Confirmation Bias in a dance class.

Confirmation Bias (CB) is a psychological principle which comes into play when we base our actions on our existing beliefs. Whilst this has positive connotations when connected with things that are dangerous, such as, ‘I won’t touch the kettle because last time I burnt myself’ it can often hold us back from reaching our full potential and struggle to see what is actually occurring.

It isn’t often that we connect CB with dance teaching however CB bias can lead to a stagnant learning environment, one in which new learning is halted. Similarly if we are only looking at information that confirms our existing beliefs, objective thinking will be hard to practice.

In experience, teenage dancers feel this effect on their learning the most. They are of the age where they are most influenced by what is around them as well as self-conscious and often with low self-esteem. At this point CB can make an environment of learning a new step of move and more pleasant experience, frequently creating excuses as to why they can’t do something. CB could also show up in a competition environment where they have a preconceived notion as to the event material. This is frequently highlighted in the realms of social media, which is portraying highlights of someone’s life rather than the actual day to day.

Some examples of CB related to a dance environment would be;

‘I’m not going to win this competition because last time the adjudicator preferred Jazz instead of lyrical’

- This is specifically Memory CB. Written down you realise how negative it sounds but more often than not dancers return to events already with a preconceived notion of how they are going to play out; this subconsciously would effect a dancers performance. However, this also plays upon another element of CB; this makes the dancer feel good if the event doesn’t go well, as this is protecting their self-esteem.

‘I read an article that explained can’t jump high because I have small feet’

- This is called interpretation bias. Whilst there might be some scientific evidence supporting this, there also could be a hundred other reasons why the dancer can’t jump high, there might also be a research somewhere with a contrasting results however humans are more likely to interpret information that confirms their current ideas rather than evaluate opposite evidence.

Related examples include; My dad’s knees don’t straighten so mine won’t; I forgot my syllabus in my last exam so I think it will happen again; Laine Theatre Arts only accepts tall dancers; You must be able to sing to be successful in the creative industry.

Whilst these seem quite simple statements they do have a compound effect. Take each example.

• -  A dancer might not actually try a conditioning class which will help their strength in their leg muscles as they have already decided that it is genetic.

• -  A dancer might choose not to enter a dance exam with her peers because of the worry she will forget it, this could leave her behind or with a fear of all exam situations not just those in dance.

• -  This could stop a dancer auditioning at certain further education establishments when actually one might really suit them.

• -  This may put dancers of following their dreams which they could regret later in life.

So, how can we overcome confirmation bias to stop it limiting us?

• -  Try to expand your circle of friends or teachers, so that you can experience different opinions and ideas. You can do this by attending different workshops or intensives (if your teachers will let you).

• -  Always try to find information for reputable and qualified sources. There are a lot of quick fixes for dancers on social media at the moment which aren’t facts.

• -  Push your boundaries and try something new. This makes us feel uncomfortable at first but it will definitely broaden your ideas.

  The best way to work with confirmation bias (as it is impossible to completely erase from our lives) is to acknowledge it exists. Even just reading this article will make you more aware of your thoughts and how they are limiting you.

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