It’s a new dance year, and now that we are a few weeks into classes it’s a great time to set some goals for yourself. They don’t have to be big – you may not be ready to go for a particular leap or an advanced step in your tap class, but there are all kinds of smaller goals that you can set that will give you a LOT of progress throughout your year. Here are some tips for getting those goals set:

• Take Stock: Where are you at in each of your classes? What could you work on to get real progress in your technique or musicality? How about your flexibility? After you reflect on these questions, take your observations to your teachers, who can help you decide on which goals would be most helpful to pursue.
• Map It!: Once you decide what your goals are, you can work with your teachers to set up how you will reach them. It’s always easier to reach an end goal when you set a path with smaller check points to get there. If you’re looking to improve a certain area of flexibility, you can begin working some stretches into your routine, and then once that is a regular occurrence begin to extend the time you stretch or add another day to that routine as you improve.
• Write It Down: You are more likely to follow through with a goal if you write it down somewhere that you will see it, and if your path is written out so that you can keep track of when you reach those benchmarks on the way to your goal.
• Be Flexible: You know what they say about making plans…it’s important to remember that if you go off track with your goal, that is perfectly ok. You can ease back into the path once you are able. All kinds of things can throw a goal off course like illness, injury, vacations, or just life in general. Make sure to give yourself some grace and understanding!
• Celebrate!: Finding a way to celebrate even the smaller victories on the way to your goal has been proven to have a positive effect on progress and achievement, so make sure to give yourself credit every time you move toward that goal!
• Revisit/Revise: You should also be checking in with your progress and your teachers to see where you are at and if you need to revise those benchmarks, alter how you are moving toward your goal, or maybe even set a new one if you’ve succeeded ahead of schedule!

Every year we have the opportunity to make the most of our time in the studio. Setting goals is a great way to be able to look back at the end of the year and feel like you made true progress. Don’t forget that your teachers are your best resource and are ready to help you succeed!