Author: Nat Cowx

Actress turned writer and entrepreneur Felicia Ricci gave a TED Talk (watch it here), speaking about being ‘racked with doubt’ when making the decision to move away from her professional and lifelong dream of acting.

When dancers come to talk to DCD about what direction their lives will take after a professional performance career, they so often express the same anxiety and doubts – they can be unsure of the next step, whether it will be a success, whether it is the right move.

I myself am currently going through a significant life change – a major lifestyle choice I decided to make that affects my career, my family, my home. It fills me with excitement as well as doubt.

Whatever the major shifts we make in our lives, nothing ever really prepares us for the unexpected challenges that go along with those changes, despite the best laid plans.

That’s part of the thrill and also part of what can hold us back from taking that first step in making the change we want to make in our lives.

What if after making this change, I change my mind? What will everyone think? Will I have failed?

These are natural thoughts, and it is important to give them space and acknowledge them.

So that first idea of career change wasn’t THE one after all – that’s OK (it often isn’t). You changed your mind, after really putting your all into it – that’s fine.

We try new things. We succeed. We fail. We grow.

More often than not it will not be easy and there will be many surprises (both good and less so) along the way, as I have personally found. What is important is to be open to new experiences, to try new things, to give yourself the time you need to adapt to the changes in your life and career.

Change is scary, but try to take that first step. If it seems daunting, DCD’s coaching support for dancers can help you find a way to put your ideas into action.

DCD is here at any stage and any time to help support professional dancers through that journey.

 

Find out more about coaching here or email dancers@thedcd.org.uk to register for our forthcoming EVOLVE workshops – a full day workshop for professional dancers exploring life after a dance career.

New Year’s resolutions…they are a waste of time and I don’t make them! Why? “Resolutions” made at a time when social pressure and an arbitrary date in the diary dictate that we “should” decide things, are doomed from the start. A controversial viewpoint, you may think? Well, let’s start with the facts:

• Around 43% of people make New Year’s resolutions.
• Of those, close to 4 in 10 have broken them by the end of January, while a further third only keep them up for six months.[1]

I have a theory as to why. First, New Year’s resolutions are made using our conscious mind—the logical front brain part—which, like a captain of a ship, sets the direction for the crew. I’ll come back to the crew in a moment.

Secondly, most of the time New Year’s resolutions are not actually goals. How many of us set New Year’s resolutions like, “I’ll go to the gym three times a week,” or “I’ll give up smoking” or “I’ll create a better work-life balance”? These are not goals.

Why not? A goal is an outcome, not the thing or action you do to get the outcome.  Sometimes the actions themselves may not excite us, but a great goal should! So ask yourself why do you want to go to the gym three times a week? What will stopping smoking really do for you? Getting the right higher level goal can be a powerful motivator and push you through the actions you’ll need to take in order to succeed.

In the example—“I’ll create a better work-life balance”—what does a “better work-life balance” mean, specifically? To increase your chances of success, goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) and positively stated (i.e. what you want, rather than what you don’t). They also need to have action plans that will help you achieve them. To increase your chances of success, you need to have the right number of goals—enough to excite you and few enough that you can channel your energy into each one you’ve set.

And here’s the fundamental, pivotal thing about setting successful goals: They need to be powerful and motivating enough that you are driven to overcome any obstacles that crop up on the way. Bob Proctor, international coach and motivational speaker, said, “Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites you and scares you at the same time. It must be a goal that is so appealing, so much in line with your spiritual core, that you can’t get it out of your mind. If you don’t get chills when you set a goal, you’re not setting big enough goals.”

His point about the spiritual core is critical—remember the captain and crew analogy?  Think of the crew as your spiritual core, your unconscious system. It needs to pull in the same direction as the captain for the boat to arrive at its destination. If the goal isn’t congruent with your core, the crew won’t work with you to achieve it.

The New Year’s resolutions that you set at five to midnight, or in the haze of the morning after the night before, will have been made without a genuine plan to achieve them and probably won’t be very compelling. Can you imagine a world class company like Microsoft or Apple setting goals on 31^st December that they haven’t thought about and made a plan to achieve? That would just be another name for wishful thinking! Successful companies have to align their global resources to achieve their goals, and so do you, using the full resources of your mind and body.

But, it is good to set goals—the right ones. Research shows that people who clearly set goals or make resolutions are ten times more likely to achieve them than those who don’t explicitly make them.[2]

So, how can you check that the goals you’re setting are important enough? There are four great questions you can ask yourself, and it’s worth taking the time to go through all four, writing down your answers:

1. What will happen if you do achieve this goal?
2. What will happen if you don’t achieve this goal?
3. What won’t happen if you do achieve this goal?
4. What won’t happen if you don’t achieve this goal?

These questions will help you to map out the consequences of achieving or not achieving your goal, and with that knowledge you will get a sense of motivation and importance. If at the end of the exercise you’re not highly motivated to achieve your goal—it may be the wrong goal to set and you probably won’t take the required actions. Very quickly you could be beating yourself up for not doing something you were never fully aligned to do!

