their own ability? When somebody dismisses your chances, don’t take it personally. Think about what they’ve said with the knowledge that you are the ultimate judge on what you can and will do. Again, as long as you are being honest with yourself and are willing to put the work in, I’d trust your own instincts over critics. Hey, critics and experts have always made mistakes. As long as you know that and understand that people are very good at projecting their own fears and failures on to you, as well as their own lack of ambition, you’re on track.

“Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Follow Your Passion

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:06:41 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Follow Your Passion

Follow Your Passion

I thought I’d cover some things not in my book but that might be helpful for dancers, artists and creative people. A little bit of motivation, help or positivity for you. If you’ve always dreamed of dancing, singing or expressing yourself creatively in another way, then start your journey. Any positive step will move you closer to finding your path; your truth. Truth is not subjective or affected by foolish prediction or misguided expert opinion. When I say “Truth is”, I mean that that is your actual chance of success when you take simple logical steps towards it. If you do this, if you keep focussed on your goal you will get there – regardless of fear or opinion. It is your behaviour that influences outcome, not opinion. True Success: Intellectual integrity. Organisation. Planning. Implementing your plan precisely. Your opinions on your ability might be wrong… that’s no bad thing…because we never know how far we can go…there are no restrictions, except the restrictions we place on ourselves. With accurate knowledge we are wise as we step towards a goal. Without it, we are building a fantasy: an imagined reality and not a true one. Similarly if we base our actions on belief rather knowledge we are setting ourselves up to fail. The key is logical planned action. And once you set out on your path remember that it takes energy; productive energy. Don’t waste that energy worrying about the consequences when you can simply set the goal and take simple positive action. Direction is everything. With any ambition or dream, it’s important to count the cost involved in advancing, without prejudice. Understand your mission, potential obstacles, have a plan for them, and know what direction you’re going. Understand WHAT you are doing and WHY. It might take time and mental strength, but if you are willing to focus on your goals, are willing to be intellectually honest from the outset, make a logical plan and just take one step at a time, then you have a greater chance of success. And don’t take short cuts. You’ll have to work hard and you’ll have to be mentally strong and focussed. If you can do those things, then you will understand the secret of success.

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Some inspiration – John’s Story

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:04:44 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Some inspiration – John’s Story

