Letting Go And Adapting
Strictly Come Dancing is consuming all of Kevin’s free time at the moment, but he snatched some time to talk about the things you’ve been asking for, including the subject of this week’s show!
It can be hard to adapt to new challenges when they arise, and certainly in Kevin’s life, they seem to arise non-stop! While spending some time last year on a theatrical puppetry course, Kevin learned some lessons about awareness and adapting that have stuck with him, and which he wants to share with you all this week.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
At the beginning of 2018, Kevin found himself with a small period of time, and decided to use it for self-development. He studied gymnastics, acting and theatrical puppetry.
While creating a theatrical puppet of a man, asked to perform a simple routine, Kevin realised that he and his fellow puppeteers needed to be completely attuned to each other; ready to adapt to any movements accordingly.
When Jay McGuinness performed his Pulp Fiction jive a couple of years ago, Kevin and his then partner, Kellie, along with every other contestant, felt that Jay’s eventual victory was a foregone conclusion. This feeling allowed him to, oddly, feel more relaxed about competing in the final.
The year in which Kevin won, he was relaxed going into the final, because he had given up on the need to win. He had let go of the expectation in his head about what was to be, and was focussed instead on the moment itself.
As performers, we should always focus on the work itself, instead of the result we expect. Visualise the way we wish the performance to go, not on who we can impress, or what we can expect from others as a result.
BEST MOMENTS
’There’s quite a few of us in the team operating different parts’
‘It’s about letting go of what I expect the end result to be in my own head, and adapting to what’s going on’
‘If there’s a chance it’s a 1% chance’
‘It’s not about not wanting to win. It’s about letting go of the need to win’
‘I was devastated but I shouldn’t have been’
‘I got caught up in the end result’
‘Focus on the content itself, not the followers’
ABOUT THE HOST
Kevin Clifton is a professional dancer who has been performing & competing at the highest level for over a decade. Kevin has worked on shows like 'Burn the floor' & 'Rock of Ages' to 'Strictly Come Dancing' one of the biggest TV shows in the UK which Kevin won in 2018.
CONTACT METHOD