Having said all of that, this time of year is a good time for clearing and making room for new seeds to grow. It’s nature’s rest time—the leaves are gone, the fields lie empty, many animals hibernate—and in nature’s cycle, it’s an essential phase before new growth can come. For we humans, it’s a great time to do the “maintenance jobs” we have in our lives—the clearing out, the repairs, the “down time” we need to give us the energy for the growth phase. That could be physically clearing out the junk we’ve accumulated, finishing outstanding jobs, or maybe letting go of emotional baggage that’s been weighing us down. By clearing this stuff out, we make room for newness; we clear the soil for planting. We give ourselves a chance to grow even more vigorously towards our goals.

Nature works in a cycle of rest, rebirth, blooming, shedding and rest again. What makes us any different? How can you make room for growth in your life? What earth do you need to clear? And what seeds do you want to plant?

I’d encourage you to think beyond the coming year too. Some seeds take longer to grow than others and bring richer fruit and rewards that make the wait worthwhile. If we only focus on what we can harvest this year, we’ll be missing out.

What do you want to plant this year that will bring you fruit and reward in the years to come? Which areas of your life do you want to blossom more in the future? Whether it’s your career, relationships, personal development, hobbies or health, consider what it is you actually want and how you’ll know when you’ve got it. Take a few minutes to dream about achieving it—what you’ll see, hear, feel and say to yourself in that moment. Mental rehearsal is a powerful tool in motivating yourself. And flexing the mental muscles is a great way to get the captain and crew working well together.

Have I just talked myself into setting New Year’s resolutions after all?  Not quite, but I have paused for a moment to think about how I’m going to prepare the ground for success this year and beyond, and what seeds I’m going to select based on the flowers and fruit I really want to enjoy at the end of the growth season. And I know that choosing the right ones is critical to my commitment to take action and to increasing the possibility of fully achieving them.

So, good luck with choosing your resolutions, and enjoy the fruit of your labours when it comes!

 

Checklist for Setting & Achieving Successful Goals:

• Choose the right ones and the right number to motivate you
• Use the 4 powerful questions to help you decide
• Imagine achieving them and align the captain and the crew towards the goal
• Create your action plan
• Identify potential obstacles and make a plan to overcome them
• Identify the resources that could help you—that might include a coach to help keep you motivated and on track
• Keep taking action
• Enjoy and reward yourself for your success!

 

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.”   Johann Von Goeth, 1749 – 1832.  German poet and writer.

 

[1] Source: The Telegraph, 20^th December 2008

[2] Source:  Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year’s resolvers and nonresolvers, by John C. Norcross, Marci S. Mrykalo, Matthew D. Blagys, University of Scranton. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 58, Issue 4 (2002).

 

Today athlete Samantha Murray, the London 2012 silver medallist, announced her retirement from modern pentathlon, at the age of 29.

Murray told BBC Sport “it’s been really hard and taken me over a year to make my mind up”.

For both professional athletes and dance artists, the transition to a new career is paved with physical, emotional and financial challenges. It is a shared experience almost unique to elite performers.

Throughout her training and early career, Murray was encouraged to pursue a degree, studying French and politics whilst also working as a waitress.

We actively encourage performers to broaden their horizons during their career. To be curious and explore their other passions, beyond dance.

This is why DCD are excited to be launching ‘Beyond Dance’ a new scheme of world-class mentoring opportunities for dancers, connecting the world of dance and business. The first of its kind in our sector, this scheme is delivered in partnership with Moving Ahead, experts in mentoring for elite athletes.

We’re also proud to support the LEAP initiative (Leading Edge After Performance) – an innovative and collaborative partnership exploring career and life transition issues amongst dancers and athletes.

Murray told BBC Sport that it will “take some time” to find her “next passion” after retirement.

Dancers don’t need to wait until that final performance to begin exploring what could come next. Start now and know that DCD are here to help you evolve into a career beyond performing, whenever the time comes.

 

See the story on BBC.

Attending DCD’s EVOLVE workshop can be a really powerful experience, wherever you are in your dance career.

“You’re not alone in this transition – that is what EVOLVE is all about.” EVOLVE Participant

Meeting dancers from different backgrounds and at different stages, together you’ll hear the Transition Tales from one or two dancers who’ve moved on from their performance careers.  At times emotional, at others humorous, these tales paint very different pictures about the range of routes and approaches dancers take, and their diverse personal experiences of handling the transition.  You’ll get the chance to ask our guests questions too, to deepen your understanding and get fresh perspectives.

Just some of the themes we’ve identified in talks like this in the past have been:  joy; self determination; asking the question ‘Who Am I?’; fear; purpose; instincts; and connections.

And that’s just to start the session.

Most dancers are used to focusing on what they haven’t yet perfected, or what they need to do differently, rather than taking time and space to appraise themselves in a more positive light, and understanding both their strengths and transferable skills.

