Wendy and I spent a very busy few days at the NDCC Canadian Championships, held in Gatineau Quebec August 22-24, 2025. As I was responsible for live streaming, video, and photography of the winner lineups, days went from early morning to as late as 2:00 AM. It was exhausting but also exceptionally exciting. The level of dancing in Canada keeps improving.
I’ve been attending this event since 2017, and every year I make the same fascinating observation, that confidence is perhaps the most important aspect of competitive dance. Technical perfection is a foundation you need to produce the best quality of dancing, but far too many people focus entirely on technical details and as a result they don’t actually dance at all. This is especially noticeable in ProAm events, but extends into Amateur and Professional events as well.
The dancers that make you go “Wow!” and get your heart rate up are invariably the ones who believe in themselves. They are the ones you want to watch. They are the ones that I suspect we all aspire to be more like in our own dancing.
There is an energy to those who have this unwavering confidence. They move more easily. They see things around them. They smile. They communicate with their partner. The extension of energy through to the fingertips is more complete and consistent. There is power in their storytelling. Even though they bring it all to the floor, there is an easiness to their dancing, a fluidity and naturalness.
At times, we would see the full range of confidence levels on the floor at the same time. The difference is staggering. Some dancers are so immersed in trying to be perfect that they dance inside themselves. Even when they are looking out, or at their partner, they don’t actually see anything. Eyes are vacant because all the mental attention is internal. It is focused on trying to be technically excellent. This is the wrong way to think about dancing.
In contrast, the champions were aware of every detail of their bodies, including the fingers and hands, yet there was no visual sign that they were thinking about any of those things. They were present in their performance. They were engaged with each other and with the audience, making it a thrill to watch their performances.
As dancers, we work on technique to create a base from which we can move efficiently. Using the standing leg gives us a stable point from which we can dance. Proper weight transfer makes it easier to create the shapes and timing we are striving for. Good posture is a foundational element that keeps our balance points properly aligned. All these things matter, but they are not more important than the presentation itself. Competitive dance is about artistry on the floor. We are creating something interesting and beautiful that relates to the music. It is not usually possible to be perfect in any dance performance. With all the dynamics at play, compromises are made and mistakes can happen. I did see one young lady fall during a Championship Latin event. Was it fatal? Not at all! She got back up and continued with the same powerful energy she had before. That’s where confidence really shines.
I’ve long been fascinated by confidence — how it is created and how it is applied in dance. These big events featuring the best competitors in the country are a great way to study the impact confidence has. This is not just true in dance, but in life itself. We are drawn to people who are supremely confident. We tend to feel safer around them, as if their confidence becomes an energy field that protects us as well. Even as someone who has stood on the top of the podium a number of times (though only on the third step at the Canadian Championships), I know that I still have areas where I can improve my own confidence level.
Events like this are a great way to continue our own development as dancers, seeing what the top dancers are doing and giving us a chance to evaluate the areas in which we fall short of those standards. But as we continue to recognize that improvement is always necessary, regardless of our ranking, we need to keep the focus on where it matters as competitors. Developing our confidence is a huge part of great performances.
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