When I was training, my biggest stumbling block wasn’t always my body, it was my mind. I was often my own worst critic. Striving for perfection pushed me forward, but I frequently tipped into harshness. If I didn’t dance well, I didn’t just feel disappointed I would verbally beat myself up in class and afterwards.
Looking back, I wish I’d understood sooner that encouragement is as powerful as correction. Now, I try to share that with my dancers: yes, push for improvement, but also notice your progress, however small. Be the voice that cheers you on, not the one that drags you down.
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The Way We Speak to Ourselves
The voice in your head is powerful! It shapes not only how you feel in the moment but how your body responds. Self-talk isn’t just about emotions; it’s about wiring the brain. Every thought sends signals to your body, influencing confidence, focus, and even performance quality.
Think about it this way: the words you repeat to yourself become the soundtrack of your training. If that soundtrack is full of doubt, it holds you back. If it’s full of encouragement, it helps you grow. Even if you’re still learning, choose to speak to yourself as though you believe you can. Because that belief, once practised, becomes real.
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The Science of Self-Talk
Every time you repeat a movement in class, your body remembers. That’s how muscle memory is formed. But did you know the same thing happens with your thoughts?
Each thought we have strengthens a tiny pathway in the brain. Over time, those pathways become like well-worn tracks, easy to travel down again and again.
• If you regularly tell yourself, “I’m hopeless at turns,” your brain starts to accept it as truth.
• If you replace that with, “I’m getting steadier each week,” you’re wiring in a different, more helpful message.
Just like practising pliés makes your legs stronger, practising positive self-talk makes your belief in yourself stronger.
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Beyond Technique: Why Belief Matters
Of course, we all know that good technique is essential. But at a certain point, self-belief is what lifts a dancer from “capable” to “captivating”.
An audience can see confidence. A panel can feel it. A teacher notices it in how you walk into the room. Self belief doesn’t mean thinking you’re perfect, it means trusting that you can rise to the challenge, even when you stumble along the way.
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Helpful vs. Harmful Self-Talk
Here are some swaps that can make a huge difference:
• ❌ “I’ll never get this jump” → ✅ “Every try takes me closer”
• ❌ “I look awful doing this” → ✅ “I’m learning how to use my bod”
• ❌ “Everyone else is better than me” → ✅ “I’m on my own journey”
Small shifts in language can completely change the way you feel in class.
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Tools You Can Try
• Mantras: Choose one positive phrase to repeat in class – “I can do hard things” is a favourite.
• Reframe setbacks: Instead of “I failed,” try “I learned what to work on.”
• Celebrate small wins: Balances held, stamina improving, remembering choreography quicker, these all count!
• Breathe & reset: When negative thoughts creep in, pause, take a breath, and swap them for something kind.
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Step. Leap. Soar.
At Borders School of Dance, we don’t just train dancers we help shape mindsets. We want every student to know that their inner voice matters as much as their turnout or their timing.
So here’s the really important part (the secret to being able to do this) next time you are in class, ask yourself: “Would I say this to a friend?” If the answer is no, then your self-talk NEEDS a kinder rewrite.
Because belief isn’t just something you feel, it’s something you practise the way you do with your turns. With every step, leap, and soar, you’re not only training your body… you’re training your brain to believe in you.
Miss Louise x
