The Dance in Your Head: Using positive self-talk strategies to build confidence in dance students (Barbi Powers)
Purpose: To discuss the benefits of positive self-talk and introduce ways dance teachers can incorporate positive self-talk practices into dance classes. Addressing mental health in dancers is a topic of growing concern. Dancers suffer from psychological stressors as much as from physical stressors and both of these can lead to injuries. While many dancers struggle with problems involving self-esteem and anxiety, several studies suggest teaching coping skills, such as positive self-talk, as a helpful strategy to mitigate the environmental and physical pressures experienced by dancers. By educating students about the concept of self-talk, increasing their awareness as to how it can be used, and giving them opportunities to practice it, we give them tools that help build their confidence and lessen the inner critic they struggle against. This presentation will discuss analysis from dance and sports research on self-talk and will offer practical examples for teaching students how they can use self-talk to cope with the worry, obsessive, and intrusive negative thoughts they might experience. Participants will be given several models for successfully integrating positive self-talk practices in their dance classes.
Participants: This knowledge through practice presentation is designed for dance educators, studio owners, dance students, and dancers, but all participants are welcomed.
Desired outcomes: To provide participants with strategies and tools that can improve dancers’ self-efficacy and increase their coping skills. To expand training practices and pedagogical approaches that facilitate the healthy development of young dancers. To spark interest in future research that examines coping skills training and positive self-talk practices for performing artists.
Conclusions: Positive self-talk improves performance, boosts self-confidence, and may help those dealing with anxiety. It promotes self-esteem and can be practiced through journaling prompts, class discussions, positive peer feedback sessions, vision boards/collages, as well as instructional reminders, and mantras.
Relevance to conference theme: By adapting pedagogical practices to adhere to the suggestions of researchers on dance wellness, we advance the conditions under which the next generation of students are trained in our art form and give them access to new strategies that will promote optimal health and well-being.
References:
Estanol E., Shepherd C., MacDonald T. (2013). Mental skills as protective attributes against
eating disorder risk in dancers. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 25(2), 209-222.
Gerena, Christine. (2015). Positive Thinking in Dance: The benefits of positive self-talk Practice
in conjunction with somatic exercises for collegiate dancers. [Unpublished doctoral
dissertation]. University of California Irvine.
Kahrovic I., Radenkovic O., Mavric F., & Muric B. (2014). Effects of the self-talk strategy in the
mental training of athletes. Physical Education and Sport, 12(1), 51-58.
Mead, E. (2021, February 18). What is Positive Self-Talk? PositivePsychology.com.
https://positivepsychology.com/positive-self-talk/
Walker I., Nordin-Bates S. (2010). Performance anxiety experiences of professional ballet
dancers: Importance of Control. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 14(4), 133-145.
Participants: This knowledge through practice presentation is designed for dance educators, studio owners, dance students, and dancers, but all participants are welcomed.
Desired outcomes: To provide participants with strategies and tools that can improve dancers’ self-efficacy and increase their coping skills. To expand training practices and pedagogical approaches that facilitate the healthy development of young dancers. To spark interest in future research that examines coping skills training and positive self-talk practices for performing artists.
Conclusions: Positive self-talk improves performance, boosts self-confidence, and may help those dealing with anxiety. It promotes self-esteem and can be practiced through journaling prompts, class discussions, positive peer feedback sessions, vision boards/collages, as well as instructional reminders, and mantras.
Relevance to conference theme: By adapting pedagogical practices to adhere to the suggestions of researchers on dance wellness, we advance the conditions under which the next generation of students are trained in our art form and give them access to new strategies that will promote optimal health and well-being.
References:
Estanol E., Shepherd C., MacDonald T. (2013). Mental skills as protective attributes against
eating disorder risk in dancers. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 25(2), 209-222.
Gerena, Christine. (2015). Positive Thinking in Dance: The benefits of positive self-talk Practice
in conjunction with somatic exercises for collegiate dancers. [Unpublished doctoral
dissertation]. University of California Irvine.
Kahrovic I., Radenkovic O., Mavric F., & Muric B. (2014). Effects of the self-talk strategy in the
mental training of athletes. Physical Education and Sport, 12(1), 51-58.
Mead, E. (2021, February 18). What is Positive Self-Talk? PositivePsychology.com.
https://positivepsychology.com/positive-self-talk/
Walker I., Nordin-Bates S. (2010). Performance anxiety experiences of professional ballet
dancers: Importance of Control. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 14(4), 133-145.
Barbi Powers |
Barbara “Barbi” Powers is a Lecturer of Dance at the University of Georgia where she teaches ballet, jazz, yoga, dance appreciation, and co-teaches Practicing Wellness with Associate Professor Rebecca Gose. She holds a B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and M.F.A. from the University of Washington where she first started her fieldwork in wellness. Her wellness research has been presented at the IADMS 2020 iconference and at the UW Graduate Research Symposium. She has danced with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular as a Rockette, Li-Chiao Ping Dance, The Catey Ott Dance Collective, and Skybetter and Associates. She holds certifications in vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, Pilates mat, and meditation instruction.
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