DanceMind: Janie Travels -

While Janie is traveling ... We can look at a few things ...

1.  In the studio there is order. Everyone there has a place, a role and a purpose.  (same as family BTW).  

2. You cannot control the personalities of your teachers with negativity, hostility, gossip or even self-sabotage. They are who they are whole and complete. However, how they act towards you, as a student or professional, does indeed have a consequence. If they are snotty and demeaning, they lose respect, possibly their jobs, the quality of performances diminishes because it becomes difficult FOR SOME to put their best foot forward. Or like a conflict ridden relationship, one looks for approval and acceptance (student to teacher AND teacher to student) and continues striving for the elusive perfection.

3. Do you allow teachers who are MAYBE having a bad day or are consistently mean and punitive take away your power?  Do you realize that when you gripe to yourself and others in the studio, you lose focus and power?  More errors, forgetfulness, less flow, more pain .............

4. You join in the conflict when you match it (just as negative as the teacher) in your mind and body. Student and teacher bond together negatively.

5. Who controls who?  Can you maintain your own Mental STRENGTH to take what you need to know to improve TO REACH YOUR GOALS and leave the emotional stuff where it belongs - WITH THE OWNER (person who behaves badly or 'good').  

6. I will tell you another story tomorrow.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

www.mentalperformances.com

PS - Pass along this article to your reads - It is ALL In You Head, by Sanna C, Dancer Magazine/January 2009

Outcome Setting

When Janie returns we will move through a goal setting seminar that is fabulous. It becomes a whole body experience that leaves you pumped.  Just saying you want something is not enough. 

We'll do it together, so you can change ... Tell your friends to hop on and everyone can get better together. 

Imagine if we all 'acted as if' we are competent and successful all the time!!!

So when Janie return this weekend or the beginning of next week, we are on it!

Sanna

Here's a story of a lovely dancer -

Lucy (False name) is a professional dancer.  Highly trained and considered to be an asset to her current company she has been offered more challenging and demanding roles.  On stage she is graceful, poised and beautiful. She has been called "a quintessential dancer." On a social note she is well respected, lives somewhat reclusive and quiet.

She called me when she noticed a distinctive change in her stage presence, her ability to be comfortable on stage had diminished and her mind flashed some seemingly unrelated images and words. She felt very unsettled and worried. Her directors were also noticing this distraction.

Lucy knew she had to do something but because it was ambiguous and unusual she did not know where to go.

She found my ad in Dance Magazine and was hoping hypnosis/energy therapies could help her.

Not only do I coach and teach mental techniques, I am also a therapist.

SO we explored her life, discussed her goals, family support. Everything was cool there. She was 'lonely,' had odd sensations in her knees and felt like she was going to collapse for no reason. She had recently been given a different stronger role in an upcoming production.

We decided to look back through her family and BINGO!

Her grandmother was an immigrant to the US.  Her grandmother had been a performer in Europe in the 50's.  She was forced to move to the US by her husband.  When her grandmother arrived here she collapsed and 'fell to her knees.' She cried and cursed her husband saying, "I will never dance again." This collapse created chaos and embarrasment for her grandfather. 

Interestingly Lucy had heard this story repeatedly when she was a child. Lucy's sense of it was that her grandmother was forced to do something that she was not ready to do. Lucy remembered feeling a lot of compassion for her grandmother and currently feels lonely like her in the present time.

Lucy had never met her grandmother because she died just before her birth.

HOW DOES THIS relate to Lucy?

Subconsciously, she strongly identified with her grandmother's plight. She realized that she felt forced to make a change in her position at the company She was not ready to make this change. Therefore displaced the feeling of collapse onto her knees like her grandmother. 

Lucy was still puzzled and discovered that there was a part of her that felt that if she messed up in these upcoming roles (she was being tested) She too would never dance again (Highly unlikely but the mind can play games with us). She also discovered a real loneliness that she had been ignoring.

Loyalties travels down through the generations. Her experience had paralleled that of her grandmother.

She separated herself from THIS identification with her grandmother and connected with her grandmother's true love of the stage. Her grandmothers plight is different from hers and it belongs to her. After  process work now when Lucy dances, her grandmother is looking on proudly (in spirit of course.)  The collapsing sensations are gone, she is ready to be 'tested' and has decided to take action to not feel so lonely.

Who knew? Interesting story. I have been interested in exploring this aspect of how artists struggle in their quest for personal achievement. I think there are times when it is not about more repetitions or mental techniques.

EFT and  Family Constellation work has great potential for healing.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

DanceMind: Dear Janie, Step Away ...

