How did a BFA in Dance turn me into the strength coach I am today?

Since earning my degree in modern dance and composition, I have been reflecting on my experience at one of the country’s top dance conservatories. Graduating summa cum laude required hard work and grit. Behind the prison brick, SUNY Purchase exists as a hidden gem with a gold mine of creative energy. The curriculum itself trains the body and mind for an athlete to be in full expression.  

I had the opportunity to work with Doug Varone, Jean Freebury of The Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and studied abroad with the late Kazuko Hirabayashi, a legend in modern dance. Upon acceptance I was challenged to work hard for each opportunity to perform and create. The challenges taught me to speak up, stand out and put in quality work to create the change I wanted. 

Here’s what I learned in 5 key points: 

Discipline. 

"Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Practice makes permanent." - words from Guy Lemire M.D., a cardio-thoracic surgeon, aka. my father. 

My amendment to the quote above is: “You’ll never be perfect but you can always show up.” 

Maintaining a recurring training schedule Monday-Friday with weekend projects and rehearsals means you’re moving at least 4-5hrs a day. You take on the mindset of a marathon runner. Don’t use all your gas in the first mile. Pace yourself. This isn't theater, theory or low threshold activity. This is a full body technique. Through application, our bodies and minds are always in action with every class at an elevated heart rate with moments of quick recovery. 

After week 6, your cinderblock dorm room is now your sleeping paradise. Injuries arise and you need to add more commitments to physical therapy. With attendance as a huge element of your overall grade, simply showing up became the deciding factor for the borderline grades. I wont even mention the academics. 

Showing up is the foundation of hard work and a recurring theme in many successful client stories I have today. 

Creative Freedom

Creativity was a weekly demand. You were forced to move spontaneously, calculated-quick yet intentional. Not only did we have project deadlines, showings and full productions, we also had to come up with material at a moment's notice. I learned that in order to break the rules, you had to abide by them first, otherwise you don’t know what you’re breaking away from. 

At Purchase there was also an untapped mine of creative energy in the visual arts department and I wanted to collaborate. In addition to planning ahead and researching different disciplines, I needed to create and apply this concept in the fleeting form of dance. Coaching dancers was like sculpting statues by articulating precisely the ideas and movements ahead. 

How does this correlate to strength training? Clients need direction with effective coaching to properly execute movement safely. There is a great deal of creativity in how you coach your client to move through space as well as what they’re doing. You set them up for success from the start. You can change their base of support or positioning, use time, and manipulate the exercise order to further challenge and spice things up. Using effective words or cues specific to the client’s experience and background turns a good session into a great one. 

It's all choreography and direction. 

Boundaries 

Setting boundaries is not suggested, it is required. With the demands of showing up and always creating you hit your own personal threshold. There's only so much you can do in a week and you have to understand how to budget your energy. 

You will hit a limit whether you like it or not. Fatigue is expected but comes in many forms whether you’re breaking down a new skill or adding more rehearsals and time to your work. 

How does it pertain to the gym? Conditioning. 

As a student in any conservatory you’re constantly training and conditioning your body to be ready for a higher demand. The first step to increasing your capacity of work is to simply understand where you started and where you want to go. You have the opportunity to plan ahead and set your limits and notice your improvements. 

You have the power to artfully curate the energy you spend, even in the moments of rehearsing a physically demanding piece or training in a classroom setting. This can be done in a strategic way to better understand how hard you need to work. 

Understanding a client's limit helps the coach create and curate a program specific to them. 

Physical Readiness 

Assessment is daily. You have yearly reviews and choreographers coming in on any day to see how well you move. It is up to you to take the steps necessary to keep your body ready. This is where it all comes together. With the boundaries you've set, the creative spirit you've cultivated, and discipline you've exercised, you can now safely rely on your physical body. Physical readiness sounds like an outcome but is still part of the process. 

Being prepared is not being perfect. It’s simply a state of mind that helps you think clearly and make better well informed decisions for your body. I look at physical readiness as that moment where you are in absolute control both mind and body. 

There's no substitute for pure confidence. It's a result of hard work and grit. 

Care

In training we like to call this the "deload" period. You're not taking time off or throwing in the towel but you're scaling back your intensities to keep your practice alive. 

Caring for your body is essential. This falls into the realm of physical therapy, rehabilitation, mindfulness or any daily and weekly practices that can help you recover. 

It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community to promote a healthy body. As a strength coach, it is imperative that I keep my referral network updated and communication consistent. We cultivate community to support independence by helping each other physically, but most importantly mentally.