In today’s article, Dealing with Uncertainty: 3 Essential Dance Secrets Revealed, I would like to explore strategies for navigating uncertainty and how dance has taught me the art of handling unpredictability in life.
I hope you’ll find value in these insights and apply them to coping with change in your own life.
On March 23rd, 2020, I realized my world was about to change, and a period of navigating uncertainty lay ahead. News of a mysterious new illness was spreading globally, and soon, the COVID-19 pandemic would upend lives everywhere.
Like it or not, the time for handling unpredictability had arrived.
As a salsa instructor and lifelong dancer, I watched as studios shuttered, social dances vanished, and our vibrant community grappled with unprecedented challenges. My family, friends, and students were all impacted, and I knew I had to find a way forward.
Coping with change is second nature to dancers. We adapt to new partners, adjust to shifting rhythms, and improvise when a move falls flat.
The key is to harness those same skills for life’s bigger tests. That’s why I want to share three key lessons that have guided me.
The first, and most critical, is self-care.
Dealing with Uncertainty: 3 Essential Dance Secrets Revealed
Self-Care: The Foundation for Dancers Dealing with Uncertainty
Self-care is essential for navigating uncertainty, especially during a pandemic. Prioritizing your mental well-being can make all the difference.
Recent research, including a 2021 systematic review of elite dancers’ mental health NCBI study, confirms that traits like confidence and optimism buffer against stress and uncertainty in dance careers.
A 2023 review of mental health in dance found that these personal strengths act as buffers, helping dancers maintain resilience and holistic well-being, especially during challenging times like a pandemic.
These mental strengths aren’t innate; they’re cultivated through the salsa dancer mindset that turns uncertainty into growth.
1. Prioritize Rest & Recharge
Sleep is the foundation of resilience, your ‘secret sauce’ for mental and physical energy, especially when dealing with uncertainty in dance. Studies on athletic performance LWW Journal show even pro dancers perform better with structured rest.
Think of it like charging a phone: your body and mind perform at their best when fully rested.
Don’t underestimate how quality sleep helps you navigate life’s unpredictability. For dancers, prioritizing rest isn’t just about recovery but a cornerstone of mental health for dancers facing constant change.
My breakthrough came when I focused on both more sleep and better sleep.
It’s not always easy, but with consistency, it’s absolutely possible. And when you’re well-rested, you’re not just helping yourself-you ’re better equipped to handle the challenges of dealing with uncertainty, both on and off the dance floor.
Don’t you agree?
2. Balance Your Time & Energy
Another key to dance resilience when dealing with uncertainty is mastering schedule management. When you stretch yourself too thin, trying to juggle multiple priorities at once, you compromise your ability to handle unpredictability, both in dance and life.
I learned this lesson the hard way. Like many performers facing the challenges of dealing with uncertainty in dance, I once struggled with the urge to tackle everything simultaneously.
Now, I’ve developed greater dance resilience by prioritizing mental clarity and self-care first – only then do I address other responsibilities.
This mirrors the airplane oxygen mask principle: secure your own first before helping others. For dancers building resilience against uncertainty, this approach is non-negotiable.
You can’t maintain your artistic edge with an empty tank; consistent self-care fuels your capacity to adapt and thrive through changing circumstances on and off the dance floor.
Dance etiquette isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about showing respect, building connection, and becoming part of a community.
3. Move Your Body & Grow Your Mind
Exercise is your ally when dealing with uncertainty in dance and life. Regular movement, even a brief walk, strengthens both physical resilience and mental clarity, essential for navigating unpredictable situations.
Here’s the honest truth: the specific activity matters less than consistency.
Whether it’s 10, 20, or 30 minutes daily, movement:
• Sparks metabolic energy
• Triggers mood-boosting endorphins
• Sharpens decision-making focus
For dancers, especially, this daily practice builds the dance resilience needed to adapt when circumstances shift. Your body’s movement becomes training for life’s uncertainties, each step preparing you to pivot with greater ease.
