Result v Improvement

[dancingirldancing]

What will make you more happy good result/not so good dancing or bad result/good dancing ?

How do you measure improvement separate from result ?

Would you trade good result with good dancing ?

 

[latingal]

LOL...a subject near and dear to my heart!

What will make you more happy good result/not so good dancing or bad result/good dancing ?

I think there are situations where you can be happy with either.

Sometimes the good result with the not so good dancing tells you that your efforts to improve the level of your dancing on your bad days has paid off.

And if you have a good day dancing, but not a good result - hey you've had a good day dancing and the other factors contributing to results may have factors beyond your control.

How do you measure improvement separate from result ?

Analysis of video and feedback from coaches on personal goals set for the comp.

Would you trade good result with good dancing ?

I have to choose? *grin*

 

[Lioness]

I would rather good dancing, that is an improvement from my usual.

I may usually get results...maybe my competitors have only just moved up divisions...but am not happy with my dancing.
Then one comp I get bad results...But I've danced better than I have before...maybe on that day the best three competitors in my division were at the comp, whereas they haven't been at any of the previous ones.

 

[latingal]

yes, seems the answer to this question is tied in to the competitors/competition you face in the specific instance.

 

[dancingirldancing]

Winning relates to one's ego ...

There are certain things that may help instantly makes you win but not necessarily help in the long run/higher level.

In that instance sometimes choosing the slow and steady route requires almost zen like state of mind lol.

 

[latingal]

Winning relates to one's ego ...

winning can also be used as a benchmark...a road post along the way. it depends on the individual's focus - is it on excellence or winning? if it's on excellence, many times results are by products of that search for excellence.

true though, most people think of it more in the sense of ego.

In that instance sometimes choosing the slow and steady route requires almost zen like state of mind lol.

if you seek excellence, than you end up in this state of mind more than you might think.... *grin*

 

[dlgodud]

IMO, usually good dancing is correlated to good result, but not vice versa. I would rather want to be a good dancer instead of having a good result without a quality of dancing. I could do much better if I do something else to have good results in competition instead of dancing.

I am not focusing on being 1st. I would rather to be first in my job, but not in my hobby.

 

[fascination]

i have won dancing poorly, I have danced very well and placed poorly...I am not a fan of either....

I tend to look at my result over a year to weigh how well I have done as it tends to sift out the extremes on both ends...

I think that, absent any support from peers, there is some need to see results that affirm one's dancing...but I think that essential to one's dancing is to be doing primarily that which is at the heart of why one dances...if you do not love the style and the process enough that the result is only one aspect, you are in for a rough road..

 

[danceronice]

All things considered, I'd really rather win than not. Either it means it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, or everyone else was really bad, or the judges were just looking at the right moments for me, but as long as I'm ahead I'm good. If I don't win, I can't have danced THAT well. That, or I'm in the wrong category.

 

[WorksForShoes]

Winning is nice. I like to win. Winning can be an important validation of progress, especially if you are able to compare yourself against relatively consistent populations (i.e. Ohio results each year, perhaps).

But winning/losing is inherently an external result. It is far more important to me to feel that I am making improvement by my own standards. At Ohio, DH and I felt we danced the best we ever have --not just the best in competition, but ever. Were we the best dancers there? No. But there is a quiet peace and satisfaction in knowing that to dance better we need to learn more technique and challenge ourselves more. We did not, however, feel that we had failed to apply what we had learned or feel that we had choked or feel that we had danced so much better in practice than in competition. That is an awesome feeling.

 

[fascination]

Winning is nice. I like to win. Winning can be an important validation of progress, especially if you are able to compare yourself against relatively consistent populations (i.e. Ohio results each year, perhaps).

But winning/losing is inherently an external result. It is far more important to me to feel that I am making improvement by my own standards. At Ohio, DH and I felt we danced the best we ever have --not just the best in competition, but ever. Were we the best dancers there? No. But there is a quiet peace and satisfaction in knowing that to dance better we need to learn more technique and challenge ourselves more. We did not, however, feel that we had failed to apply what we had learned or feel that we had choked or feel that we had danced so much better in practice than in competition. That is an awesome feeling.

that is great...and knowing it, and understanding WHY...is so important

 

[toothlesstiger]

I would really rather dance well than place well. The competitions are more a motivation to improve the dancing, and my instructor has made it abundantly clear how much influence appearance, including body shape, can have on the result. I am not committed enough to winning to wear makeup, I'm afraid. ;-) And, really, dancing well is its own reward.

 

[jjs914]

But there is a quiet peace and satisfaction in knowing that to dance better we need to learn more technique and challenge ourselves more. We did not, however, feel that we had failed to apply what we had learned or feel that we had choked or feel that we had danced so much better in practice than in competition. That is an awesome feeling.

I completely agree.

 

[Leonid Turetsky]

Yes results are nice but like everyone said they are usually external and outside of your control really. The one thing that is in your control is how you dance...so focus on that.

 

[JustAnotherDancer]

Interesting observations! What specifically has your instructor said about body shape?

So you don't wear makeup for competition? I'm curious because I really don't like makeup, don't wear it, hate how it feels on my skin on the rare occasions I've tried it.

I would really rather dance well than place well. The competitions are more a motivation to improve the dancing, and my instructor has made it abundantly clear how much influence appearance, including body shape, can have on the result. I am not committed enough to winning to wear makeup, I'm afraid. ;-) And, really, dancing well is its own reward.