Jennifer Lauren

Every endeavor starts with a response to fear, and each time, I try to get better at defeating the inner critic that tells me I’m not good enough to do X — in this case, build a dance community.

As a 33-year old product marketer who never danced professionally, I was afraid that I was past my prime in age and ability. How could I be qualified to teach? If I start now, will I have enough time to create something substantial before the next life stage, like motherhood (here we are, 22 weeks pregnant!)?

In August 2021, I led my first dance workshop as an independent choreographer. I’d taught and choreographed dozens of times with college performance teams and non-profits, but this time, it was just me — no organization to vouch for my skills or credentials. Ultimately, one person (a friend) showed up. My workshop was a failure in numbers.

What I didn’t understand was that community is about contribution, not consumption. People are most likely to contribute when they share a vision and/or values.

That’s when lightning struck me with a new idea: create a dance film. Instead of being randos in a workshop, we’d be a team working toward a shared goal.

I blasted my outreach email, and when the inspiration high wore off, I had the “Oh s***!” moment, wondering what I had just gotten myself into. Moving forward became the only option: one email snowballed into 5 video tutorials, 3 rehearsals, 1 shoot day, and new friendships, which I hope will last a lifetime.

For dreamers who don’t know where to start, I want to share how I reframed fear, managed risk, put people first, and unlearned perfection to approach my dreams more boldly:

1. Accept that failure or imperfection is inevitable. Play to win, but if you miss the mark, it’s more important to be able to play again. I didn’t know whether the workshop was the best idea, but it seemed like a small, asymmetrical bet with infinite upside and limited cost — just $52 in studio rentals and a couple weekends.
2. Start small and simple: Take the path of least resistance when comparable outcomes are attainable. I wanted to reimagine the dance studio of the future with online and in-person experiences. By directing a film, I learned to build an experience from concept through launch. Whether it was one or three minutes of choreography, learnings would’ve been similar, but the former would’ve saved time, effort, and money. 
3. Put people first: Think about what’s in it for them. To make it easy and fun for people to join the film, I created opportunities for them to take dance classes, perform, and hangout with minimal time commitment. Low risk, high reward is the way to go.
4. Take quick, decisive action: Tradeoffs are unavoidable, but the sooner they’re made, the faster one can learn and move on. When my videographer’s camera broke down on filming day and we filmed with an I-phone, I should’ve made a decision to use that footage versus planning a makeup session. Trying to salvage a re-do, given increasing complexity, only limited my capacity to move forward.
5. Ship, don’t perfect: Launch the minimum viable product over the maximal solution. The goal is to test an idea quickly and cheaply, getting rapid and early feedback to iterate along the way. I spent too much time scrutinizing video clips to produce the “perfect” film, delaying launch by a month or more. 

Fear teaches you what you must do, failure gives you a chance to do things differently, and both are necessary to build mental and emotional resilience. What I’ve learned is that responding to fear is a muscle, which can be strengthened with technique and practice.

So, leave your comfort zone, and get after it!