by Collette Hemenway

Created on: January 10, 2007   Last Updated: November 29, 2011

A graceful couple gliding across the floor to a waltz, the fluid movements of a belly dancer dancing to Arabic drums, a beautiful ballerina twirling across the stage for all to see. All these mental images show dancers moving with grace, elegance, and poise. As a dancer I can tell you the key to obtaining this ethereal quality that we associate with fantastic dancers. It all comes down to confidence.

Imagine the same waltz couple dancing, except that one of the partners keeps hesitating, or the belly dancer who is executing every move perfectly but has a tight facial expression because she keeps rethinking her next move. When a dancer has confidence, their bodies are allowed to flow with the music. This is the grace and elegance that we see portrayed through a dancer's body.

There are as many different ways to gain confidence as their are dancers in the world. A few of the most helpful ways include a good teacher, supportive fellow dancers, and a mirror.

A good teacher will not only teach the techniques, but also how to add soul into the moves. Dance, like any other art form, is about personal expression. Without the personal part, all we have is a bland and unoriginal choreography. A good teacher will also critique and praise their students.

As much as we all hate being told we are wrong, it is essential to learning proper technique, and being praised for doing something right always gives our confidence a boost. Put together the technique and the soul and there is no reason left to be without confidence.

Fellow dancers can provide as much confidence as a teacher. If a dancer that has been dancing for years praises a dancer who has only been dancing for a few months, then not only will a potential friendship be formed, but confidence will be instilled into the less experienced dancer's mindset.

One of the best ways that I personally have found to boost my confidence is to watch myself dance in the mirror. There are many reasons why a dancer may not feel confident and most of them seem to revolve around the question "How do I look?". Too often we are so concerned with how we look that we forget to think about how the dance looks.

As an overweight belly dancer, I had to struggle with the fact that I was going to be showing my rather flabby belly on stage and drawing attention to it with hip drops and belly rolls. No matter how much my teacher and fellow dancers praised my dancing, I couldn't manage to love it.

Finally one day I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and just danced. I watched everything from my flabby arms to my rolling stomach and my rounded hips. Then I looked at the whole picture. I was seeing not pieces of flab on a skeleton, but graceful snake arms and figure eights that having hips helped accentuate. Once I stopped looking at everyone else and watched myself dance, I realized that I was beautiful and I had excellent technique.

Learning to love yourself and your own dancing is the biggest confidence booster you will find. Knowing in your head that you look fabulous is what will put that sparkle in your eye and that smile on your face.

Learn more about this author, Collette Hemenway.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.