Championship competitions are when dancers have the chance to claim a World or National Championship title. But is it really that big of a deal? These competitions will happen again in 2019 and 2020 and someone else could be awarded the World Champion title. Does that mean the previous winner is dethroned? Or once a champion, always a champion? There is a title for each of the multiple skill and age categories. Is one more of a world champion than another? 

Titles are great for what they are. They boost your ego, earn you some bragging rights, and give you a tangible prize to take home after all of your hard work. All of that is fleeting though. There is only a certain amount of time you can talk about how grateful and happy you are for your championship title before people start thinking, “geez, move on already.” And no judgment here! If I bring home a title from Embassy, heck yeah, I’m going to celebrate, online and offline! Celebration is good. We need to celebrate our wins. 

Let’s be honest though. The trophy will start collecting dust, and people will forget. That’s ok! That championship title will become just one more step on a bigger journey. Or at least that’s how I hope you see it.

If your dance goals are centered around winning a specific title, I have to be honest, you’re really limiting yourself. What happens after you win it? Are you going to stop dancing? What happens if you never win it?

Competitions are great short-term goals. They give you a specific deadline and performance date to work toward and can act as milestone markers to check your progress. But they can’t be the end-all, be-all. There is so much more to learn and accomplish in dance beyond prizes and titles. Those are extra. Great, you won a championship title. How did you feel while you were dancing? Did you feel that click in a section that had always given you trouble? Were you finally able to let go of your worries and inhibitions and just dance? It’s the experience that you’ll carry with you. I received my worst placements to date at Embassy Ball 2017, and yes, it struck a big blow to my ego. But I look back at that competition with fondness because I did some of my best dancing there. I remember how good I felt on the floor, and I can’t wait to go back and experience that feeling again. With or without the title.  

Am I alone in this stance?  What do you think?