Some inspiration – John’s Story

John Dover, a successful businessman, owner of one of the top chains of bakeries in London, which he built from nothing – was fed up. Although he was a successful businessman who, on the surface looked like he had everything, there was just one thing that always bugged him. He was afraid of dancing and felt that he couldn’t do it. This had a major impact on the quality of his social interactions and he hadn’t danced for years. Whenever he went to weddings or found the courage to go into a club, he would just stand at the side and have a drink. The problem for John is that this had gone on for so long it was really getting to him. When he could bear it no longer, he reached the point where the unhappiness outweighed the fear of seeking help. Although in his mind, it was impossible for him to dance or be taught, he plucked up the courage to go to the dance school’s website and make contact. This might have caused embarrassment; but for him it was a big step. And no more embarrassing than all those years of standing on the side-lines. I asked him to tell me what he wanted me to do for him and what he wanted to get out of this, what were his aims? He was convinced there was no hope but there was a big wedding coming up, and it would be nice not to go straight to the bar when the music started. He went on to say that he was kind of large and shy as well. Interesting, I thought. The great thing is that he was totally honest and upfront from the beginning. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. No ego and no expectations… We arranged to meet at the dance studios. John later went on to describe his fear when he entered the building and how it literally hit him and made him feel intimidated. Well as I saw him across the canteen above the studio, I thought to myself, “This guy looks great and very established.” He explained how he felt and I told him not to worry. After we got started, I asked him to show me how he usually dances. He told me that he doesn’t at all, and hasn’t ever. Interesting but not a barrier. The curious thing is that because he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, he just listened and repeated and repeated (and repeated!) until he started to get it. After a few private lessons he said that he now had the courage to try and come to a public dance class. He came prepared, early and ready to go. He hid in the corner and tried his hardest, but he survived and met lots of likeminded people. It’s a different world on the other side of the glass and everyone is in the same boat trying to learn. Now John started to come more and more regularly; within two to three months he had moved up to the front of the class and people were asking him how long he had been attending. John thought that this was unbelievable! He was just a baker who couldn’t dance at all! But he was progressing because he took action; he took that first impossible step. But that’s not the end of the story. John came out for a drink with some friends, one of which was a casting director who was looking for one more male who could act, for a commercial. He said that John looked perfect for the job and could he come along to the casting? Now you have to remember that this is all a big joke to John…an MD of a big company, being asked to be in commercials…this was all too surreal! Well, within a few weeks John was on television in a music commercial. After that, he was contacted by one of the biggest dairy companies in the world who thought that he would make a perfect baker in their commercial too…big money and worldwide! John’s life had transformed in a matter of weeks and his confidence was soaring. He had learned to let go of his fear and to just relax. He had learned to dance and he had made lots of new friends along the way and now was on his way to becoming a star too! Wow! The transformation from that first email to now is shocking. But the most important thing in John’s story is that he took the first fearful step and then he just proceeded to take more little steps. Just small steps, nothing immediately life changing or earth shattering and look at the positive transformation: unbelievable. He is exactly the same person that wrote that first email, just with a different attitude and perspective. Oh, and one more thing…the wedding! Well, well… John travels off to his best friend’s wedding and boy did he have a surprise lined up for his best friend! During the dancing, the announcement came over the loudspeakers to clear the dance floor… John was going to do a dance solo. He was going to perform! The music came on, he did it, the whole place erupted in applause and the deed was done. He had won, he had overcome another challenge that he thought was impossible and not only had he overcome it, but he also obliterated all self-doubt. But there’s more… at the wedding he meets a girl who thinks that he’s amazing and is so impressed by his amazing dancing skills. She moves over to London and they’re now getting married! Now that’s a great story. John is an amazing man and I am honoured to be part of somebody’s dreams coming true. Take the small step. You have nothing to lose. Take a look at the character Edmond Dantes in the great Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo. For the first couple of years of his imprisonment in the Château d’If, he sat banging his head against the solid rock wall doing nothing but turning to madness and then after a long period of time he realised something. He started scratching at the wall, and small fragments would fall off, admittedly they were almost invisible, but after a few hours, he had scraped off about a handful. He calculated that if he had done this for two years, instead of squandering his time, then he could have dug a passage two feet across and twenty feet deep. And realising this, the prisoner regretted not having devoted the long hours that had already passed, ever so slowly, to the task…however slow the work, how much would he have achieved in the six or so years that he had spent buried in this dungeon! The idea fired him with renewed enthusiasm. The message is clear: the time you spend procrastinating – could be time doing! Take hope from Edmond Dante (and John!). Edmond escaped the terrible dungeon of the Château d’If by slow, seemingly tedious fruitless digging through solid rock…but over time it worked for him and he achieved his goal. All you need is time and a small amount of action toward your desired goal and you’ll be on the right track.

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Facing Your Fears

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:02:54 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Facing Your Fears

Facing Your Fears

I thought I’d cover some things not in my book but that might be helpful for dancers, artists and creative people. A little bit of motivation, help or positivity for you. Now … let’s talk about YouTube! No, no, don’t worry … I’m not going on about you subscribing, liking and sharing … no no. Now! Believe me when I say this … YouTube … you can find some extremely profound wisdom on YouTube! It’s not ALL toxic comments and nonsense! The YouTuber Rob Robinson737 wrote the following extremely insightful comment underneath Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ video, about three years ago:

“The video is about running away from your fears, the longer you run away from them the greater they become until you reach a point from where you can no longer run as if there is no land left for you to run on and there it is your greatest fears stood there right in front of you, and then you realise that these fears are just an illusion and that you confront them head-on and then they are frightened of you at the moment you start chasing them.”

