Have you ever been faced with a challenge which makes you feel like a guillotine is about to drop on your neck? That is how one of the competitors, Jan Ravens, in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ feels before a performance.
How do you cope with that level of stress and how do you get past the stress and do your best? It is worth taking a look at what can be learned from a competition which frightens the life out of its competitors.
Amateurs dance with professionals and couples get eliminated each week on the basis of points awarded by judges and by the number of the general public who phone up to support their favourites.
They were willing to get out of their comfort zones and take a risk to find out what they could do.
Many of us might benefit from pushing the limits of what we believe we can achieve to find out how high we can reach.
The master of ceremonies, Bruce Forsyth, commented ironically on the ferocious four: “I do wish these judges would stop sitting on the fence and say what they really mean!” Most of us will face the judges and the critics at some point in our lives.
Some of the competitors neutralized the criticism of the judges by making fun of them, by imitating them or by making rude comments about them behind their backs.
One of the competitors, Brendan Cole, took the judges on to their face: “You guys are losing the plot. You are so inconsistent. One says this and the other that. You can’t win.” Later the judges told Brendan, he should leave the competition for daring to criticise them.
Len Goodman said: “Dance and keep your mouth shut.” Brendan appeared to go along with this but didn’t: “I agree but if the sky is blue stop calling it pink.” You don’t have to accept what the judges or critics say! Brendan and his partner, Claire, were saved by the public to fight another week.
Emma Bunton, one of the former Spice Girls group, said: “I must stop the nerves. It makes me make mistakes. As I have got older my nerves have got worse.” Jan Ravens commented: “I just wish I could conquer my nerves so that I could do myself and Anton justice. Your brain goes to yogurt and your legs go to jelly.” Len Goodman gave her sensible advice: “You just have to say: ‘This is how good I am’ and dance.” In other words, be confident and get on with it.
Philip Jackson, a former dance champion, said:: “In 48 hours you can make a mediocre performance good and a good performance great” Persistent hard work can produce miracles.
The professional partner has to learn how to bring the best out of their amateur partner.
Craig gives his advice for making the most of a partnership: “Hard work is key to a great partnership. Don’t give up. Don’t let up. That is the key to success. I look for balance. If one partner can turn the other’s nervousness into energy – that makes for a fantastic partnership.” Craig feels rightly that energy is a key element in a successful dance as it is in almost any human activity.
Lilia Kopylova, the professional dancer from Moscow, had found out how her partner, Matt Dawson, operated best: “I have found out how he works. Matt needs to repeat, repeat, repeat and learn it by heart.” James Jordan decided to be tough on his partner, Georgina Bouzova.
” James tough line worked and Georgina turned in her best performance yet.
” If you feel good, you will probably do your best even if your best does not justify you feeling good! Another important success skill is to do what you can do well and avoid doing what you are not good at.
Whatever the celebrity can do good, do it a lot and, if they can’t do it, leave it out!” Again it is important to keep going when you make a mistake.
Craig told a couple who went out unexpectedly in the third week, Spoony and Ola: “It is a shame you actually lost the story because, professionally, you should have kept going on and covered that up.
If you are working with others, find out how you can bring out the best in them.
If you feel good, you will probably do your best even if your best does not justify you feeling good! Another important success skill is to do what you can do well and avoid doing what you are not good at.
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