Can you compare yourself to 12 year old you?

This question was posted on my question box on Instagram and I felt I needed to address it.

It was ‘sent in’ by someone who has just started his professional career, a beautiful dancer but also one over thinks and analyses a lot.

The dance school scene, the competition circuit and also the convention circuit is a HIGH standard these days. Yes, it varies across the country and across different dance schools, but the very top has definitely sky rocketed.

It’s still impressive to do an aerial but now 7 year olds can do them. Once upon a time a 10 year old would struggle picking up intricate hiphop choreo, but there’s a middle schooler front centre smashing the routine out of the ball park. Without causing an argument too, 14 year olds are dancing in professional heels and in some cases, and some cases only, out dancing those 10 years older than them. BUT how does this scene correlate to that of the professional world?

It doesn’t.

One of the most showing ways that this is revealed in the ‘dance school world’ - is when studios hire professional choreographers for competition pieces. Whilst the choreography is great and stands out, it doesn’t always win, as what is required as a professional choreographer and what is required on a competition stage is different.

I’m not saying any of the above is bad. In fact the hard work that must be being put in in ballet class, conditioning class, stretch class, the online sessions with coaches (I look at how hard Samuel Downing PT‘s kids work and wow!) is a testament to the work ethic of this young generation however there is absolutely no point when your 20 looking back and thinking that 12 year old you was ‘better’.

Being a kid that does ‘dance’ as a hobby - which is what it is until you’re getting a pay cheque for it - is very, very different to being a Professional artist or Creative Entrepreneur.

A kid aiming to win a festival needs gumption. A professional aiming to pave a career with consistent work needs clout.

A kid heading to convention after to convention needs a parent with a credit card. A professional working a portfolio of jobs needs to hustle.

A kid nailing a trick for a solo, has lessons and lessons and lessons to nail it. A professional restaging a show has 15 minutes to make it work whilst possibly contending with a rocky ocean and sea sickness.

It is incomparable. And you know the most incomparable part is the audience.

As performers the main aim is for the audience to feel something. The audience at a kids dance festival is made up of a high percentage of people who are impressed by the skills presented. There’s dance teachers, there’s other dancers, there’s parents who’ve danced, there’s parents who’ve been to enough comps to know what’s impressive, there may be the odd set of grandparents who are just there to be entertained but mainly the people in the audience will be able to critique what they see.

As a professional the audience is made up of normal people who are looking for an escape from reality, a hour of something to distract them from life, an evenings entertainment on a holiday; there is a low percentage of people in that audience who understand or dare I even say it care about the level of technique showed. They are looking to feel something. (I’m not saying you don’t need technique - that’s tomorrow’s article) but what is getting you noticed at 12 is not what is getting you noticed at 21.

Let your dance journey shape you, but don’t let it define you.