Hip Hip Dance Home Dojo

Movemakers Philly
Hip Hop Home Dojo:
Hip Hop Dance for Kids Streaming Live Online
 
A note from MR. Vince to all students
Bow, Arrow and Bullseye:
Fueling Passion and Determination for Self-improvement through Kids Hip Hop Dance Classes

We all are spending more time at home these days in the spring of 2020. For many of us, this is the most time that we’ve ever spent in our houses within a three week period. And more time at home is coming.  Being stuck in this way can easily make us restless. We can ease our restlessness by finding good channels for expressing our energy. Of course, we have our obvious go to recreational activities, such as reading a book or playing a game. There are certainly more activities that I haven’t mentioned. But have you considered how your time at home can be used for building yourself, which means finding ways to make yourself better?

Let’s imagine an archer, a person who shoots a bow and arrow at a target for sport. A good archer shoots and hits the bullseye, the center mark of a target. Now imagine yourself as an archer and then a skill that you care about as the bow and arrow. Finally, think of the bullseye as a goal that you’d like accomplish with that skill. Being an archer that is working to hit a target is the process for self-improvement.

The activity of self-improvement can be one of the most rewarding and fun if we know how to approach it correctly. First we have to find something that we care about. It could be a sport, an artform, a school subject like science, or possibly an activity around the house like cooking. Once you know what you care about, you must determine what you want to do with your passion. Start small and focused, not big and general like being the best break dancer in class. For example, as a break dancer, you might choose that you want your footwork to be smooth and always on beat. But wait, you can’t just start practicing all of the footwork that you know and expect to get to your goal. You’ll likely miss the bullseye. Actually, you’ll probably miss the target entirely. It is important to know the current qualities of your footwork. For example, if you have poor balance in your footwork, how could you ever make it smooth? Or if you are second guessing the steps, how could you ever put them on beat? So you must be self-aware, which means knowing yourself. Who are you in this exact moment? How must you aim yourself so that you line up with the bullseye, so that when you shoot there is a higher chance that you will hit your mark? Once you have a better sense of your current ability it is much easier to take shots at your target. But you’ll have to be determined, because even though you know your passion and you know where you are aiming, you might not hit your target right away. You must keep at it. This is finding the joy in self-improvement.

You’re never too young to be aiming and shooting your arrow to hit bullseye. You’re also never too old. But when you are a kid your chances of getting very good at anything you put your mind on are much higher. And if you start to become passionate about something now you’ll likely find more ways to enjoy it when you’re older, likely more than someone that waits until they are an adult to find their passion.

Most importantly remember that all activities that you participate in that provide you the opportunity to learn are worth becoming passionate about. You might have somethings that you are more passionate about than others. These will be your focuses. Learning and attaining knowledge is a wonderful gift. Your knowledge is a key. For each thing you’re knowledgeable about becomes another door that you can open. Be determined and motivated to spend time with the various subjects that you have an opportunity to learn. If you conquer the subjects that frustrate you the most, then you’ve experienced the highest level of self-improvement.

I challenge all of you stuck at home right now to list 10 activities including schoolwork, hobbies and home chores that you care about. It might even be worth putting a few things that you do not care about on the list so that you can work to improve areas that are your weakness. Once your list is complete, plan how you are going to aim yourself to improve in each of these activities.  
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Have fun! I have a strong feeling that you are going to really like evolved versions of yourself.

Some Inspiration:
Check out this video of a kid's break dance competition. These kids are probably not to far from your age. They certainly weren’t born doing these cool skills. It took passion and determination for them to get where they are. How can you use passion and determination to improve your hip hop dance skills?

Some More Inspiration:
Check out these videos of Aidan, a local Philadelphian and a black belt of our friends at Martial Posture. I started teaching Aidan when he was 4. He is now a teenager and one of the most famous acrobatic martial artists in the world. Aidan, even at 4 years old was determined to be the best version of himself. Check him out as an 8 year old and then check him out 5 years later in 2018. Imagine how he has self-improved since 2018. 2020 Aidan is even more amazing! We can all keep getting better as long as we stay with our passions.