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12 Tips to Survive Nutcracker Season [with Printable Countdown]

Philippa
9 December 2014

It’s that time of year again… Nutcracker season (cue imaginary Overture playing its merry little tune in your head).

It’s the time of year when Ballet companies stocking-stuff their schedules as full as is humanly possible with this wonderfully magical ballet. Nutcracker is an almost universal holiday staple, punctuating the ballet year, strung like fairy lights all across the December calendar.

Right now, right the way around this globe of ours, Spanish, Chinese and Arabian roles are being rehearsed. Studios are wafting with dancing candy canes, waltzing flowers and spinning sugar plums.

[pullquote position=”right”]Like an unofficial rite of passage, Nutcracker season initiates new company members into the heart of life as a dancer.[/pullquote]

 

…Perhaps this is your first year and you are spending the best part of the silly season sitting on the sidelines, learning the places of 5 different snow flakes and your heart might just melt if you could be on stage yourself in this beautiful ballet…

…Perhaps you are a seasoned Nutcracker-er, juggling so many different roles in so many different casts that you can’t even remember if you’re dancing the Rat King or the Snow Queen tonight…

…Or maybe, you have cracked one-too-many a nut and have had all the magic drained out, so that it just feels like you’re going through the motions evening after matinee, day after day, year after year…

So how do you keep on keeping on in the relentless repetition of Nutcracker season?

I’m so glad you asked 😉

Here are 12 tips to help get you through!

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What the ballet world really needs [on World Ballet Day]

Philippa
1 October 2014

Today is the first ever World Ballet Day!

Today, five of the worlds top ballet companies are taking the world behind-the-scenes for a live-streamed window into their studios and the work of their brilliant dancers and staff.

I’m looking forward to the glimpses I’ll get of that rare blend of focus, fun and fragility in these beautiful people, the similarities and differences in the ballet world the world over and the stirring of the memories and stories and experiences I hold in my own heart being part of this world of ballet.

In my work now as a counsellor and performance psychology teacher, I get to see another very personal side of the behind-the-scenes dancer. I have the very humbling privilege of walking with dancers in their real-life-streaming realities – sometimes tears stream, sometimes it’s untapped thoughts and feelings, at other times life begins to stream again after burnout, injury and loss.

In holding the hopes and hearts of these precious dancers closely, here are my three biggest dreams for the Ballet World today…

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So, you want to be a ballerina?

Philippa
12 August 2014

You hear it from countless little girls, twirling in satin and tulle:

I want to be a ballerina when I grow up!

Their eyes fill with wonder and joy and their bodies lilt and sway as they say it. But as little kids get bigger and dancing becomes more serious, the pursuit of this dream can add layers of complexity to the wide-eyed wonder of childhood.

The stakes get higher, the competition gets tougher – all while you are growing up and just starting to work out who it is you really are and what you want for your life!

This can make for some confusing times, when you wrestle with the big question:

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Teachers: Want to shape your students’ motivation?

Philippa
4 May 2013 
Here’s one for all you dance teachers out there!

Dance teachers love teaching motivated students.

You know the ones:

They come up to you after class for tips on how to improve this or that step and then practice it at the end of every class for the rest of the week to see their improvement. In performance psychology terms, these students are known as being “task-oriented”. They are motivated by the challenge of learning and mastering new steps and skills… and they are a pleasure to teach.

On the other hand, have you ever had a student who is very talented, but hardly tries?! They only work hard when your eye is on them, or when the director is looking through the window. They pull out their best for competitions, but you know they have the potential to be a much better dancer if they put consistent effort in.

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Goals that Actually Get You Somewhere! Part 2

Philippa
26 October 2012

In my last post, I talked about the value of breaking your big, overwhelming goals into bite-sized steps so that you can gradually work towards them and feel a sense of achievement when you reach each milestone along the way.

But what happens when instead of happily making progress toward your goal, you find yourself getting stuck on one step, unable to move forward, doubting yourself, and wanting to quit?

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Goals That Actually Get You Somewhere! Part 1

Philippa
29 September 2012

 

Have you ever tried goal-setting and it just didn’t work?

You made these big fancy goals to be able to do 32 fouette turns by Christmas, or to get a job at your favourite company… You set the goal, you believed in yourself, you waited…. but it never happened! Grrrr! Or worse, you worked hard-core at your goal for a week or 2, only to get so frustrated with yourself that you stopped trying.

So, you give up on goal-setting, because it all seems like a giant waste of time!

I know because I’ve been there.

I used to be an expert goal-setter, but a distastrous goal-achiever! That was until I learnt about the missing link between goal-setting and goal-achieving, which makes all the difference.

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10 Tips to Beat the Ballet Blues

Philippa
28 June 2012

Every dancer goes through times when you get stuck in a rut, you lose your motivation to dance, to improve, to try… Nothing seems to be working and you’re literally just going through the motions. This can be really frustrating and depressing, especially if your ballet master or teacher is also frustrated with you.

1. Play with a child

Play with a child under 5 years of age (or a cat or a puppy) and have a good laugh. When you start feeling down at ballet, picture the child or animal in your mind and remember how you felt. Allow that feeling to come out in your dancing.

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