“It was a great moment to reflect.” EVOLVE Participant

With the expert facilitation of one our DCD coaches, in a confidential and safe space, we take a look back at your careers, personal lives and strengths – identifying some of your proudest moments and what those have taught you.  Our experience tells us that this can be a really powerful (and challenging) exercise for dancers, and can help form the foundations of future CVs and even self confidence.

For those who haven’t yet experienced the power of coaching, during the workshop there’s an opportunity to work individually on an area of your life that you’d like to move forward.  You can keep it 100% confidential, and yet still benefit from our coach’s powerful questions to get you thinking in new ways.

We share some tools and models that help you to understand a bit more about the emotions, reactions and mindsets that can occur during transition – and really importantly, we’ll show you how normal those are.   This is a real eye opening moment for many dancers during this session. Understanding ourselves better can really help navigate the change that’s coming or has even arrived.

You’ll make connections with other dancers and discover the mutual support available to you from them.

And you’ll leave having made a commitment to yourself about one step you can take to move forward.

“Incredible day surrounded by inspiring people, a great experience I will hold on to.” EVOLVE Participant

Some dancers attend EVOLVE more than once in their career or post performance career – life is always changing and evolving and it’s so useful to take time out to reflect, reset and then move forward again. So you’re welcome to come along whether you’re in your first professional job, nearing transition or even several years into a new career.

“All dancers at some stage must transition. It’s tough but DCD offers amazing support and EVOLVE is a fantastic day to realise your capabilities as a dancer and beyond!”  Iain Mackay, DCD supported dancer and former Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal dancer

 

Click here to register for our next EVOLVE workshop today!

 

Photo credit: DCD Supported Dancer Rebecca Le Brun @TalbotLeePhotography http://www.talbotleephotography.com/ 

“My transition from a performance career into a non-performance career is a continuous transition, perhaps for another few years until I completely stop performing on stage.”

Akram Khan is preparing to present Xenos at the Edinburgh Festival.

As Xenos marks Akram’s final performances as a dancer in a full-length piece, he recently spoke to DCD reflecting on this final performance, his own transition from a performance career and his thoughts on dancer transition and retraining.

Akram spoke honestly of his awareness of time impacting the body and the importance for dancers to “remain dancers, even when we retire from the stage”. “If I was pushed to give advice”, he told us, “I would say ‘don’t stop moving’.”

So often, dancers dealing with the transition from a professional performance career can feel pressure to go in a certain direction, to find the perfect next career. Akram reflected on this – “it’s very important for dancers to be aware of the choice they make in what they do after a stage career, and I feel it has to be very organic. It’s making the most organic and right choice for you rather than the logical choice, which is sometimes pushed upon you from the way the world works.”

At DCD, we often encourage dancers to think about what else excites you, outside of dance? What gives you joy and energy? Broadening your horizons, pursuing a hobby outside of the studio, can help to deal with the challenges of career transition. “It’s very useful to have something over that timeline, that deadline, where you know that that’s the next journey that you want to step into – that is somehow helping me” Akram explained. “I’m interested in anthropology, in working with film. I’m looking into other areas, which in the past I didn’t because all that I cared about was my body. As I step away from the body I’m becoming more outward looking.”

 

Hear more of Akram Khan’s reflections in this beautiful film, created by DCD supported dancer and now professional film maker Robert Gravenor:

 

Share using https://vimeo.com/277263920

Photo credit: Jean-Louis Fernandez for Akram Khan Company

I started working for DCD in March 2018. I had spent the previous 7 years, all my working life in fact, working for the Church of England. I was a verger, a rather unique role in the Church which acts as a sort of stage manager. Much like dance this sort of job is often called vocational – it’s something you are called to do. I would go to work in a 17^th century grade 1 listed building, put on my black wool cassock and spend my days whizzing around lofty churches.

Before coming to London and starting work as a verger I did an internship with Communitas, the learning arm of Community Union, a successor to the Steel Workers Trade Union. Communitas was established to retrain the huge numbers of people made redundant from the various steel works across Rotherham, Sheffield and Scunthorpe in the early 1990s. Steel workers faced challenges unique to their circumstances – many of them had walked into jobs from leaving school with no qualifications, all of their neighbours worked in the same factory and their whole social lives revolved around the steel industry in one way or another.

However as workers much of their needs were the same as dancers; they drew their identity from their work, it was the only thing that they knew, many had been forced into early retirement through injury and fundamentally when they were made redundant they were left feeling confused and disorientated.

It wasn’t until starting work at DCD that I reflected on both these experiences, my own ongoing transition and those of steel workers in South Yorkshire. The change for me personally was both practical, like not being on my feet all day or no longer having a ‘uniform’ and less tangible, like leaving behind a piece of who I was.

Each person’s individual transition is different but much of the above will be relatable to dancers reaching the end of their performing lives. It can be unsettling and scary at times but DCD is here every step of the way to help dancers undertake one of the biggest changes in their life. All workers, especially those who have dedicated their lives to a vocation, struggle with adjustment and go through a transition at one time or another. However hard changing careers might seem, the thing that I took away from the above is that transition is achievable, rewarding and a shared experience. The one unique thing about dancers is they have DCD at their disposal.