Summer break is approaching, and as the semester and dance season begin to wrap up, it’s the perfect time to start planning your next steps. Planning your dance and school schedule as well as making goals for the next semester are a great way to get ahead and stay organized, motivated, and efficient.
Pick Your Classes
Making a class wishlist is easy to leave until the last minute. Prepare for the progress you want to make! When choosing classes for a new semester of dance, consider what suits you best and your personal goals. Don’t let the fear of trying new things hold you back from trying new styles, though. Give yourself space to dance outside of your comfort zone!
Tip: Planning over summer break means planning for extracurricular dance activities, too! What summer and fall intensives and dance conventions do you want to attend? (More on this below.)
Create Your Schedule
After you know your school schedule (this might come at the end of the summer) along with any other major commitments like homework or a part-time job, it’s time to map everything out! Knowing when and where you’ll be spending your time will allow you to focus on achieving your goals instead of stressing to fit everything in. Create a visual that works best for you. We love whiteboards and paper calendars as much as a digital calendar or Notes app chart.
Tip: Leave open blocks of free time in your schedule! Overfilling your schedule will lead to burnout. Don’t overcommit to things you won’t have energy for.
Set Up Auditions and Performances
Each new dance season comes with plenty of opportunities for conventions, auditions, and showcases. If you want to make time to do everything that interests you, use the summer to gather everything you need like headshots, resumes, and choreography for routines. The experience you can gain at these events is often an important supplement for your work in the studio. Don’t miss out!
Tip: Having your audition materials ready will leave your more time to perfect your audition solos without worrying about paperwork and headshots!
Stay Flexible
While it can help ease stress and anxiety to know your plans for the next semester, plans do change. Stay flexible even when you have a plan set in place. You never know when an new opportunity might arise! If you have an audition booked that doesn’t work out, use that time for something else that is just as fulfilling. Be open to new experiences, people, opportunities, and ideas.
Tip: When something falls through, don’t dwell. If you need to, map out what you expected to come from that opportunity and brainstorm other ways of making it happen!
Reflect
Whether this was your best season yet or you had to sit out due to an injury, there is always something to reflect on. Use the summer to appreicate the progress you made, physically and in mindset, throughout the year. Remember that small progress is still progress. Don’t discredit yourself if you’re growth has been in strength and technique rather than something flashy.
Tip: Overcoming mental blocks and getting out of your comfort zone are as important as landing an exciting trick. Appreciate those lessons.