4. Continuous Learning
Lastly, continuous learning has been my anchor for coping with uncertainty as a dancer. In salsa and in life, absorbing knowledge effectively transforms challenges into opportunities, especially when you’re wondering how to stay motivated while learning salsa during uncertain times.
Remember: Knowledge only becomes power when applied.
Uncertainty, like the rhythmic tension in salsa, always contains its counterbalance, like the yin to its yang, the day to its night. We’re living through a global reset where new opportunities favor those who are prepared.
For dancers facing flux, here’s the rhythm to follow:
– Keep learning (those new skills matter)
– Sharpen your skills (even when studios close)
– Stay ahead of the beat (uncertainty won’t last forever)
My ultimate advice?
Build your foundation first through self-care. When you’re mentally and physically strong, you’ll approach these next two strategies with the clarity of a perfect spin turn and the energy of a salsa crescendo.
Adapt: Transforming Your Dance Practice When Facing Uncertainty
Today, I want to share the most valuable lesson I’ve learned for building dance resilience: adaptation. When facing uncertainty, the ability to adjust becomes your greatest strength.
Let me share key dance resilience tips I’ve discovered on my journey:
Adapt Like a Dancer
From my experience, and I bet you’ve felt this too, when we salsa dance, we’re constantly adapting to our partner and the music without overthinking it.
This is exactly how dancers cope with uncertainty: by flowing with the changes instinctively. Right?
In these challenging times of salsa dancing during uncertain periods, that same skill becomes vital. Some call it ‘pivoting’ (though honestly, that term feels overused to me).
What really matters is developing that dancer’s ability to adapt quickly when the rhythm changes.
Here’s what we need to practice:
- Learn to recognize when the situation shifts
- Cultivate flexibility in your thinking (just like your footwork)
- Maintain readiness to change your steps without losing balance
This way, you avoid that ‘sunk’ feeling when plans change. Remember: whether on the dance floor or in life, the best dancers aren’t those who never miss a step; they’re the ones who recover beautifully and keep the dance alive.
That’s how we turn uncertainty into our next great move!
Pay Yourself First
This concept might sound counterintuitive, but it’s transformative. My brother’s advice was, “Set aside money from every paycheck before paying expenses.”
It taught me discipline. The same principle applies beyond finances:
- Time: Dedicate 30 minutes daily to practice, learning, or self-care before other tasks.
- Growth: Invest in skills now (like online dance classes, cheaper and more efficient than in-person lessons) to reap rewards later.
- Mindset: “Save” positivity daily. Example: $12/day = a $4,380 vacation fund. Small, consistent actions compound.
Spot Opportunities Everywhere
Uncertainty hides unexpected gifts if you know where to look. The key is asking: Where’s the opportunity here?
This mindset is crucial for building confidence in dance and life. The challenge? Recognizing what actually qualifies as an opportunity.
What does progress look like when circumstances change? Take learning salsa online, for example. Before, your routine might have been:
Studio class:
• Learn one move
• 30 minutes practice
• Commute home
Now, the digital advantage lets you:
• Learn multiple steps in one session
• Enjoy unlimited practice time
• Save hours on traffic
• Pay just a fraction of private lesson costs
This is how building confidence in dance evolves by adapting to new learning formats that offer even greater benefits than before.
The principle applies beyond dance, too:
• Life opportunities: Streaming boom? New platforms need content.
• Career shifts: Remote work creates global job markets.
Stay alert, stay adaptable, and most importantly, keep dancing through the changes.
Bonus: Cultivate a Positive Environment
Creating a positive environment can be challenging, but you want one that brings out the best in you and those around you. This is especially important given the current situation around the world.
We can’t be around people as much as we’d like, but if you can, you should be selective about who is in your inner circle. Surround yourself with positive, supportive individuals who uplift you.
I continue to maintain a positive outlook on every situation I face daily. It took me some time to develop the skill of cultivating a positive mindset, but let me tell you, it’s not impossible to acquire.
Why don’t you try focusing on just one positive thing in your everyday activities? See how your perception of this pandemic shifts from negative to positive.
Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher
by Oprah Winfrey
Surround yourself with people who uplift you, even virtually. Positivity is a skill.
Start small:
-Daily habit: Find one good thing in your day. Watch your outlook shift.
-Energy audit: Limit interactions that drain you; seek those that inspire.
As you can see, the second key to dealing with uncertainty is adaptation. Dancers are naturally adaptable, we constantly adjust to different partners, music tempos, and dance floors.
This skill serves us well during uncertain times. Now, let’s explore how to apply it to our dancing.
Creating Your Dance Dashboard
Just as a car dashboard shows important indicators, dancers need a personal “dashboard” to monitor their progress, especially when normal routines are disrupted.
My personal dance dashboard includes:
• Learning efficiency: How many repetitions does it take me to internalize a new step? (5-10 is good; 11+ means I need more focus)
• Execution consistency: Can I perform a sequence three times perfectly back-to-back?
• Musical expression: Am I dancing to the instruments or just counting beats?
• Physical condition: How’s my stamina during a full song? Are my recovery times increasing?
When dealing with uncertainty, these measurable indicators help you stay objective about your dance progress rather than relying on feelings alone.
Dance Variables: Finding Freedom in Constraints
“Dance variables” aren’t variations; they’re the beginning and end of any step you control. For example, flexibility is key when planning a road trip (transport, budget, meals).
Be prepared to let go of things that are not modern or out of style and start learning current dance steps and new concepts for leading and following so you get better results on the dance floor time and time again.
The beginning or ending of any step will change. Be comfortable experimenting with them and learning to change them at any time.
This adaptability makes you a fluid, versatile dancer.
Virtual Learning Opportunities
The dance world’s shift online opened new possibilities for learning. Students who previously couldn’t attend in-person classes due to location or scheduling constraints now have access to instructors worldwide.
Instead of seeing virtual classes as a poor substitute for in-person learning, view them as opportunities to:
• Learn from internationally renowned instructors
• Review content repeatedly to perfect techniques
• Focus on elements often rushed in physical classes
Acceptance: Embracing Dance's Uncertain Journey With Confidence
The ultimate dance resilience skill? Acceptance. When coping with uncertainty as a dancer, recognizing that change is woven into every step, both in salsa and life, becomes your power move.
Dancers, this truth hit me young. My mother’s wisdom during my teenage years still guides me: ‘Dealing with uncertainty is an essential part of life.’
If this mindset comes naturally to you, ¡fantástico! But if you’re like most of us?
Here’s how dancers cope with uncertainty in reality:
- Acknowledge the discomfort (even pros feel it)
- Reframe challenges as part of your growth routine
- Practice acceptance daily, like drilling footwork
Practical Strategies for Dealing with Dance Uncertainty
Part of handling uncertainty includes being okay with your feelings about it. Is it okay to feel worried, stressed, or fearful? Yes, it is!
Acknowledge what you’re feeling and permit yourself to experience those difficult emotions. Research shows that writing down what’s stressing you helps you process it with greater ease.
When social moments feel especially hard, like after a declined dance invitation, these practical strategies for handle dance rejection can help you process the sting and stay grounded.
Don’t be afraid to honor your dance emotions. When faced with uncertainty in your dance journey, it’s normal to feel frustrated, sad, or anxious. Perhaps you miss the social connection of dancing, worry about losing skills, or feel discouraged about interrupted progress.
If you have ever asked yourself, Am I stuck at intermediate salsa? Know that these emotions are a valid part of the process rather than a sign of failure.
You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you
by Dan Millman
Acknowledge these feelings without judgment. Many dancers in my community found journaling helpful, writing about their dance challenges and memories of joyful dancing moments.
This process helps transform abstract anxiety into concrete thoughts you can address.
