Why CONSISTENCY matters more than TALENT in the dance world.

There is that age old saying, ‘Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard’ and it couldn't

be more true.

Don't get me wrong, talent and natural talent play a specific role in the initial success of anything but it doesn't take long for hard work to prevail if the

talent is taken for granted by its owner.

One of my favorite books to reference to young elite dancers is called. Bounce -The myth of talent and the power of practice by Matthew Syed. It goes into depth about this whole phenomenon and follows his journey of being one of the greatest ping pong

players.

Now, this piece isn't just to inspire you to practice (dance parents if you need support with

that check out my new Dance Parent Academy)

You can apply it to anything.

Humans are creatures of habit, we thrive with routines however small they may seem, improvement

happens when the simple things are repeated. Consistently showing up and locking in will really show the benefits, even though at first progress might be slow.

Each time you do something, anything, it will improve due to neuroplasticity and myelination

Each time something is done, the neural pathways will be strengthened and the illusive

‘muscle memory’ activated. By reducing the cognitive load of the micro movement,

automaticity will come and then your thoughts and focus can move onto other elements for dance such as performance, shapes and intentions.

So the next time you think that missing that extra ballet class ‘wont really matter' maybe this will make you think again.

Oh, and consistency is a

very employable trait too…but that's a whole other piece.