By: The Girl with the Tree Tattoo

We’ve made it through Year 2 of the pandemic! It’s hard to believe we’re still dealing with the same storm I encouraged you to dance through in April 2020. And yet, here we are.

Still, there have been some bright spots in our dark days. Many of our dance events, including the UCWDC World Championships!, have resumed. Dance families have been reunited and the dance floor is once again filled with bright colors and sparkle. 

With the return of competitive events can come those old pre-pandemic performance nerves. I’ll never forget my first competition – I was shaking in my Swarovskis so bad that my teacher could feel it when I took his hand to dance! There are so many things to remember when we dance: frame, head position, foot technique, choreography, connection to our partner, musicality, timing, and don’t forget to smile! It’s easy to get caught up trying to think about all of these aspects all at once – we forget that dance is supposed to be fun! 

Being away from the dance floor for so long can also make one feel more than a little rusty and that rust can eat away at any confidence we built pre-pandemic. Add to that the overall uncertainty of this pandemic era that we find ourselves living in, and as much as we can’t wait to get back to dancing, getting back into performance mode can feel especially stressful. The last thing we need right now is extra stress.

What we need is to reconnect with our joy of dancing. As I wrote 20 months ago, we need those magical moments of escape, so our souls can catch their breath and return us to this challenging reality with a little more strength and courage. What I’ve learned over my years of blogging about ballroom dancing and talking with others about their own dance journeys is that we connect best with that joy when we’re able to let go of the self-doubt and believe in ourselves as dancers. When we show up with self-confidence, we dance our best and our joy shines through for all to see. 

Confidence is a tricky thing though. It can feel like a mischievous, elusive creature, always hiding just out of our reach, and it’s our most dependable friend who has been patiently waiting for us to meet them this whole time. Confidence gives us the strength to overcome challenges and yet feels incredibly fragile while we’re building it. 

Confidence is something we’re constantly working on, regardless of where we are on our dance journeys. I believe it’s especially important in these uncertain times to be able to trust and believe in ourselves, so we can continue to connect with those magical moments. Which is why I’m excited to announce that Dance Dress Couture and The Girl with the Tree Tattoo are teaming up to host a free 5-day email challenge, Finding Your Confidence on the Dance Floor, to help you start off 2022 strong. 

If you’re looking to gain confidence as a dancer in the new year, I hope you’ll join us! The challenge starts January 10, 2022. Reserve your spot here.