As a dancer in the process of building a performance career, working on your technique and unique style is exciting. But developing as an athlete is only part of the journey. You also need to build yourself a platform for working effectively and professionally. A key element of this platform is flexibility.
Flexibility makes you valuable because you are willing to adapt. If you are someone that puts in the extra effort to make sure that you perform your best, people will notice. This helps you maintain relationships with casting directors you have met previously and will also help you network with future ones. This is a trait that people value, especially in performers because if you are flexible, you are demonstrating that you are willing to do anything to succeed.
How to Work on Professional Flexibility
Warm Up
Just like physically warming up before class or a performance, you never want to stretch with cold muscles. In this case, stretching is experience as a professional and your muscles are your ability as a dancer and performer to be adaptable. To warm up, you want to put yourself in situations where you can work on being effective or that might require your flexibility. Volunteer to take a lead role in a production at your studio. Try your hand at production. Volunteer at a local theater. All of these things will teach you to work effectively while you prepare for your professional career. You wouldn’t want to go in “cold” without these experiences.
“Stretch” Your Organization and Planning Skills
A major factor of how flexible you are is how well you can plan and organize tasks. If you are in a production that requires you to learn dialogue and choreography, how will you space out your practice time? When will you set aside time to go over things on your own and with your castmates? Being effective at coordinating your projects and your life is important because shuffling schedules is a major part of being a flexible professional.
Create a Routine
You probably have a stretch routine that you go through every day. Maybe more than once! What is your daily routine? How easy is it for you to get everything you need to do done if something throws it off? Don’t plan every second of your day for this step, but learn how to create small targeted goals to help train your productivity and problem-solving skills every day.