Janie, when you return from your trip, please reread your previous post.  I would like you to write to me what it was like for you. The story is not important. Those characters and events happen all over the world within companies, the faces are different.

What is the dancer's (your) experience with all of this going on?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's All In Your Head! The Power of Thoughts on Performance. Dancer Magazine, Jan 2009.

http://danceruniverse.com/stories/issues/200901/notits_in_your_head_the_power_of_thoughts_on_performance-J12/

Share this article with your dancer friends ... It is creating quite the buzzzzz.   Yes, dancers can manage their minds using mental techniques too - just like athletes!  

Tomorrow I will share a case with you that I am allowed to share although no names mentioned. You will be amazed at what can influence your performance. Read it tomorrow here while Janie's gone.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Performance Therapist. Coach.

mentalperformances.com

Dear Sanna - hey there

Wow I just wrote the longest post when my internet decided to close!!! I will try to remember...

So Sunday there was a pretty disappointing show, and I didn't even really know what to say right after. The day began with class from a teacher I once really liked, but now she is fighting for her job and trying too hard to seem important. Instead of the good corrections she used to give when needed, now she just stops the music all the time to yell about something stupid and insignificant, just to seem important. She also has to make a point of speaking up and agreeing with only the really horrible things the artistic director says. Anyway I was about at my wits end when we started the grande allegro over for the third time because somebody did an arm in fifth instead of first and then she wanted 4 people instead of 3. We didn't even do a good jete combination, which is really important for me before the triple bill, since I do a lot of jetes. It's not the same practicing on your own without music.

Then we wasted all the time we had for spacing on this stupid new piece where spacing is the least of our worries, and had no time to space the other pieces. The stage was also tiny. By the time we finished the stupid piece, we barely had time to do our hair and makeup, so the other parts were a mess as far as spacing goes. Well it was just a bad show for everyone. We had no room to stretch our arms and legs and everyone was on edge.

The next day the artistic director took a bunch of people out of things, so there would be more space but also because we did not do well. I was somewhat consoled by the fact that I was only taken out of part, while the rest either stayed or went. Of course it would've been better not to be taken out at all, but I was glad I still got to do something. It's really unfortunate the rest had only one chance. Hopefully casting will go back to how it was when we go on tour, where the stage will be nice and big.

Did I mention we were going on a week-long tour by the way? It is so exciting, because we are going to a really famous city, but it is very far, and most company members have never been there (including me!). I can't wait to travel and see all the different things and perform for a new audience. It is a really cool thing to do, and I'm not sure I would ever get to go to this place if I wasn't dancing here with this company.

Anyway there was one last show here last night, and it went much better. We took time to space everything, and there was more room since there were less people. The artistic director even told me it was good (besides one little thing of course) in the end.

So hopefully I will have internet access this week, but if not I promise a detailed description of my trip when I return!

Janie

Dance Mind - WHY SLEEP?

Thanks for the question below, Anonymous.

Yes, you can improve your performance all around with your eyes closed.  Sleep is a necessary component of a solid performance. If you aren't sleeping well or wake up not rested, or even if you are sleeping Ok, you can still improve. 

The most important question - Why would a CD help me?   When you listen , at bedtime, your brain is retrained to get the best most possible. Remember your body needs and knows how to sleep. It is what we DO and think that set the stage for sleeplessness.

AT night the body AND mind are regenerating and restoring. It is set up that way. There are many chemical reactions, and shifts that occur in the body.  I don't want to bust the most important reason why sleep is important, but there is one main reason that assists performers especially.

Here are ways better sleep helps ... reaction time, better moods, lubricated joints, better able to pay attention, can move faster, remember more, eat less junk food,  heal wounds and muscle tears ... When your body and mind are rested you can do more.

SO imagine how those benefits can improve your class, rehearsals and stage presence.

Most teens and college students are very sleep deprived. When you miss sleep, the body struggles and not always immediately.

I set this program, Stepping to Sleep up to be easy because I want dancers to realize self care and how to take a holisitic approach to their training. This is ONE NATURAL WAY to get a good night sleep.

It is important. You will dance the difference literally.  Your teachers will notice.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Performance Therapist and Coach

mentalperformances.com

DanceMind: Dear Janie, Sleep, Sleep Sleep ...

I just had to share this story.  A Mom purchased the Stepping to Sleep CD for her daughter last summer.  The daughter was not interested (she is 16) ... she said that she slept ok and was performing fine.

The truth, according to Mom, was that her sleep was less than 7 hours and she was not getting great roles because her performance was not as progressive as her teachers thought if could be.

