Dancers have a special skill for putting pressure on themselves. The demands of dance often lead students, and professionals, down a road of harsh self criticism and unhealthy perfectionism. Educating the dance world about healthier alternatives and practices to sustain dancers and help them build wellness from the inside out is a mission near and dear to my heart.

So when I learned about Taylor Truman, author of 100 Days of Dance: A guided journal for your dance journey, I not only did a little happy dance to find another dancer who’s passionate about transforming the often unhealthy, but status quo “no pain, no gain” mindset of the dance industry, but I also was instantly intrigued to learn more about her, her journey, and her amazing journal, available RIGHT HERE.

Read on to hear Taylor’s refreshing perspective on how we can support dancers with mindful practices, setting intentions, and the healthier dance revolution she sees on the horizon.

KC: Tell us about your journey with dance:

TT: I began dancing when I was 3 years old. I absolutely loved it and loved being on stage, however, my parents wanted their children to experience all that was available to them and over the years signed me up for figure skating, music lessons, and various other activities. It wasn’t until I was 13 years old that I got to return to being fully immersed in dance training. I spent my high school years on the dance team and taking various studio classes, training, performing, competing, and making great friends. These years were some of my favorites. We had an incredible coach, who to this day is a great role model to me. She would push us but ultimately let our level of success be self-determined.

I continued to take dance classes in college and dance with local performance groups. At this point I began struggling with always wanting to be better to the point that it became a paralysis. I would be loving it one minute and then get in my head the next, start comparing, and lose motivation for even trying, tiring myself out in the process. I took breaks for months at a time when I would hardly dance at all. Then, I would go back to taking hours of class a night for a few months. It took me a while to understand that being a dancer isn’t always all or nothing. Sometimes life requires us to shift our priorities, but dance can always be a love and a part of our journey. I’ve settled into finding my balance of loving dance and doing what feels right for my stage of life. We are dancers all the same, even if we don’t hit every mark, every day. Lately I have been having a lot of fun with cross training through yoga, gymnastics, and weight training which has made taking dance classes and creating choreography with people I love even more exciting.

KC: Who are your dance heroes, and why?

TT: She’s a crowd favorite—I really admire Misty Copeland and the pioneer she’s been in the ballet world and dance world in general. She has broken so many stereotypes and really showcases her love for dance. She started “late”, looked different, and never let a misstep keep her down or define who she wanted to be in the world.

We are always growing and have a right to be where we want to be and who we want to be, and Misty is a beautiful example of that. One of my favorite quotes from Misty comes from her lessons with MasterClass, she says: “Nowadays, we get so caught up in this outer experience of how high your leg is or how skinny someone is. But what makes dancers, I think, so special is that you wake up every morning and your body is going to be different. You may be able to do a triple pirouette the day before and then the next, you have to adjust to whatever condition your body is in. We’re constantly starting over again.

“Every time you dance that’s just another chance to be reborn.”

Her perspective on dance and owning your power really speaks to me.

Also, I just really admire dancers who share their choreography, performances, training, stories, tips and general love for dance through online platforms. Anyone who is brave enough to show who they truly are and lift others by letting their light shine, imperfections and all, is a hero in my mind.

KC: Have you always been into journaling, or writing?

No. Like a true dancer, I love to move and don’t sit still very well. Making time to read and write has become an important part of my life simply because of my need and desire to learn from others and about myself. I’ve found that there is so much power in writing your thoughts and getting what is in your heart and head on paper. It has an immediate effect on focusing our efforts and bringing mental and emotional clarity as well as giving us the opportunity to look back at how we’ve evolved. When you can lift the expectations and emotional weight dancers sometimes feel and put your truest desires and intentions on paper, you are lighter, almost physically, and it shows.

TT: What inspired you to create your journal?

The journal is just a formal version of the exercises I began doing with myself when I realized the pressure I was feeling to become something specific as a dancer. I began having intrusive thoughts like “how can I teach dancers to be their best when my technique isn’t as clean as it has been or as I want it to be”, “I won’t ever be good enough because I started late”, “I’ve missed my chance”, “If I want to feel good as a dancer I need to eat, breath, and sleep dance training”. I would never catch myself saying these things to anyone else because they aren’t true! But I found I was thinking them about myself. These thoughts are false and creep up so often, I think, because of the perfectionism that so strongly accompanies dance and dancers. It’s natural, but dance is supposed to be fun! It’s a blessing to be able to move and express, and sometimes the culture can trick us into thinking it needs to be more than that to be legitimate.

I realized I wasn’t the only one who had some negative dialogue creeping up in the name of “self-improvement”. I wanted to share some of the important questions I began asking myself that helped me refocus and emphasize why I dance so that it could be the source of joy it was meant to be in my life. I wanted to provide a tool so that others could do the same.

The journal was formed as I found ways to remind myself that ultimately, I dance for me. Dance feels good, even like flying sometimes when you’re really in your element. It keeps me healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and it makes me happy. When I am uninhibited and dance is a healthy part of my life, I am my truest self, and I wanted to offer that nurturing space to others.

KC: How have you seen others use your journal (or journaling in general) to help their dancing?

TT: I think it isn’t always natural for dancers and athletes to turn to words to compliment their efforts but some of my closest friends have turned to journaling, and working through the 100 Days journal as they push towards their physical goals. I have seen my peers as well as my students evolve their habits from writing rehearsal notes during competition season and cleaning dances for performances to more ritualistic uses of journaling in setting more long-term goals and intentions.

Journaling is an avenue to help things that are inside of us come out, first on paper and then in practice. One thing that is difficult to transpose from our inside to our outside is our intentions. A dancer may intend to practice something, achieve something, perform something, but when it comes to pulling that intention from our hearts down to our feet there often feels to be a disconnect. 100 days of dance was made to bridge that connection. Sometimes getting ourselves to do what our passions whisper to us is a leap of faith. I’ve seen the paper be a steppingstone for our intentions, when the leap to action feels so daunting. As close friends and others—and I myself—have used this journal, the practice becomes more meaningful and intentional. We start to uncover for ourselves an incredible cycle where we actually do what we feel and really feel what we do.

KC: What do you think the dance world needs to get better at?

TT: Slowing down. I think we are always pushing. There’s a very common thread of strain throughout the dance world. It leads to breakdowns, injury, and burnout. But I think we’re on the cusp of a healthy dancer revolution! I see more and more dancers, coaches, and teachers waking up to how this energy to constantly push may be stunting the progress and joy we all crave in the art we love.

We achieve incredible feats with our bodies and there’s no argument that our constant evolvement and striving for perfection takes a lot of work, but we’re starting to see a lot of shifts in how dancers train. We have so much available to us in the modern world. We can train smarter, not harder, which allows for more enjoyment and passion, if we embrace it and accept the process!

KC: Are there any new or exciting projects you have coming up you'd like to share with us?

TT: I’m working on creating a hardcover version of the journal so that dancers can keep it in their dance bag without it getting bent. I am also considering a second edition. I have started working through the 100 days again and after my second time through I think I would like to start a fresh approach for the next round! My brain is ready for more, so I can imagine that will be the same for others as well. I plan to share that and create the second edition in the next year… so stay tuned!

Make sure you’re following Taylor HERE to keep up to date with her amazing work! And if you know a dancer who would benefit from slowing down, and refocusing on the joy of dance, you can purchase 100 Days of Dance HERE.

With a new year on the horizon, now is the perfect time for all of us to slow down, reflect, and set some meaningful intentions for our journeys! Happy journaling!

Practical Ways Dancers Can Stop Pressuring Themselves: 100 Days of Dance with Taylor Truman