Anastasia #02
Introverts vs Extroverts
There are essentially two types of people…introverts and extroverts. Introverts are those that are shy, inward and reserved. Extroverts are those that are outgoing and socially confidant individuals. Being a dancer where you are either an introvert or extrovert has both advantages and disadvantages and learning how to balance them out can help make the perfect combination when performing in a competition or show.
Being an introvert has incredible advantages when dancing. Many times introverts are inward thinkers and feelers and a lot of the dancing activity and actions are accurate, precise, and clear. Introverts are typically perfectionists that focus on the detail of the body actions, accuracy of the technique, and the mechanics of motion. Introverts help to make dancing performances consistent and accurate. However, being an introvert can have disadvantages when in the situation of a performance or competition. In a competition, a dancer should be aware that he or she is fighting to win the judge’s and audience’s attention. In a show, the performance needs to “entertain” and bring out some sort of reaction from the audience. Therefore, only inward thoughts and actions are not enough. An introverted dancer must come out of his or her shell and perform outwardly while still maintaining their precision, accuracy, and clarity of detail.
Being an extroverted dancer also has incredible advantages. An extrovert naturally is social and outgoing so being in a competition or show setting is a natural situation for him or her. Dancing is a social activity where the audience can enjoy an extrovert’s natural outgoing charisma and social skills. An extrovert will be naturally attractive to others and can easily gain the attention and favoritism of the audience. However, being extroverted also has some disadvantages when in a partnership situation. Ballroom dancing is also couple dancing where there are two partners that must partner each other and communicate with one another when dancing. At times when an extrovert only thinks about outward performances, he or she can sometimes forget about the partnership and can become somewhat fake and inaccurate with the mechanics and technique. Therefore, an extrovert must always balance out the natural outward energy with an awareness of the partnership and internal mechanics and technique that make the partnership function.
As you can see, being an introvert or an extrovert has advantages and disadvantages. The magic is in the balance between the two. When one partner is a natural introvert while the other is a natural extrovert it is the perfect combination. Having a partnership where both are introverts can have the tendency of getting lost in a competition and the performance factor can become diluted and quiet. On the contrary, when both are extroverts the technical accuracy and mechanics can sometimes be sacrificed and can tend to look overly fake. Therefore, being aware of the type of dancer you are is important and they type of dancer your partner is is also incredibly crucial. Finding the harmony between the two personalities is very important for the balance of the partnership and the performance. There is no golden formula or mix between the two personalities. There have been many past champions in both Ballroom and Latin where the couple has a mix of one personality or the other or both. Know yourself, believe in yourself, and continue pursuing your dreams!
Anastasia Muravyeva