Take a look at this video of Sara Lopez and Enah dancing kizomba in Madrid. Sara is is an award-winning kizomba dancer who has excelled in worldwide dance competitions. This is obviously taking dancing beyond a hobby and into an entirely different realm. Not everyone who takes up dance, even people who study dance to a high level, compete in dance competitions, so what are the benefits of doing so?
The joy of competing
Some people are born with a competitive nature, and they will naturally be drawn to enter a competitive arena whenever they are given the chance to do so. Competing can leave you with a true sense of achievement and accomplishment and there is excitement and energy, regardless of where you end up placing.
- Kizomba 2.0: When Dancers Make It Their Own
- Kizomba Flashmobs: Sharing the Beat with the World
- Kizomba is Supposed to Be Fun and Playful
A chance for inspiration
When you are in a dance competition, you are competing against some of the best dancers in your field. And getting to watch each of them dance can give you the chance to gain inspiration from them. Dance, of all styles, is a constantly evolving art and gaining inspiration from each other is one of the ways in which dance styles grow and develop.
Hearing real critique
In the outside world, it is rare to hear informed and balanced critiques of our dancing. People may say something looked “great” out of politeness or because they haven’t studied dancing to a high enough level to be able to point out areas where you could work on improving. Equally, if you post dance videos online, there is always the chance of uninformed “trolling” that won’t actually help you to get better. A dance competition judge, on the other hand, has the knowledge and experience to be able to give you real constructive criticism that you can take away and apply to your dancing.
The social side of competitions
Going through a dance competition with your peers is a unique way to gain a sense of camaraderie with your fellow dancers. While you are each other’s competition, you are still going through the exact same experiences at the same time, and this can make you form fast friendships with your competitors that may go beyond the confines of the competition itself.
The bottom line
If you do get the chance to compete in a dance competition, it almost doesn’t matter where you place (although of course, it does just a little bit!). There are lots of other benefits to competing than simply bringing home a trophy that can help you to improve your dance skills and get more enjoyment out of dancing.
If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your friends! As online learning becomes more popular, we’ve added a new section for online dance classes. Online classes are a fun and easy way to learn dance from the comfort of your home. You can take lessons from world-class teachers, practice at your own pace, and it’s super affordable too! Online dance classes are just great if you want to get moving and learn new dance styles, check it out.