How you see yourself in your mind?? What's better

[MrsMoose]

Hello.

EE suggested I start a topic as she thought it had potential when I said "I often see myself in my head/mind as much better than what I am as a dancer."

So how do you see yourself.

I picture myself doing all the routines perfectly all the steps, the moves, I see myself gliding, floating on the floor, looking so good. That's in my head.  I don't think that way of myself IRL, that's my imagininary wishful thinking.

So what do you think? How do you see yourself.  And which do you think you prefer, ? Or are they both the same?

I have two images, one that is "real" that I don't think is great at all and one that is my fantasty as a looking as a great dancer.

[elisedance]

I suspect both are not exactly what you think - the one in your head may dance better than you can physically - but it is more what you will be as your body catches up.  The 'reality' can be either worse or better than you think... sometimes I feel really beautiful dancing and my video is a disaster but on other occasions I have looked a lot better than I thought...

[MrsMoose]

I have to agree on one part.

Last comp, I felt I looked horrible but on the video it wasn't all that bad.  I've yet to experience the reverse.

You make excellent points

I hope my body catches up to my head, lol I'd be very very happy

[elisedance]

well, youth is a factor from my experience, most older people eventually get a disconnect between how young they feel in thier heads and what they look like in their bodies.  Perhaps its our youth-glorifying culture I don't know - but its not something that the body can catch up with, at least not totally.  In my head I dance as beautifully as Alessandra Bucciarelli and though I can spire to emote and express as she does I obviously can not make my body that young

[ttd]

Last comp, I felt I looked horrible but on the video it wasn't all that bad.  I've yet to experience the reverse.

I typically have same experience with the videos. It looks better than it feels. I think the only time I did not was when I competed in rhythm 5 years ago. Although the last time I competed a few weeks ago, the way I felt about it and the way things looked were less out of sync in a better direction. But I was told by a coach once that I seem to be really good at covering up my problems, and still make things look good despite technical issues. Which could be the reason for situation when dancing felt really bad and then the video did not.

[QPO]

We had a comp last night where did both Standard and New Vogue, we felt the standard felt awful but people said gosh that looked good you are doing so well with your modern and we look at each other as it did not feel like how people saw it.

Our New vogue felt good but obviously it did not look as good as we felt it....but it is al relative, you must visualise yourself dancing well I do believe there is a correlation  and visualizing outcomes is a good practice

[cornutt]

well, youth is a factor from my experience, most older people eventually get a disconnect between how young they feel in thier heads and what they look like in their bodies.  Perhaps its our youth-glorifying culture I don't know - but its not something that the body can catch up with, at least not totally. 

I don't know if it's that so much.  I think we all suspect that if we start to think of ourselves as old and enfeebled, we're done for.   

[QPO]

well, youth is a factor from my experience, most older people eventually get a disconnect between how young they feel in thier heads and what they look like in their bodies.  Perhaps its our youth-glorifying culture I don't know - but its not something that the body can catch up with, at least not totally. 

I don't know if it's that so much.  I think we all suspect that if we start to think of ourselves as old and enfeebled, we're done for.   

I agree. I have seen some terrible dancing from young people and wonderful dancing from older people. so it is all relative. I refuse to see myself as old! It is not in my vocabulary 

[Some guy]

I think our minds create how we see ourselves.  So best to stay young in the mind. 

Came across the following interesting article.  My coach has been telling me this for months.  Not that I didn't believe her, but these statistics are quite amazing:
http://www.sportsmindskills.com/images/mind_over_matter_shackell_07.pdf

[elisedance]

that is amazing - I wonder if people watching TV sports actually build muscle without doing anything?  Obviously the same thing does not work for loosing calories and fat - they have to be consumed the hard way - but a lot of couch potatoes are also very stocky...

Maybe we grow muscles just watching you tube - hey, no need to practise on the floor any more

[MusicChica]

HA!  Now I can show my pro PROOF that thinking about dance and mentally running through things IS TOO practice!

[elisedance]

I think we need that link on the '20 minutes' topic too - justifies all sorts of lollagogging'

[Some guy]

HA!  Now I can show my pro PROOF that thinking about dance and mentally running through things IS TOO practice!

Actually my coach encourages this.  She calls it "couch dancing".    It actually does a better job of co-ordinating the body than actual practice.  Works wonders because it's working the body from a higher potential (mind) to a lower potential (physical).  It also helps to use the actual floor time as just a test-drive of what you created in your mind while couch dancing.  It reduces the floor time tremendously.  So when there's a day that I can't go to the studio, I just couch dance (or car-seat dance) and voila: practice!

[elisedance]

HA!  Now I can show my pro PROOF that thinking about dance and mentally running through things IS TOO practice!

Actually my coach encourages this.  She calls it "couch dancing".    It actually does a better job of co-ordinating the body than actual practice.  Works wonders because it's working the body from a higher potential (mind) to a lower potential (physical).  It also helps to use the actual floor time as just a test-drive of what you created in your mind while couch dancing.  It reduces the floor time tremendously.  So when there's a day that I can't go to the studio, I just couch dance (or car-seat dance) and voila: practice!

Now why is it that 'couch dancing' sounds vaguely decadent?
Then car-seat dance.  Lets see, what would the natives of northen sweden do?

[Rugby]

HA!  Now I can show my pro PROOF that thinking about dance and mentally running through things IS TOO practice!

So when there's a day that I can't go to the studio, I just couch dance (or car-seat dance) and voila: practice!

Yeah I car-seat dance too but it's usually because I have to go to the bathroom and I'm still a long way from home.