Impostor Syndrome: 5/17/24

“Impostor Syndrome”

These are the two of the most common words to appear on applications for the Mentorship Program.

For mentees, it’s a reaction to being elevated to the Intermediate division, sometimes accompanied by first steps into new roles as local teachers, organizers, and professionals.

For All-Stars I approach to be mentors, it often expresses itself as:

“Why would someone want to be my mentee? I don’t think I have anything to offer.”

As the goal-posts of success within the West Coast Swing community keep changing, I find myself speaking to more and more All-Stars running into feelings of scarcity and inadequacy; If you’re not making finals, winning placements, or getting social-media recognition, it can feel like you are falling short of the mark.

But none of these measures of success stand alone— I have just as much respect, if not more, for the dancers who:

1. Run a weekly lesson or dance that anchors their home scene.

2. Manage to find balance between dance and the other facets of their lives.

3. Support community for dancers with marginalized identities.

4. Continue to develop their craft and artistry, with or without external rewards.

5. Invest in their professional skills as judges, DJs, and teachers.

What keeps us engaged passionately with the dance community when the most common markers of success aren’t consistently ours? And even when they are, why can’t we always enjoy it?