The video has almost 30,000,000 views and I encourage you to go and watch it. Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ is from their Mezzanine album, released in 1998. The English trip hop group didn’t actually release their video at the time as told by the massiveattack website;

“At the time of the single release of Angel, Massive Attack decided (for cited reasons as not capturing the mood of the song) to not use the already shot promo video for Angel (which had reputably cost £20,000 to shoot) to promote the single. For this reason, the video would remain unseen for over three years where it would finally see the light of day on the Eleven Promos DVD release.”

The video really captures, visually, the tragedy of not facing our fears head-on. We have a choice and once we face them, we realise that we are only running away from ourselves anyway. This process is actually called ‘exposure’. This exposure to your fears gradually can help you build a kind of resistance and lower anxiety until you can overcome said fear. Never be afraid of exposure. The great teacher Napoleon Hill said, “Fears are nothing more than a state of mind” and he was right. In fact, when you feel or can sense potential ‘exposure’ that is often the first place you should ‘go’ to grow and evolve. This is really expressed perfectly in ‘Angel’. With regard to fear, I actually mean unfounded fear. Or the fear of fear. For example, some fight or flight responses are perfectly reasonable and I am not talking about that kind of normal life-saving fear… I am talking about the different type of fear, the illegitimate one that is the fear of fear itself that we run away from often in our lives. That is what needs to be faced directly to advance creatively and it is expressed extremely well by Massive Attack. Remember the words of the great Henry Ford:

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

Other tips

— If you need to seek professional help, absolutely do so!
— If you need some help from a trusted friend feel free to ask for it.
—Own your fears and face them head-on. They are part of your current personality.
—Write down your fears and evaluate the risk level and logically analyse the potential consequences of taking the risk.
— Reward yourself if you attempt to overcome it.
— If you fail, do not blame yourself. Keep working at it because practice makes perfect and every time you fail you gain experience and are one step closer to resolution.

Scientific reasons to face your fears head-on

Paul W. Frankland and Sheena A. Josselyn wrote an article in Science magazine called Facing your Fears and they stated something very interesting;

“… treating no-longer-threatening situations as dangerous may be maladaptive and lead to anxiety disorders, including phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Central to many forms of therapy designed to tackle these anxiety disorders is the idea that to overcome fear, one needs to face it.” Maladaptive is defined as “not adjusting adequately or appropriately to the environment or situation”

So this means that scientifically speaking, facing your fears is the healthy thing to do because if you don’t it can lead to, as they clearly state, “anxiety disorders, including phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder”. So, not only is it the logical thing to do, but it is also healthy for you… and most often, easier than you suspect.

Your creative prime is on the other side of your fear

This is why an artist has to constantly push their internal and external boundaries to expand creatively. This is all part of the creative journey and nothing to worry about because it’s a never ending expansion. Every artist will have some kind of fear before they pass it and extend outside of their comfort zone. Once they reach their destination, it begins again… that’s just the way it is! It’s the same for us all. Once you understand this then the fear of fear fades. That means that your greatest painting, greatest composition or greatest work is just one step outside of your comfort zone, through the fear zone… it’s right there if you want it!

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Directing your Energy

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:58:42 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Directing your Energy

