Jun 15 / Imogen Aujla, Ph.D.

When Passion Meets Persistence: The Role of Grit in Dance

“Do whatever it takes.”

“No pain, no gain.”

“The show must go on.”

We grow up in dance hearing these sorts of phrases regularly. They hint at the determination, toughness, and desire to succeed that can be pivotal in a dancer’s career. If we were to conceptualize these phrases within a psychological framework, they appear to be related to grit: the combination of passion and persistence towards long-term goals that are personally meaningful.

What is grit and why is it important?

Grit was conceptualized by educational psychologist Angela Duckworth and her colleagues as a way to better understand why some people succeed in their goals, while others plateau or give up. Duckworth argues that success isn’t based on innate talent or ability, but on sustained interest and effort over time towards goals that are personally meaningful and important. Her research indicates that high levels of grit (or being “gritty”) are associated with effortful and sustained practice, engagement in tasks, and improved performance. Gritty people maintain commitment to their goals because of the passion and meaning attached to them, which enables them to keep going even in the face of failure and setbacks. People with high levels of grit also appear to be good at problem-solving because they have clear goals and a purpose for pursuing them. This helps them to dedicate the time and energy needed to work towards success.

In one of her early studies, Duckworth and her colleagues found that, rather than athletic performance or academic ability, grit was better at predicting who would make it through a tough military training program. Since then, numerous studies have found similar results, indicating that grit is more important than objective performance when it comes to success. It’s certainly easy to understand why grit might be important to dancers: dance careers often involve difficulties, from job and financial insecurity to injury and deselection. Freelance dance artists face particular challenges such as unpredictable working schedules, reduced opportunities for career progression, poor work-life balance, and limited access to healthcare. Without grit, it may be difficult to persist in training and a career in the face of so many potential obstacles.

Are dancers gritty?

To date, only a handful of studies have explored explore grit among dancers. One of the first to do so was a study I conducted with my colleagues at the University of Bedfordshire. We measured grit and psychological wellbeing among 282 freelance dance artists at varying stages of their careers in the UK. Our data revealed that freelancers had relatively high levels of psychological wellbeing, scoring particularly high on personal growth and sense of purpose in life. Freelancers also reported high levels of grit, scoring on average 3.9 out of a maximum of 5.

Interestingly – and in contrast to what we might expect – early career freelancers had significantly higher levels of grit than mid and late-career freelancers. Although the type of data we collected did not explain why levels of grit were different between these groups, it is likely that early career freelancers develop grit in order to keep applying for work in the face of rejection, to actively create opportunities, to network successfully and establish a reputation. On the other hand, mid or late career freelancers may be better-known in the sector and more likely to be asked to work on projects rather than continually have to seek out opportunities. They may be more assured of their place in the industry and have already established strong networks, meaning they can be more selective about the work they choose to pursue and more confident in their ability to secure it.

Can we become “grittier”?

Given the existing body of research, it appears that grit is an essential component of success. The good news is that grit is not something you’re born with – it’s something you can develop. By focusing on motivation, values and goals, dancers can create the critical combination of passion and perseverance that characterizes grit.

Passion

In order to stick at long-term goals, gritty people love what they do. It would be easy to assume that passion isn’t a problem for dancers – after all, dancing isn’t just a job for most dancers, it’s a vocation. But sometimes, daily technique class can feel like a chore, show runs can feel endless, and dancers may tire of the seemingly constant search for work, projects and funding. Comparison with others and the continuous striving to improve can also take their toll on passion, and dancers can also become fixated on external markers of success such as securing a particular role.

In these instances, dancers need to reconnect with why they dance in the first place. Maybe it’s to do with self-expression, connecting with an audience, moving to music or the way dancing feels. This relates to the idea of grit being guided by personally meaningful goals – it needs to be associated with something that you truly care about. So ask yourself: why do you want that role? What would it mean to you? Why is that funding important, and how does it link to your sense of purpose? How would achieving these goals connect with your inner reasons for dancing, or your values?

