Dancers and Cheerleaders??

Question

Sport psychologist have been studying the relationship between sports and 3 traits, hypnotic ability/absorption ( the degree to which someone can block out what is going on around them, can focus well, daydream a lot, or forget that they are in a movie theatre while watching a movie), neuroticism (your level of anxiety), and repressive coping (not thinking of bad things, keeping bad memories out of your head, etc...). I would like to know How you would rate your self in these three categories and how important you think each of these three categories are to dance and cheering?

Answer 1

Uhh o_o I can block things out if I have a lot on my mind. I think cheer-leading is kinda g*y.

Ima dancer :] And none of these things have to do with dancing, so Ima leave them out. I love to dance, been doing so for uhh.. 9 years? I love it:} <3

Answer 2

hypnotic ability/absorption:  dont focus well, i daydream

anxiety:  sometimes get nervous in awkward situations

repressive coping:  usually think happy thoughts!

being a varsity cheerleader, i know that focus is very important. in all areas of the sport, if you aren't focused, then you can seriously jeapordize the safety of your team members and yourself. if a cheerleader is very anxious, they cannot excel very well at all. its scary to learn new stunts and tumbling skills and if you are scared, you'll hurt yourself. being positive is extremely important in cheerleading since that is the root of our sport! however, this is according to the sport, and i do not think that the personal ratings of cheerleaders and dancers will be the same for everyone. the stereotypes are being broken

and cheerleading isnt ******* g*y. if it was g*y and a "joke" sport, then i wouldnt have had two surgeries on my hips and completely severed tendons and torn ligaments. back yourself up there sweetie.

Answer 3

I've danced for 13 years, and cheered for 1, but here's my opinion:

1) Extremely important.  In cheering, if you are stunting, you can't let anything distract you or someone might be in danger.  In dance, a theater can be a nerve-racking situation, so you have to just put yourself on the stage and dance, without worrying about the people watching.  In this category I think that I would do well.

2) Your level of anxiety is important in that you cannot let your anxiety take over.  In cheerleading, its more of a social setting if its at a game, so nerves don't really get in the way.  But dancing, stage freight can ruin a dance.  Some people use their anxiety as fuel for the stage, but it can be utter embarrassment for others.  I would rate myself low on this one.  I get nervous for everything, but I have had to teach myself to use it as positive and affective energy.

3) Neuroticism is more important in cheerleading I think.  I have seen instances where a cheerleader couldn't do a certain stunt because they have fallen or gotten badly hurt.  They never want to do it again but it's all in their head.  With dance, its more of emotional memories that set the tone.  In one dance, you might want to remember a bad time to make it mean more.  I would rate myself well in this category because I have not let the past affect my performance in a negative way; instead, I have used my history, both good and bad, to bring depth to my dancing.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your study!

Answer 4

Hypnotic Ability/Absorption: I think I do it pretty well. When someone's annoying me, I generally pretend I don't hear. :) I don't cheer, but I dance, and I think it's an important trait to have. For example, if you're on stage, you can't be distracted by the audience or others backstage.

Neurotocism: I really only get anxious occasionally, so I guess that's good... it's important for dancers because while performing, it's important to not feel anxiety. If you do, you might be convinced you're going to do something wrong, and then chances are, you will.

Repressive Coping: I think I'm decent at this too. Sometimes I tend to feel depressed, but I brush things off easily a lot of the time. This is somewhat important to dancers but not so much as the others. If you can't think positive, then smiling on stage and focusing during class could be a problem. But I don't think it will affect your dancing as much as hypnotic ability/absorption or neuroticism.

Hope this helps!