The 2023 autumn feis season is here, and with major championships and qualifying events right around the corner, it’s time to get back to work and buckle down on training.
Coming back from a summer break can sometimes be both mentally and physically challenging for dancers after taking some time to rest and recharge. Allowing yourself the time you need to adjust back into your daily routine is key to jump-starting a successful competitive season.
Annabelle Nunnery — a neuro-linguistic programming coach and practitioner and a member of the Move with Meg personal training team — shares with us her her top five strategies for dancers who are returning to regular dance classes and heading back to feiseanna this month.
- It May Take Time
Heading into a new season often comes with new schedules, new challenges, and new strategies to help re-establish a routine and helpful habits after summer. Although many dancers may be feeling ready to jump right back into where they left off before the holidays, it could take some more time to adjust than we might expect.
Annabelle’s most important tip is to remember that getting back into a regular routine with school, dance, and/or work can be a process. “Remember to have patience with yourself,” she tells The Irish Dancer Globe.
“Going back to school can be tiring, and this can impact the way we dance. Take active steps to help yourself like going to bed early”.
Annabelle reminded us that there are simple ways we can set ourselves up for success when acclimating to routines. Getting enough sleep as well as proper nutrition and hydration will help to keep your body and mind feeling sharp, as well as ready to pour your energy into dancing and training.
“Remember to be kind to yourself. If you keep at it, things will feel less tiring and overwhelming less quickly,” she added.
- Remember to Get Enough Rest
The busy schedule of an Irish dancer includes a jam-packed competition circuit along with classes and practices throughout the week. From smaller competitions almost every weekend leading up to the qualifiers, to majors such as the All Scotland and Great Britain Championships, dancers all over the world are trying to squeeze in as many competitions as they can over the autumn months.
“The next few months are intense in the dancing schedule with lots of major championships and local feis’ – ensure you have enough time in your schedule to rest your body and also your mind,” says Annabelle.
“I encourage dancers to keep diaries of their feelings, go on long walks, colour, read. Find something you enjoy to do away from the dancing world that will help you unwind”.
Building in time to rest when you need to is imperative to improving performance in all areas of life. When we are overwhelmed, there is no way that our bodies can perform at our highest potential. “Rest is productive!” Annabelle reminds us.
- Make a Timetable
Another tool to help keep yourself on track is to write down and plan out your days. “Timetables are a great way to keep yourself organised,” Annabelle explains.
Using a calendar or planner can be a helpful process for dancers to get down on paper what they need to get done weekly, or even daily.
“Write a weekly timetable and make sure it is realistic. Don’t say your homework will take 30 minutes if you know it will take an hour,” suggests Annabelle.
Filling in a planner or calendar your detailed schedule with important due dates, class times, and competitions coming up is a great way to keep everything organised. Make a to-do list, or plan your day out down to the minute if you’d like to. You can get as detailed as you want to with your timetables as long as it helps keep you focused.
When writing out your timeline, remember to allow some downtime to rest and recharge your mind and body by relaxing or spending time with family and friends.
Sometimes, when we feel pressed for time, it is better to do things in smaller, more focused amounts rather than wasting a larger chunk of time being unproductive.
“Remember consistency and productive practice is much more important than hours upon hours of unfocused work,” says Annabelle.
- Set a Goal
“Start your September by setting a goal for the end of the year,” Annabelle tells IDG. Even though it may seem like it’s a bit of a way off, the end of the year will be here soon enough. Get ahead on your plans and start looking ahead now to set your trajectory from now through the rest of the year.
“This will help to keep you focused but will also help you feel excited about what amazing possibilities and opportunities there are to come.”
Goal setting is one of the most useful tools for a dancer to use when heading into a new competition season. Remembering your goals will help to keep up motivation and give you a reminder of what you are working towards if you are feeling tired or overwhelmed.
Write down your goal for the end of the year and display it somewhere where you will see it often so you can be reminded of your aspirations. Remember when you are setting a goal to include the smaller steps you can take along the way to reaching your big goal.
- Work On Your Mindset
Mindset is something that can be trained whenever and wherever. Even if you are sidelined with an injury, or don’t have the time for a full practice that day, it isn’t too hard to set aside a few minutes for some mindset work.
Annabelle suggests: “Work on your mindset daily. Our minds are super important when it comes to our enjoyment of dancing but also how we perform both in class and on stage.”
Some examples of mindset work could include mindful activities like journaling, meditating, or visualising yourself dancing your steps on stage or in class. As dancers, we are likely to be constantly training our bodies to perform at the highest level, but we can sometimes leave out the important aspect of training our minds too.
“Don’t forget to work on your mindset as much as your technique as this could make a massive difference,” adds Annabelle.
As you head back to dance classes this month, remind yourself of these five crucial things to help you stay on track for the new Feis season.
Follow Annabelle on Instagram.
