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Know the steps – This is the baseline, you know what foot you step with and on what count. Once you know this, you can start focusing on other things like arms and musicality. If you don’t know your steps reliably, ask your instructor if you can video him/her doing the routine with counts. Then set aside time to practice it on your own. You can also challenge yourself to write down your routine, bonus points if you can remember the official name of each move!
Trust your partner – You trust that your partner has your back. You’re in this together and if one of you make a mistake on the floor you’ll recover and figure it out together.
Adaptability and recovery – You can build your confidence in this area by starting your routine from different areas on the floor, dancing to a variety of music, and running the routine while there are other couples on the floor. You can even talk through a few what-if scenarios with your coach or partner: what if someone blocks us on this move, what if my dress gets caught on my heel?
Positive feedback – I’m sure all of you have realized this but having someone compliment your dancing is a HUGE confidence builder, especially if the compliment came from someone who actually knows dance. In lessons and practice its easy to get hung up on what needs fixing (where you aren’t snappy enough, where your hip motion wasn’t big enough, your arm was awkward, etc.), but you do need to occasionally acknowledge your growth and progress. I’ll also say that I’ve found it easier to go into a competition confident if my coach shifts the tone of our lessons for the 2 weeks leading up to the competition.
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