Directing your Energy

It’s very important to evaluate yourself and your energy consumption. I am not talking about your calorie intake here. This is going to be a short chapter but an extremely important one. If you don’t eat your full quota of calories then you will be running a calorie deficit. This means that you will lose weight. It also means that you will feel tired, run down and not completely efficient. The same goes for your social interactions. In fact, it goes for every single interaction of your life and not just the people you know. You can exert energy in people and situations which are a complete waste of your time and life force. Considering that you have limited time on earth and also have limited energy, it’s important that you focus that energy into goals and people that are useful. It’s also important that it is directed in people and situations that are healthy for you. Including where you consciously want it. It’s very easy to waste your energy and actually have it ‘stolen’. We all are aware of the term ‘energy vampires’ and we are told that at least one in twenty people are psychopaths. So that means that 5% of the people that you meet will be inclined to ‘suck you dry’, energetically and emotionally speaking. However, I suspect that the number is much higher than that. So it’s important to be aware and to only direct your precious energy where you want it to go. It is very possible that when you analyse the interactions in your own life, you may realise that your ‘friends’ are actually harmful to you and completely non aligned with your goals, philosophy and energy. They may hinder and harm you more than help. Ironically, this determination can sometimes be clouded due to our emotional connection to the said people. This means that the people closest to you are the hardest to accurately ‘judge’ since we are often blinded by an emotional attachment and rationalise unhealthy behaviour of those close to us. In other words, it’s important that you look at your relationships and make a determination as to whether the energy you put into them is appreciated or a hindrance to you. That means friends and acquaintances. Bear this in mind and guard your inner space and only allow it to be occupied by trustworthy deserving people. The way to determine this is to analyse your interactions and relationships logically. It’s better to do this sooner rather than later because you may find that you realise that the people around you are holding you back, a little bit too late! Another thing to look out for is that if somebody is sitting in a dark room for a long period of time and you walk in and turn on a bright light and illuminate the whole room, then it will not be a comfortable experience for the occupant. It will probably hurt their eyes and they will usually run to turn off the light and shut it down. This example can also be taken literally. Sometimes your light will not be appreciated by those around you and will be shut down with negativity. Ironically, because we don’t have something to judge against, sometimes we don’t realise what’s happening until we are old or it’s too late to take evasive action. These are very important principles. You want to save your energy for those moments in life when you need it. There will be moments where you need to psych yourself up and give all you have to give to achieve a goal and to push yourself beyond your usual limits. You will need the energy to do so and if you have wasted it and depleted it on energy vampires and interactions that are draining, you will not succeed as you should.

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | The Psychology of Auditions

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:57:07 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | The Psychology of Auditions

The Psychology of Auditions

I believe that some people should never audition for anything, because the process will restrict growth and life trajectory. However, I suspect that these people are a rarity. If I had to put an estimate on the number, I’d suggest that one in twenty people should not submit to an audition process because it will be restrictive, a waste of time, energy and not conducive to success. With that said I suggest that 95% of people, if they feel the need to audition should do so and do so as effectively and enthusiastically as possible. Statistically speaking, with regards to auditions specifically, you will probably fail anyway, so what is there to lose? If you read the paragraph above and were triggered then I suggest that you are not the type of person who should even consider a route, other than the traditional i.e. auditioning, casting or submitting to someone else’s decision. However, if you are the type of person who does not submit and feels that the process will be too demeaning, no matter what the benefit then, I have a great suggestion just for you!

Create projects for yourself and give yourself the starring role!

Not everybody is designed to do this, but it’s easier nowadays than ever before. You have a platform with social media and the tools and technology readily available (to even film a movie if you want to!) to do so and although I can’t offer any scientific data to back this up, only gut feeling from experience. If you are the type of person with the drive to create a project and push to its conclusion, then you will probably be able to push with a much higher probability of success than a simple audition where nearly every factor and variable to determine your success is out of your hands and control. I guarantee that you will learn more, grow and also enjoy the experience. You will at least enjoy the experience more than the 95% — 99.9% of people who are rejected.

The probability of audition success

I typed in to Google ‘audition to booking ratio’ and I am pleased to see that it correlates with my approximate observation of the industry, at best: 5% (or a one in twenty chance of audition success). backstage.com in a 2010 article entitled Booking Ratios by ‘secret agent man’ state:

“A booking ratio is exactly what it sounds like: two numbers that represent how many jobs you’ve booked compared to how many auditions you’ve had. So if your ratio is one out of 20, that means it took 20 auditions for you to land one job”

However, I would suggest that this is probably the average best case scenario because the author points out, in the same article:

“One of my most promising young clients has been out on something like 40 auditions and hasn’t booked a single job”

In reality, people can audition much more than that and get 100% rejection. Cecilia Capuzzi Simon’s New York Times April 2008 article “Try outs for the Rest of Your Life” describes:

“all told, a record 1,200 students were auditioning for 16 spots in the fall acting class or 12 in the musical theatre program.”

