Brown Ballerina Ambassador Nia Rackley's Goal-Setting Techniques
We’re already one month into the new year, which hopefully means you’ve found your footing and set the tone for this year’s goals. Just in case you haven’t, we spent the month gathering goal-conquering techniques from our Brown Ballerina Ambassadors, which you can find on the Brown Ballerina Blog.
This week, we interviewed Nia Rackley, a 14-year-old Brown Ballerina Ambassador from Connecticut. In her interview below, Nia explains her favorite goal-setting technique, and three strategies she uses for accomplishing her goals. Keep reading to see which goal-setting method you’d be willing to try!
Related: Brown Ballerina Ambassador Destiny Wimpye's Audition Season Goals
Photo: Nia Rackley; shot by Megan Bonneau McCool
Setting Goals
When it comes to goal-setting, my first piece of advice is to start small. I recommend that each month you focus on one area you want to improve. This way you are able to achieve your goals without overworking and stressing yourself. For example, I set a goal to improve my extensions. I really targeted my extensions by doing stretches, by focusing on my adagio and grand battement at the barre. I set dance goals by writing them down in a journal, listing each area where I may want to improve.
Using the Reward System
I take mental note of my corrections during class, and afterwards I write down the key takeaways from my corrections. I review the notes after a few weeks to see if I am making improvements, or if I need to really work on my consistency so that I can achieve my goals. After I have reached my goal, I mark it off with a sticker. I also reward myself with something.
Seeking Wisdom
Another tip that I have learned for goal setting is to search YouTube for trusted dancers who offer sound advice. I love following Kathryn Morgan. She has very solid videos and advice for aspiring ballet dancers. She also offers virtual classes and full barre videos so that you can work on your technique with an experienced professional. The key is to make sure that you are getting advice from someone who is experienced. You can do this by asking your dance teacher their opinion just to be sure the person you are getting advice from is knowledgeable.
Private Lessons
This year, I will be using private classes with my dance teacher to achieve my dance goals. My dance teacher knows my strengths and weaknesses best, and she can help guide me toward improving my technique. Private classes are the best way for me to really get personal attention, and to target the corrections that I receive in class. If you are able to, this could be a perfect way for you to quickly accomplish your goals.
Related: Brown Ballerina Ambassador Leila Rackley on Staying Focused to Achieve Goals
Setting goals and tracking your path to achieving them is a very important skill to learn not just in dance, but for life. Successful dancers have learned to improve themselves and apply corrections consistently, regardless of what place they are in their career. I hope that you are able to achieve all of your goals! Happy goal setting!
Photo: Nia Rackley; shot by Kori Andrea.
Nia started dancing at her local YMCA at the age of 6. She quickly realized ballet was her favorite style of dance. Since then, she’s studied jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, pointe, and acro dance. She’s also been a part of a competition dance team. Currently, Nia studies classical ballet, pointe, character, and historical dance at the Hartt School Community Division. This past summer, she attended summer dance intensives with Hartt, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Joffrey Ballet New York.
Our Brown Ballerina Ambassador program is designed to create opportunities for young dancers in training to be seen as leaders and to eventually become mentors to other Brown Ballerinas in Training. To find out more about our ambassador program and how you can support it, visit our Ambassador/Mentorship Program page.
Be sure to check out our Brown Ballerina Blog, where we feature spotlights on our Brown Ballerina Ambassadors, updates from our organization, useful tips for ballerinas, interviews with dance professionals, and more!
Note: This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.