Values are different from goals as they represent what’s important to us, who we want to be, and how we want to show up in the world. Think of them as guiding principles; a compass pointing the way rather than a fixed destination. Recognising values reconnects dancers with their passion. My research indicated that grit was significantly related to personal growth and having a sense of purpose, which are example values that many dancers can identify with. Being guided by values can help you to see your training and career as being so much more than getting a particular role or job title, and instead understanding it as a long journey full of challenging and rewarding experiences.

A final point about passion is to ensure you make time for other activities and relationships outside of dance. Although this may sound counterintuitive, spending time away from dance and developing a well-rounded identity can allow you to you retain your love of dancing by keeping it in balance with the other things in your life.

Perseverance

Persistence and perseverance are important when we are working towards long-term goals. These goals can sometimes feel very far off in the future and maybe even unattainable, which can have a negative impact on motivation. This is where SMART goals come in, by breaking down larger goals into smaller, clearly-defined, achievable ones. The table below shows how to set SMART goals.

SMART goals will enable you to have a clear sense of what you need to do, how you need to do it, and when you need to do it by so that you can you can monitor your progress. This will encourage you to take part in effortful activities that requires a focus on the task at hand. By consistently applying effort and energy to your practice, you are setting yourself up well for success.

Once you have achieved your goal, you can set a new, more challenging one. By doing so, you will build confidence not only in your abilities in and of themselves, but also in your ability to develop in your professional context. Setting SMART goals can also foster the development of a growth mindset, by demonstrating that effort is the key to learning and growth. Consider how you can problem-solve, experiment, try new things, and ask for help while working towards your goals, rather than see your development in the black-and-white terms of success or failure.

In relation to this, be flexible when working towards your goals. Focus on doing your best, and what you can learn from the process. If you miss a self-imposed deadline, never mind. Set a new one and keep trying! If you don’t achieve a goal, can you set a different or more realistic one? This flexible approach will further contribute to a growth mindset by enabling you to better manage bumps in the road, while feeling more optimistic and hopeful about the future – another key characteristic of perseverance. Believing that you can manage setbacks and continue towards your goals will develop grit.

In addition, examine how you define success. Duckworth’s research indicated that objective success was less important than personality characteristics like grit. Dancers can fall into the trap of believing that if only they were a little more flexible, or could jump a little higher, they would be more successful. Remember that success isn’t just about talent, and it certainly isn’t something that you either have or haven’t got. In line with a growth mindset, everyone has the capacity to be successful by effortfully developing their own unique abilities. Again, consider your values. In research, freelance dance artists defined success in terms of fulfilment, personal and artistic growth, and making a contribution to their art form or communities. Such definitions of success are more likely to motivate you in the long-term as they link to a sense of purpose which will help you to keep going during difficult times.

Moving forward with purpose

From my perspective, grit is ultimately about staying connected to what matters most and continuing to move forward with purpose. For dancers, cultivating both passion and perseverance can help navigate the inevitable challenges of training and professional life. By grounding goals in personal values, embracing a growth mindset, and viewing setbacks as opportunities for learning, dancers can develop the grit needed not only to sustain a career, but also to find meaning, fulfilment, and continued growth along the way.


References

Aujla, I.J., Jenkins, L., King, N., & Farrer, R. (2021) ‘Psychological wellbeing and grit among freelancers in the UK dance industry’, Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 36(4), 233-237.

Aujla, I.J., & Farrer, R. (2015) 'The role of psychological factors in the career of the independent dancer', Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01688.

Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007) ‘Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals,’ Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101.

Duckworth, A. L., & Quinn, P. D. (2009) ‘Development and validation of the short grit scale (GRIT–S),’ Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(2), 166-174.

Imogen Aujla PhD, Dip. CBT
Dance Psychology Specialist

Imogen Aujla is a freelance dance psychology specialist from Dance in Mind. She works across three main areas: research, psychological coaching for individuals and groups, and education. Imogen's main focus with all of her work is mental health promotion, helping dancers to develop the skills they need to flourish on and offstage.