Adaptability in the Dance World: Getting Out of Your Head and Onto the Dance Floor

by niyah pratt

Niyah Pratt was born in raised in Renton, Washington. She began dancing at age six, at the British Dancing Academy where she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern. She is currently attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she is double majoring in Dance Performance and Urban Affairs. She hopes to continue her dance career for as long as she possibly can, and make an impact not only in the dance community, but on the youth as well. She wants to be the role model she never had when she started dancing for someone else, and “thinks it is important to start implementing this in dance.”

As dancers, we encounter many different dancing environments. Some are adaptable and favored and others are not. In these unfavored environments, it can be easy to fall into a rut and create mental challenges that can slow your progress. Each person has their own reasoning as to why they are preventing themselves from growing. Our environments and the people we surround ourselves with play a part in this, but sometimes we are simply just overthinking. Dancers are infamous for adapting at a rapid rate and those changes come with high expectations. This change overload often requires dancers to uproot their entire lives to pursue our passion. This is what we sign up for, but sometimes our adjustment to these changes do not happen as rapidly as we like. 

The dance  industry is constantly changing and so are we. We switch jobs, cities, and companies and these changes can take a toll that we may not immediately acknowledge. It is normal for us dancers to not always feel comfortable in a new dancing environment, as this is not always easy to do. Moreover, our minds can hold us back when we are already uncomfortable. Dancers are known for being adaptable, because you have to be to work in this industry, but there are times when you just need to return to your home studio until you are ready to take on a new stage. These feelings are valid as well. 

My first year as an undergrad studying dance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas was a prime example of this. I was so excited to attend, and felt like it was a dream come true to study and dance all day. However, as time went on, I simply could not get acclimated in Vegas. Growing up in Seattle, I had a much different life than I had there, and it was indeed a bit of a culture shock. I felt like the only dancer that had something holding them back, I felt invisible in the department, and that everyone was just dancing past me. 

I was physically there, but my mind was not. This disconnect took me mentally out of the department, my classes, and countless rehearsals. My brain was blocked by my insecurities and the comparisons I was making between myself and other people. No matter what I did, I  could not get myself to feel comfortable dancing there. Now why was I feeling this? I have danced since I was six years old, this was not new to me! I have danced in many different states and scenarios--so why suddenly could I not find myself here? I felt so lost as a dancer, I did not feel like an artist at all. 

It was not until my second semester that I realized something very important: where I stood in the dance department and what I was going to change. I came back from the holidays feeling refreshed from being home, and despite the rough first semester, I found that I had missed dancing much more than I thought I would. Somehow, leaving and coming back had allowed me to finally feel comfortable. I knew what to expect (for the most part) and returned with a completely new outlook on how I wanted to dance. I found myself pushing my boundaries in classes, building better connections with my teachers, and overall taking the plunge and throwing myself in. I was still holding back in some areas, but it was definitely a step forward. 

In February 2020, I had the opportunity to dance in a beautiful modern piece from a wonderful professorI have at UNLV, Cathy Allen. The piece brought something out of me that I did not know I had. I had never thought of myself as being a modern dancer, and yet here I was surrounded by other modern dancers--including me! It was scary in the beginning because I had never performed a piece like that--but so exhilarating at the same time. I loved the way I was able to move in that dance.

I learned a lot from what was initially a very uncomfortable environment. I was certainly pushed to adapt and at times--thought I had ended up in the wrong place. With time, I eventually was able to step back and see everything positive that the change was bringing into my life. Not only was I able to get through the challenges that were thrown at me, I learned to handle them in a way that fit within my own mental capacity. My progress, although tough, brought me to a better position than I had started in. 

Am I ashamed of the struggles I experienced in my first year? Not at all, because it has helped build me into who I am today. Without the struggle, I would not work or act the way I do now. Mental challenges can seem impossible to overcome, but I find that looking back on the choices you have made, and just how far you have come is clear proof of your growth. It is okay to feel uncomfortable in new environments, despite the expectation for us dancers to adapt! Allow those mental challenges to be recognized and think about how you want to overcome them. Remember, your mind is just as important as the body--take care of it too.