The Present Step
In dance, we learn to be fully present in each step, each movement. This mindset serves us well when dealing with uncertainty:
- Focus on today’s practice, not yesterday’s performances
- Celebrate small improvements rather than dwelling on what you can’t do
- Find joy in the present time, not just in the achievementTrust that consistent practice will lead to growth, even when progress feels slow
I remind my students that mastering any dance step happens gradually, often with moments of regression before a breakthrough.
Uncertainty follows the same pattern.
Accept the Fight
Remember this always: We are living through challenging times today, but life has always been full of challenges in one way or another.
Resisting your current reality won’t help you recover, learn, grow, or feel better. Ironically, resisting only prolongs your pain and difficulty by amplifying the challenging emotions you may already be feeling.
There’s truth to the idea that what we resist persists.
I’ve always believed that “for every action, there’s a reaction.” Therefore, accepting the truth and the reality of the situation in the present moment will free you up to move forward rather than remaining paralyzed or rendered ineffective by uncertainty.
FYI – To be clear, acceptance is not the same as resignation. Accepting a situation doesn’t mean it will never get better.
We don’t accept that things will stay the same forever; we accept whatever is happening now.
Practicing acceptance in times of uncertainty is hard, but it’s also the most effective way to move forward.
Focus on What Is Good
The most essential stress-reduction tactic anyone has ever taught me for dealing with uncertainty is this: Don’t believe everything you think. It’s normal for our brains to focus on negative thoughts when faced with uncertainty.
In fact, we’re more likely to dwell on what might go wrong than on what might go right. I know this happens because I’ve been there before.
But here’s what I want you to learn and internalize: While controlling your first thought is extremely hard, you can control your second thought.
Instead of buying into your initial stressful thought, actively imagine the best possible scenario.
If you find that challenging, try this: Write down two or three things you’re grateful for, regardless of the uncertainty.
These can be anything at all. Once you write it down, make it specific and take a moment to appreciate it truly.
This simple action will help your brain pause its negativity spiral.
Building Dance Resilience
The most successful dancers I know aren’t necessarily those with natural talent. They are the ones who bounce back from challenges.
When dealing with uncertainty, resilience becomes your most valuable skill.
Build dance resilience by:
- Creating a supportive dance community (even virtually)
- Setting process goals rather than outcome goals
- Documenting your progress with videos or journals
- Practicing self-compassion when facing setbacks
Is Someone Coming to Rescue You? Yes, YOU!
Let me be brutally honest: When dealing with uncertainty in the past, I often fell into the trap of feeling completely powerless. I wore hopelessness like a second skin, cycling through anger, helplessness, and paralysis, convinced I needed rescue from outside.
Want to know a secret? Those feelings weren’t wrong. When dealing with uncertainty, our first reactions are often fear-based.
The magic happens in what comes next, that space between our first defeated thought and our second, wiser one. That’s where your power lives.
Here’s the truth no one tells you about dealing with uncertainty:
– Your initial fear response is normal
– Waiting for rescue is human… but
– The only savior who ever shows up is the one in your mirror
I learned this through hard experience. Just as I discovered my own resilience, you’ll find yours. Because the dancer who adapts to unpredictable rhythms?
That’s the one who owns the floor.
Uncertainty is the only certainty there is
by John Allen Paulos, Mathematician.
In other words, the best way to cope with uncertainty is to stop complaining about it. When you stop feeding negative energy to the problem, you can focus on the positive outcomes you desire.
Let me leave you with a few questions to help you channel your new mindset:
-How can I make the best of this mess?
-What can I gain from this situation?
-What is my next step in moving forward?
These are the questions I asked myself when I was in trouble. They helped me find meaning in the chaos.
I once read that social psychologists define meaning, as it applies to our lives, as “an intellectual and emotional assessment of the degree to which we feel our lives have purpose, value, and impact.”
Here’s a quick question for you:
What happens when you think something needs improvement? Well,
– First, you take a moment to assess the problem.
– Next, you recognize what you can do to be part of the solution.
– If you realize you can’t solve it alone, who can you bring in to help?
Meaning and purpose are intertwined with hope. Feeling a sense of purpose can ground you better than anything else when the present feels scary due to uncertainty.
