Photo by Eli DeFaria on Unsplash
Fun fact: The ability to learn an entire classical ballet variation from a YouTube video is a skill– and not many dancers have it.
That’s why, at the end of every year, one of my instructors assigns a variation that her ballet classes are required to teach to themselves. Without this skill, none of us would’ve survived Recital 2015. That was the year she videoed a three-part dance, emailed it to two other instructors and said, The students know what to do.
It was the moment of truth, and we were nothing short of ecstatic when we finally performed that dance in the spring. It was beautiful.
Then, I went out of town. When I got back, my class had already learned that year’s classical variation. I had no idea what ballet it was from, what the steps were or why I even bothered putting my pointe shoes on because I was obviously about to be trampled by my friends. At the end of class, one of them patted me on the back and said, “I like how Aquinnah always looks like she knows what she’s doing, even when she doesn’t.”
I felt totally lost, and there was no denying it. But when I got home, I sat down to think about what it was that made it look like I knew squat about that variation. Based on what I learned about myself that day, here are a few ways to look like you know what you’re doing… even when you don’t.
Keep your head up
Standing out feels counterintuitive when you don’t know what’s going on, but shrinking in on yourself is much worse. The smaller you try to become, the more you stick out. The best advice I can give you is to accept that you don’t know and then learn fast. You aren’t expected to know everything, so don’t be ashamed when you have to play catch up. Making it clear that you’re prepared to learn will make it harder for people to question your capability.
Smile
A positive attitude is imperative when you’re feeling out of place. A smile signals that you’ve got this challenge under control. Plus, it takes fewer muscles than frowning, which leaves you with more manpower to get stuff done.
Listen and nod
If someone is trying to help you by giving you instructions or assistance, listen to them. Now is probably not the time to share your opinions about the task at hand. Right now, all you have to do is get on board and know what’s happening.
Laugh
Just like my friend could tell I was lost, there will probably be at least one person who knows you’re faking it. That’s okay! Do your best, and if you screw up, laugh it off. I spent the following two weeks of ballet class laughing because I never really did learn that variation, and everyone knew it.
Finally, it’s okay to ask for help. You might be surprised by the number of people around you who say, “I don’t know either! I’m just going with it!”
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