In November, Casey began listening to the CD because she was really tired. She popped it into her ipod, crawled into bed and fell to sleep listening to it. She listened to the program and fell to sleep waking up in the morning feeling unusually well.

Each time she listened to it, she fell asleep faster and woke up feeling even more energized.

Now she does not understand guided programs really how they effect her brain, muscles and performance but what she does know is that she feels  rested and ready.

Her teachers noticed her an increase in motivation, a cleaner technique and more presence in her performance.  For the Nutcracker her roles remained the same.

Last week, her teachers said it was time for her to move up to the next level early. She was stronger, more pumped about class and more confident.

Who could believe that improving your dance practice with your eyes closed could really work. Sleep makes a difference.

HINT:  The magic is in the experience, and you can buy Stepping to Sleep here.

Dance Magazine recommended it in June, 2008. They know the importance of sleep.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Performance Coach and Hypnotherapist

mentalperformances.com

It's All In Your Head! Article, Dancer Mag., Jan. 2009

It's All In Your Head!  Dancer Magazine, Jan. 2009

By Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Get to Know yourself a little deeper --

DanceMind: Dear Janie: Be your Number 1!

Janie,

It worked out for you!  I am constantly amazed at hind site.  Worry, anticipatory fear, fret and dread can take up a lot of 'life time.' As you look back, was it worth your while?

It is a part of the human condition to experience anxiety, although with great variance. Catch yourself in the act. Ask yourself these questions, "What else can this mean?" "What don't I know right now?"  "Will time tell me what I need to know?"

Worry, and all, are a departure from the present. You are reaching into the future, where there is unpredictability.  We believe that we know all, yet as we move into the upcoming moments life continues to happen around us.

Have you ever noticed that what is in our minds (what we focus on?) is what we look for in our environments?

There is MS. Negative and Doom and there is MS. Positive and Light.

Anyone can find a doom and gloom in the most perfect weather day. 78 degrees, blue skies.

"Ack, it is supposed to rain next week." "I have to mow the grass now. I hate doing that."

Ms Positive and Light stands and appreciates the sun and sky as she moves thru her day. The weather simply is.

Sometimes a simple easy slow breath can return you to the moment so you can ask yourself the

questions above.

Especially if you notice a pattern that disrupts you.

In dance world. You do not know what they are discussing behind the scenes, how things can shift and change.  You must learn to move with the flow and influence your position.

How can you be the best you can be?

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

mentalperformances.com

dancemind: Dear Janie: Yeah!

Very Nice Janie.  I will follow up very soon.

I also want to mention a talkshoe.com webinar on Thursday, Jan 15 at 9:00 EST for an hour. 

Hypnosis for life - Sanna Carp

New Years Resolutions Fizzled out?  Discover the secret to a lasting resolution.

Then we can start the program here thru Talkshoe so it is audio.  Good?  I gotta sleep. Long dayzzzz.

Sanna Carapellotti

Dear Sanna - better...

I did it! Today I found a friend struggling to learn the same pas de duex as me, so we both tried our best to remember it together. I was frustrated because the schedule was misprinted, so I didn't realize we had a full run of the ballet, and therefore the dreaded pas. Anyway my partner didn't actually come in to partner me for whatever reason, but it was okay because I was able to watch more and try my best to get the choreography. I was kind of relieved to not have to rehearse with him because I am so self-conscious and I really was unsure about the steps, but I am also hoping that partnering me isn't so incredibly awful that he is avoiding it. I swear I'm not reading too much into this on purpose, but I can't help wondering.

Anyway after the run I asked the other girl to try to go over the steps again with me, but we were really getting stuck, so together we went and asked the main girl doing the part, and she seemed happy to show us. We just asked her to tell us what was next at a specific part where we were stuck, but she continued to mark through the whole thing with us. It was really nice, and I feel better now. I can go over it with my friend, and if I really want I am less intimidated by the dancer doing the part. Whew.

Then at the end of the day, in my excitement at finishing early, I accidentally made the mistake of being the last person in the studio with the artistic director since I decided to practice a little. Well I ended up having to do the parts I was thrown into the other day with "more energy" and show the foutees I had been practicing. I'm sure it had a lot to do with the fact that my mom had come in to watch the end of rehearsal, but either way the director was satisfied in the end and told me to always do it that way and I am a good girl and a good dancer and very beautiful and if I lose a little more weight I will really be used. The director wants to use me. It's nice to hear I am liked, even if it is a bit of a back-handed compliment. Hopefully this favoratism lasts!