So, don’t wait for this situation to be over. Don’t resign yourself to misery while waiting for a vaccine or a savior.
Start living the life you want, the life you desire. Take the necessary steps to create the future you envision.
Dancing Forward: Your Path Through Uncertainty
Dealing with uncertainty as a dancer means drawing on the skills that make you a good dancer: adaptability, persistence, creativity, and presence.
The challenges we face, whether pandemic-related or personal, can ultimately make us more resilient dancers and humans.
Remember that dealing with uncertainty, like a challenging dance piece, becomes manageable with practice and perspective. As dancers, we understand that growth comes through challenge, not comfort.
I encourage you to apply these principles of self-care, adaptation, and acceptance to whatever uncertainties you’re facing.
Your dance journey may take unexpected turns, but with these tools, you’ll continue moving forward with grace.
FAQ: How Salsa Dancers Can Manage Uncertainty and Build Resilience
Q. How can dancers practice self-care during uncertain times?
A: Self-care for dancers includes prioritizing sleep, balancing time/energy, daily movement (even short walks), and continuous learning. These habits build mental and physical resilience, just as they would for performance preparation.
Q. Why is adaptability important for dancers facing uncertainty?
A: Dancers naturally adapt to partners, music, and missteps on the floor. Applying this skill to life, like pivoting to online classes or spotting new opportunities, helps navigate challenges like studio closures or event cancellations.
Q. How can online dance classes compare to in-person learning?
A: Virtual classes offer unique advantages: access to global instructors, replayable content for mastery, and flexible scheduling. While different, they’re a powerful tool for growth when in-person options are limited.
Q. What’s a “dance dashboard,” and how does it help?
A: A personal dashboard tracks progress objectively (e.g., step repetitions, consistency, stamina). It replaces guesswork with measurable goals, keeping dancers focused amid disruptions.
Q. How can dancers manage stress or anxiety about lost progress?
A: Acknowledge emotions without judgment. Journaling, celebrating small wins, and focusing on present practice (not past performances) build resilience. Research shows writing down stressors helps process them.
Q. What does “pay yourself first” mean for dancers?
A: Inspired by finance, it means prioritizing your growth first, dedicating time daily to practice, learning, or self-care before other tasks. Small, consistent investments compound into long-term progress.
Q. How can dancers stay motivated without social events?
A: Create a virtual community, set process-oriented goals (e.g., “perfect this step 5x in a row”), and document progress via videos. Surround yourself with positive influences, even online.
Q. Why is acceptance key to dealing with uncertainty?
A: Resisting reality (e.g., canceled events) prolongs stress. Acceptance—acknowledging the present while staying open to change—frees you to adapt and find joy in current opportunities.
Q. How can dancers find opportunities in challenging times?
A: Ask: What can I learn or gain here? Examples: Online classes save time and money, and solo practice hones musicality. Uncertainty often reveals unexpected paths.
Q. What’s one quick mindset shift for dancers feeling stuck?
A: Control your “second thought.” When negativity arises, counter it by listing 2-3 specific things you’re grateful for or visualizing a best-case scenario.
In Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen, I focused on these three main topics to maintain my sanity while dealing with uncertainty during the pandemic.
As you know, life is always full of surprises. These good or bad surprises can enrich our lives, but only if we choose to see them that way.
The simple reality, for me at least, is that we have the power to choose how we respond to life’s challenges.
In my article Break Free from Feeling Stuck: Unlock Your Dance Potential, I wrote:
“I always believe that knowing the source of the problem is half the battle. The real question is: What will you do to get unstuck now that you have multiple, yet simple, ways to get yourself moving?”
With that in mind, I continue to reap the benefits of applying what I’ve learned. I hope this article serves you well.
Remember, it’s important to stop complaining and find the courage to be happy. I also explored this topic in another article, Stop Complaining: Learn Salsa Dancing and Boost Your Happiness.
Happy dancing, and stay safe!
Warm regards,
Ricardo
YDS | Your Dance Studio
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