That’s approximately closer to a 98% failure rate. I have seen successful people crushed psychologically because of repeated failed auditions. On the other hand, I have friends who got an audition and became some of the most famous people in the world. I suggest that you do take action that is conducive to your own mental well-being and corresponds with your own realistic chances of success. That means, that you may have an amazing record of success with auditioning and casting and maybe you enjoy it … you should continue. However, I suggest that if this is not the case then you should invest in yourself and create your own projects because then at least you are in control of the outcome and ultimately you can control its success and impact in the world. However, there are relatively few people who will do the work required. Relatively few people who have the drive to travel down that road. Possibly less than 5%, which means that it’s probably the same success rate as auditioning anyway, with the exception that you are almost 100% in control of whether you succeed or not, compared to almost 0% control when somebody else is making the decisions. With that said, only you know what is the best route for you. Here are some audition tips to increase your chances and also improve your psychological wellbeing before, during and after an audition.

Beware!

An audition is not a natural healthy environment. It can leave you feeling drained, feeling dehumanised and often rejected. Statistically, you will almost certainly be rejected with very little feedback. Although this is normal in the entertainment industry, this is not a normal in any other realm of life. It is completely reasonable to be upset by this or have a negative psychological reaction. However, it’s best to know this in advance and take remedial action. There are obviously different types of auditions depending on your craft. Here are some quick general tips and pointers.

Audition tips and advice

— Get an agent! This will make your life easier and increase your chances of success.
— Read the audition instructions carefully in advance and follow them carefully. — Good preparation is key.
— Always bring an up to date photo/picture and CV/resume.
— Always be professional and don’t make excuses under any circumstances.
— Be consistent and resilient. If you choose to audition, go all the way and all in!
— Remember that your first impression is key. Walk in with confidence, good posture and smile.
— Keep your energy up until you leave the building/area, not just the room. You might still might bump into somebody important on your way out!
— Dress appropriately and if this is not stated, dress smart casual.
— Pick material that is personally linked to you, something that you are passionate about.
— Psyche yourself up and make sure that you prepare your energy levels so that you are ready.
— Make eye contact and don’t worry. This is meaningless in the grand scheme of the universe anyway!
— Once it’s over, let it go and refocus on the next one. Don’t think about it again unless to analyse and actively work on improving your technique.

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | You Are Not Your Talent

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:55:21 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | You Are Not Your Talent

You Are Not Your Talent

Beethoven, for me, was probably the greatest composer of all time. His piano sonatas are incredible. In fact, they are beyond that for me (and millions of others around the world). However, Beethoven was not his compositions. He was not his piano or his playing of that piano. He was not his music. It was the ‘original nature’ at his core. Ludwig Van Beethoven was a human being with incredible ability that changed the world but that life-changing ability was only a manifestation of his talent. It was a side to him and his abilities. He certainly wasn’t particularly happy and was even arrested and put in jail for being drunk and disorderly on more than one occasion. So what is this thing that we have to identify our talent with who we are? If we locked Beethoven in a room with just a piano from birth to death, do you really think he would have been happy and fulfilling his true meaning on this earth? To just compose music? This would be a tragedy. He himself longed for love and peace in his life, as do most of the great composers and artists. A certain disgraced pop musician often talked about being his true self on the stage and said that he could ‘live and sleep’ on stage. Have you ever heard anything so narcissistic in your life before? Look what happened to him… it’s a cautionary tale of self mutilation, self-loathing and child abuse. So if you desire to be ‘one’ with your talent and identify so profoundly with it, be aware that you may pay the price in the areas that really matter in your life. Even if you do so, ‘real life’ will catch up to you in the end and you won’t have fulfilling relationships, love or equilibrium because that energy will have been focussed on your creative outlet. So while your talent is a part of you, if you identify yourself as your talent it will soon become your prison. That kind of self-imposed bondage is absolutely the antithesis of artistic and creative expression, which should always be free and joyful. It’s important to realise that your talent is an ability you have, which is one of many abilities you have but it is not who you are at root. This is basic stuff and it’s been propagated since the dawn of time. Even Gautama Buddha said that ‘The root of suffering is attachment’. Another really important thing to remember is that if Beethoven’s hands were chopped off in an accident, then his piano playing days would have ended that very moment. He was such a genius that he could have continued to compose, like he did when he was deaf but if he would have been so strongly identified with his piano playing and then have lost the physiological ability to actually play, then that would essentially be the end of his existence, certainly his psychological well-being and possibly even his life. Similarly, if an athlete dedicates their whole life and strongly intertwines their identity with their sporting ability, then at the first sign of physical incapability their personality would inevitably also unravel. It is certainly possible to achieve, live healthily and realise that your talent is a manifestation of your abilities but not the ‘be all and end all’. Even if you believe this to be the case, life will show you otherwise at some point along the way. This means that not only is it unhealthy to identify with your talents, but it is futile. Ironically, when you accept this your artistic and creative energy will be free to really express itself and make an impact on the world, without your own imposed fears and psychological restrictions. Creative and artistic energy needs to be free to flow to its maximum potential.

