Losing your nerve...

[JinglnCrazyLilBird]

Anywho, I just watched a video of me dancing from a whiiiiiiile back and was thinking to myself, "Dang, I danced good back in tha day!" I don't know but I just don't seem to be rockin' it like I want to now. I have a feeling this is in part due to a loss of confidence... maybe because of school... maybe because of the few times I messed up at contest this year. I feel like I over-think what I'm doing instead of just doing it. I know I'm supposed to dance from the heart and when I get out there to dance, I try to think of the people I'm dancing for... but in the end I'm just uggghh. I could take a break but I really don't want to stop dancing.

It's prolly just stress and stuff. It's been a crazy semester and now it's final exams times... but still... *le sigh*

Any advice? Any of you ever lost your nerve?

[MayChe]

Yeah, it is exam time.

I always lose my nerve at the bigger powwows (because it's something I'm used to). But then I take a couple of deep breaths and remind myself that I'm not there for them, I'm there because I want to be there dancing. I'm there for myself, my family, and everyone who's ever encouraged me to never stop dancing.

Good Luck with your exams by the way.

[JinglnCrazyLilBird]

Hey, you can't lose your nerve, future pws.com princess! lol

I think I just need a new dress... lol, being spoiled is a great cure for stress.

Plus, I think all this dancing by myself for presentations has been taking the fun out of it... you don't get the powwow experience then.

Yea, its easier for ya graduimated folks to dance 'cos you don't have the school monster looooming over you. lol Someone should have a special for over-worked highschool and college students... it'd be the worst display of dancing in one place! lmao

[MayChe]

Hey, you can't lose your nerve, future pws.com princess! lol

I think I just need a new dress... lol, being spoiled is a great cure for stress.

Plus, I think all this dancing by myself for presentations has been taking the fun out of it... you don't get the powwow experience then.

Yea, its easier for ya graduimated folks to dance 'cos you don't have the school monster looooming over you. lol Someone should have a special for over-worked highschool and college students... it'd be the worst display of dancing in one place! lmao

LOL yes a new dress always cures any symptoms of stress LOL

how many presentations have you done?

hey been there, done that. not to mention I had an exam every year on my birthday But you'll be aight.

[Babe]

I'll need the advice too! So I'll keep an update on this post!
I haven't danced in over 8 years and I finally decided to start back, getting new beadwork done, thinking about my dresses, etc. But I'm way scared about going out there for contest. Once back in the day I actually placed higher than one of the dancers that I really looked up to. (Boy, she must've had a bad weekend! LOL!) I wasn't really scared then but I'm so nervous now just thinking about it I feel like a little girl getting pushed to go out there during tiny tots!

[JinglnCrazyLilBird]

I'll need the advice too! So I'll keep an update on this post!
I haven't danced in over 8 years and I finally decided to start back, getting new beadwork done, thinking about my dresses, etc. But I'm way scared about going out there for contest. Once back in the day I actually placed higher than one of the dancers that I really looked up to. (Boy, she must've had a bad weekend! LOL!) I wasn't really scared then but I'm so nervous now just thinking about it I feel like a little girl getting pushed to go out there during tiny tots!

Maybe that's it. I had dropped out of the powwow circuit during my mixed-up tween and teens years and I've just started getting back into dancing. I've been doing social 'n intertribal dances for a few years now but now I'm tryin contest again!

Dancing as a tiny tot was wicked fun... I could get away with anything and pass it off as a legitimate dance mooove... lol I can't really do that now, although my powwow blog is titled "Falling isn't a legitimate dance move.... YET!" hahahaha

[eap7]

I haven't really ever lost my nerve because I'm always too worried that my glasses will slide down my nose. Okay that's weird but true. Sometimes I dance without them, and that's always a trip because then everything is blurry and I don't want to dance into someone!! So I guess we all have things to worry about LOL!

Hope I injected some humor into this...it is also exam time here this next 2 weeks so GOOD LUCK to all the students reading this!

But seriously though for losing your nerve...just go out there, listen to the song and enjoy yourself. Especially at big contest powwows, you get so few songs to dance to, just enjoy participating because realistically, you probably won't win. If there are 30 dancers and 5 winners, that's a small probability of winning. I hope that the other 25 however still have a good time! That's my philosophy at least.

[*Kwe_Zee*]

Maybe you just have performance anxiety overall? It is a common problem for alot of people.

I say that just because I know plenty of people who are intensely involved with school (undergrad AND grad school) yet place consistantly at pow-wows all across the country. I think it just depends on what each individual can manage.

[Migiziwomen]

just dance

you know that happens to everyone sometime, so you are not alone.
try just clearing your mind befor you go, take some deep breaths and just that energy the circle gives us. just listen to the drum and the and the songs they sing, and dance.
instead of looking at the tapes and saying i used to be great, say wow i can dance!!!! remember that feeling you got when you danced with freedom, and just enjoy yourself.

[Eagle Plumes]

Your problem my dear is you think too much, just dance , take a deep breath feal, those songs let your heart lead your feet and you can never go wrong.

[native_flutterby]

this reminds me of an old song i heard along time ago... just shut up (the mind) and dance!...aye! tryna sound all wise...i dont think that worked out to well, but yeah take what anxieties that you have and use that energy to dance, next thing you know your back to your old jammin self...tis what i used to do when i was a contester...might get back in there dunno yet...lol but yeah...

[ojibwaysweetie]

Me.....I don't care about nothing...lol...I just dance, contest powwows, traditional powwows....when I feel like dancing, I just dance. lol.