Janie

DanceMInd: Dear Janie: Get clear ...

If you have to ask this dancer tomorrow. Be clear with what you intentions are. The more you ramble on, or the more defensive you are about this request, you sound like you are hiding something. In the ballet world, not good.

SO get clear and then take a few breaths and go ask. 

You cannot control her response, but take charge of how you ask. 

"Mary, I am wondering if you could help me with these parts. I am having trouble (Or I need to review) .... Can you work with me today at 1:00 or tomorrow before rehearsal?"

Let us know -- 

Am planning the dates for this outcome/goal setting.  Spread the word so others can benefit.

Dear Sanna - yes!

I can commit to a chunk of time where I will blog every day, this has just been an extremely busy (and wonderful) week for me. It's funny how working through the holidays makes me oblivious to the new year and everything going on. I haven't even thought about new year's resolutions or things like that. I'll get to it... but this past week has been really great. Work is really intense, because we are working on the program for our next performance, and it's been a while since we did it.

Our teachers are being more demanding with the first piece, so I am working harder trying to get it exactly right and even better than before. Then, the director has been asking me to learn everything lately. I think I am finally winning over the director. There is a pas de duex I am supposed to be learning that is really crazy and unclear. The director made a more experienced dancer come learn it with me, but I am very shy around him, and his English is also limited. It is very hard for me to pick up the choreography, and I asked another dancer who understudies the part for help. She basically said no, she doesn't know it very well, why do I want to learn it, ask the main girl. I am reluctant to ask the other girl, but I might work up my courage tomorrow. It's a sticky situation.

Then I was thrown into two more sections in this piece, where there were somehow spaces. These parts are nothing special, but it's nice that the directore thought of me when there was a space to fill.

I am also in the first and third parts of another piece in the program, which is a lot of dancing, and I am now understudying the middle piece, a pas de duex. Again, I am working with the same guy, but this is slightly better because I have a better idea of the choreography as we are cleaning it.

The last piece I am not in at all, but I learned the part of a girl who is away this week. I went in for the part last week, and instead of being praised for knowing the choreography really well (if I do say so myself!) and never having done the part before, the director just said it wasn't good enough and I need more energy and made us all do it again from the beginning. But today I went in for the missing girl again, and another dancer filled in for the other missing girl with me. When we finished the director said how great it was and told everyone how well we did for going in for the missing girls, and told me specifically "I really like you."

I hope this lasts!

Janie

FOR SALE - College Guide

I have a Performing Arts College Guide for Sale.  Dance. Drama. Music.

If you are interested, Contact me personally.  Sanna@mentalperformances.com

DanceMInd: Dear Janie: Getting clear ...

Hello, Janie,

I am wondering if you are able to commit to posting everyday for a short period of time. We can hash thru some goal/outcome stuff to help you move forward this year.

Remember MOST RESOLUTIONS FAIL!

Why? Because there is no plan, it is driven by will power which fades quickly and the mental focus is on the negative.

Let me know and we'll hope to it.  Tell others too Because this is a good experience to think through what you want. If you are reading this post tell your friends, even if they do not dance. It will be worth it - cause then you'll be sailing .....  YES!

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Performance Coach and Therapist

mentalperformances.com

PS - New article written by ME coming out in January, Dancer Magazine, Mind-Body Connection

Dear Sanna - Happy New Year!

After a very long run of shows, working 10 days straight without a break, I was in desperate need of some rest! It's very difficult to go so many days, pushing myself during class and then for a 2 hour show. I am literally running around the entire show, because if I am not dancing, I am doing a quick change or standing on stage trying to look animated without being too distracting. By the end, even though I was more comfortable with the choreography, my shoes were completely dead and all my little aches and pains were flaring up. It was so nice to let my muscles settle down a little and sleep in!

My mom came to visit, so she got to see the last two shows and today we had the whole day to spend together. It was really strange not being in the states for new years and watching the ball drop with my old friends and family, and I definitely miss them, but I was also happy to have my mom visiting and spend the new year here with my new friends. It is also very pleasant, for the very first time, not to have to rush back to reality on the first of january. I don't remember the last time I wasn't extremely sad and depressed on new year's day, maybe flying back to my current home, going back to school with tons of homework due or the stress of a new season of ballet, post-nutcracker and post-holidays and post-fun. I know part of the reason was that I really had no holiday break, which is a little sad, but I still had a lot of fun having little parties with my friends between shows. I will have to think about my goals for the year as I recooperate in the next few days...

Happy New Year!

Janie