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Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Motivation and Drive

Anthony King — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:53:13 +0000

Dance Advice | Dance FAQ’s | Motivation and Drive

Motivation and Drive

What motivates you to perform; or create? This is such a pertinent question because it’s essentially the foundation of what you do and will direct your artistic endeavours and in actual fact, your whole life. At the very least, this should ideally be conscious, rather than unconscious. Consequently, the question of whether your drives are an actual choice or compulsion is very important. Could your drive to succeed in any sphere of the arts or sports actually be a way of solving unresolved childhood or psychological issues? Could you be attempting to resolve them directly by performing or creating? Are you addicted to that process and could you let it go if you chose to? It’s important to really understand your motivations and the root cause of your drives because they may well not be positive for you. In other words, you might feel resolution by performing but in actual fact realise, later, that it didn’t solve your issues and that you were actually running away from fears or from root issues in your life. Many pop stars have talked about becoming a musician to get girls. This is absolutely the case and not just a flippant remark. It’s often as simple as this when we look at our true motivations. I would suggest that no matter what your true motivations are… let them be conscious and at the very least, understand them.

Once you’ve identified your drives … are you doing it right?

‘Never give up’ is a popular saying but it’s crazy if you think about it. If you are doing things correctly and the way they need to be done to work and conducive to success, then continue. However, if things are not working then you should at the very least, give up on what you are doing and change course or change your actions and behaviours. If you have tried this multiple times for an amount of time (that only you can determine) and still a ‘failure’, then logic alone will tell you that it’s not for you and that you should give up and try something else. Or a different way of putting it is to give up doing something the wrong way and start doing it the right way. Things can only work if you are doing them the right way. It’s important to be honest with yourself and also to accept your own limitations and that things are not in your control. Not everything will happen the way you want them to happen… and that is fine. That is what makes life magical! The most important thing is that you ask yourself the question and don’t listen to other people’s opinions on what you should be doing because they don’t know what your inner drives and motivations are. You owe it to yourself to know as this will help you succeed and live your life to its maximum and achieve your potentiality in a healthy way.

How do you know when I should change the course or give up?

Only you know the answer to this question. Writer Anthony Cerullo, in his article ‘Why Science Says It’s Okay to Give Up on Your Music Career Goals’ from the sonicbids blog, makes a great point:

“One quick and easy way to judge this is with stress. If you’re feeling so stressed about a particular goal that it has a negative effect on your life, then perhaps it’s time to drop it. Goals are supposed to be challenging, but you shouldn’t need sleeping pills to fall asleep or be in a state of depression just to achieve them.”

I agree with Anthony Cerullo completely.

Never give up… the real deal

There are some people, who do things the right way and have the drive and ability to succeed at their given task or artistic goal. As long as they are fulfilled and happy then they should never give up. It’s as simple as that because it is that individual who will certainly succeed. Whether you are that person or not is a determination that only you can make. Either way, if you are right or wrong, it probably won’t have any impact on the probability of success anyway, so it’s important that you be honest with yourself so that you can put your energy and life force into something that will actually fulfil you and works for you.

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