Staying motivated to keep dancing

I’ve always wanted to dance. When I was 19, I worked up the courage to start. Previously I had been intimidated by other dancers that were “pro.”

But I started and my teacher was awesome. She was supportive and encouraging and my classmates were all at different levels. The class was very inclusive.

Other teachers in the school are also amazing. I’ve been dancing with them for seven years. Almost a decade! The challenge is that life is full of priorities. So I’ve been on a bit of a dance hiatus the last six months.

The result is that my fitness level has ebbed. I feel less fit. That’s okay.

I’m ready to go back.

But motivation is tricky. I have some conflicting voices in my head.

Once voice says, I need to go back before I lose all of the progress I ever made. But I’m not sure if this is really the best voice to encourage!

There’s another voice that says, I love dancing, and I love my classmates, and I really love the way dance-fitness makes me feel, and I feel the pull of group movement. I think this voice is better. Am I good enough? Yes, I’m good enough. Going is about progress.

Not perfection.

Body positivity is a process, because so there’s much in our culture that tells us to to look a certain way, and to feel a certain way. My classmates are good role models. My dance class is all women, currently, from 16 to 64. And everyone there belongs.

What I want, is what they want. I want more stamina. I want to feel more agile. I want to be able to do the moves. I want to dance. And most importantly, I want to have fun.