Passion for Dance Chelsea Pierotti

At the end of every dance season, there comes a time to say goodbye. Every year, as both a teacher and a coach, I watch young men and women I've grown close to graduate and move on to the next phase of their life. Whether it's at banquets or graduations, watching a senior leave the program is usually heavy with some complex emotions. One mental skill I often focus on is resilience, and big life transitions like this usually need some extra resilience.
In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts about saying goodbye to our dancers during this time of transition, because it can be hard. I’ve learned a lot over the years about saying goodbye and the mindset that helps you be resilient to this kind of change, so I’ll give you three things to remind yourself of when you find yourself navigating the inevitable emotions of saying goodbye. If you're having a hard time letting go of your dancers this year, I hope this episode is helpful to you!
Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/159
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Any dancer dreaming of a professional career is most likely working hard in the studio and honing their skills to be the strongest dancer they can be, but in the professional dance world, talent is only 20% of the equation. There are a lot of other skills to master that make up that other 80%. This 80/20 rule where success as a professional dancer is 20% talent, 80% everything else comes from my esteemed guest today, Menina Fortunato.
Menina's mission is to help the next generation of dancers create their dream dance careers. She had her own remarkable career for three decades in this dance industry. She has navigated the demands of both on-camera and behind-the-scenes work while also juggling the responsibilities of being a loving wife and devoted mother of three. Menina has worked on prominent television shows and films including America's Got Talent, Star Trek: Enterprise, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and she's graced stadium stages entertaining massive crowds with superstars like Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Paula Abdul, and so many more.
Menina and I talk about maintaining motivation as a professional dancer, how our current generation could learn more about rejection and handling negative emotions through mental toughness and some mindset advice for aspiring professionals. And, of course, she'll break down her 80/20 rule and share what that other 80% is all about!
Resources -
Follow Menina on Instagram: www.instagram.com/meninafortunato
Connect with The Business of Dance: www.bizofdance.com
Connect with The Hollywood Summer Tour www.dancehst.com
Connect with Menina: www.meninafortunato.com
Sign up to the Passion for Dance Email List: www.chelseapierotti.com/email
 
Key Highlights -
[3m 51s] - Menina’s Dance Background
[10m 12s] - Menina’s Favorite Memory Onstage
[14m 17s] - What’s Kept Menina Motivated Professionally
[17m 48s] - Menina’s View on Values
[19m 19s] - The 80/20 Rule
[29m 16s] - Challenges Menina Sees in Dancers Seeking a Professional Career
[34m 45s] - Menina’s Take on Balance and Mindset
[39m 03s] - Menina’s Thoughts on Managing Chaos

 

Do you have much experience with dance outside of your own culture? Since it's International Dance Day, I want to take today's episode to focus on dance as a source of heritage and identity and how it can truly connect us across our different cultures, but I can't do it alone. My guest today is four-time Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer of the show Bare Feet, Mickela Mallozzi, who is on a mission to experience the world one dance at a time.
In today’s episode, Mickela and I talk about the need to be vulnerable when you're learning something new and how we have to let go of perfection so that we can genuinely be curious and learn from other cultures and experience dance through their eyes. She shares her views on the various cultural foundations of dance that are not often taught, and she shares some great stories like learning the dance with the people of the Garifuna who survived exile only to maintain, thrive, and grow their cultural heritage, including their native dances. I hope you enjoy the cultural exploration of dance in this episode, and let’s celebrate International Dance Day together!
Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/157
Connect with Mickela on the Bare Feet website: www.travelbarefeet.com
Follow Mickela and Bare Feet on Instagram: www.instagram.com/travelbarefeet
Sign up to my Email List: www.chelseapierotti.com/email
 

Dancers, this one is directly for you! You can be a mentally healthy dancer who is ALSO mentally tough. Here's the difference between mental toughness and mental health and how you can build your mental toughness.
Learn more at: https://chelseapierotti.com/156
 

Do you feel like it's getting harder and harder to challenge your dancers and hold them to a high standard without hurting their feelings or being seen as a mean coach? When I talk to dance educators, many of them express this internal conflict where they want to push their dancers for more and help them see the value of hard work, but they might be scared of nasty parent phone calls, worried about being fired, and have a genuine fear of harming the dancers they care so much about. I understand the stress and fear, and I also appreciate the desire to recognize mental health.
In today's episode, I’ll be sharing the difference between mental health and mental toughness so that you can be the teacher that is able to create happier, more successful dancers through mental skills. We’ll talk about how mental health and mental toughness go hand in hand, and I’ll share a few strategies to help you help your dancers build mental toughness. I hope this episode helps you see that it is possible to teach our dancers to be mentally tough while also protecting their wellbeing!
https://chelseapierotti.com/email
Episode 66 about Mental Health in Sports: https://chelseapierotti.com/66
Other Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/156
 

Before you dive too fast into next season, do you stop and ask your dancers to reflect on the past season and share their candid thoughts with you? Though I know sometimes at the end of the season it's easy to go straight into next season, hopefully you take a small break in between. 
While it can be hard to hear, and I understand sending out a survey or sitting down to talk might feel nerve wracking to you, it's incredibly powerful to do this with your dancers. One of the most untapped resources is your leadership (either formal captains, graduating seniors, or even upcoming leaders). Asking them key questions can completely change your next season for the better.
In today’s episode I’ll share with you why it's so valuable to ask your dancers questions at the end of the year. I’ll also be talking about how I learned to ask my dancers to pause and reflect on the last season as well as share with you the five questions you should specifically ask your captains. I promise these reflections with your captains at the end of the year will change how you plan and set yourself up for the next season!
Improvement Season Free Challenge: https://chelseapierotti.com/challenge
Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/155