If you really want to STAND OUT in ballet, stop trying to beat the competition & do this instead.

Have you ever worried that everyone is already miles ahead of you and there’s absolutely no space left for you?

Today we're going to talk about why you don't have to worry about that. Because in reality, very few people actually start…and even fewer stay consistent long enough to get good.

So in this episode, we break down: 

• Why the “competition” isn’t what you think it is
• How most people never even try (or quit early)
• The difference between working hard and comparing yourself to others 
• Why not getting what you want isn’t always a loss
• Learning to trust redirection instead of resisting it

Because sometimes disappointment is exactly what puts you where you need to be.

If you’re starting ballet as an adult or struggling with comparison and scarcity mindset, this conversation will help you shift your focus back to what actually matters: your own path.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89lzsALZuYEvobuqHwHPF2vUO3KOeyzN

🩰 STARTING LATE? 

Sign up for my FREE guide: The Late Bloomer's COMPLETE Guide to Your First Ballet Class (everything you need to know before, during & after no matter your age or where in the world you are) -

https://mailchi.mp/83da9815d472/late-...

🩰 LOVE ADULT BALLET?

The Slipper Edit is my virtual magazine that explores the intersection of dance & style. Each month we explore a different topic with moodboards, inspiring stories & more every Thursday. It's 100% free so sign up here:

https://mailchi.mp/3b9b39eb3c79/the-s...

🩰 LET'S STAY IN TOUCH 

⇢ INSTAGRAM- https://www.instagram.com/veronicavacanza/

🩰 HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU DIRECTLY? 

⇢ For business inquiries and all else, please contact me here: E-MAIL - hello@veronicavacanza.com

🩰 HI, I'M VERONICA VACANZA

Hi there! I'm Veronica, welcome to my beginner dance journey. When I was 17, I was told by a teacher that I would never be a ballerina. I let that thought control me for YEARS but now, in my late 20s, I moved to New York City and I'm finally starting ballet late. This is a space for me to document the ups and downs of learning how to do ballet in my now 30s and show the world that it's never too late to live your dreams.

Transcript

Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Okay, we all know that the ballet world is extremely competitive. But what most people don't know is that competition is essentially irrelevant. Instead of trying to rise to the top of the cutthroat competition, there's something entirely different that we should be trying to strive for instead. Because competition isn't what you think it is. And we're gonna unpack all of that today. Hello, welcome back to What's the point? I'm your host, Veronica Vicanza, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you here. We're gonna be talking through what the concept of the blue ocean strategy is, why competition is completely irrelevant, and what you should be focusing on instead. So if that sounds good to you, then definitely stick around. But before we get to any of that, hi, if you're new here, if your brand spanking new here, welcome. Thanks for being here. And I have a question for you. Are you subscribed to the show? If you're here on YouTube, hit the subscribe button. Or if you're listening to me in your ears, then check the show notes down below and follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you might be hearing the sound of my voice. So let's

Why 'competition' is an illusion

SPEAKER_00 1:26

get into it. Why is competition irrelevant? How in such a competitive landscape as ballet, how on earth could we push through that to not even have competition be an issue at all? Well, first things first, let's take the power away from what competition even is, because I think that we have a little bit of an overblown perspective on the things that are important to us. So I'm speaking from the perspective of a ballet dancer, okay? Obviously, the dance world, especially ballet, is known for its cutthroat competition. However, we have to remember as dancers or as artists in a specific field of anything that we love where it feels like competition is really fierce and stiff. First of all, there are billions of people on this planet. And I can guarantee you that a very small fraction of them even know, care about, like, you know, give a crap about anything to do with ballet at all. Okay? Of that subsection of people in the world who actually like ballet and care about ballet, there's an even smaller subsection of people who are actually going to take the time to start pursuing it. Now, of that even smaller subsection of people, there's an even smaller subsection of people who are actually going to follow through on pursuing their dream. So maybe some people will start it, but most people won't finish it. Most people are going to give up halfway through. So that in and of itself makes the competitive landscape a lot smaller than you probably imagine it to be. And I know that it's really easy to get caught up in the competitive mindset, and it's really easy to think that ballet is the world, but it's not. It's your world. And things like algorithms, things like you log into Instagram, and all you see are ballerinas and videos of ballet and all these things. Yeah, that's you. That's not everybody else. That's not most people. Maybe you really love photography, or maybe you really love writing, and you every time you log into Instagram, all you see are these amazing writers, and they're accomplishing all these different things that you want to accomplish, and you feel insignificant compared to them. But that's your algorithm, that's your world, that's not everybody else's. It feels so much more intense to you because it's your whole world, but it's not the whole world. There's a big wide world out there, and the competition in the world is a lot smaller than you might actually think. So, what actually drives people to success, what actually drives people to becoming the cream of the crop and rising to the top of the competition, does it have to do with talent? Does it have to do with circumstances? Does it have to do with hours of time put in, all of that stuff? Yes, it absolutely does. But what so few people talk about is that there are other factors at play, and a big cause for success is actually just a willingness to show up. So, like I said, most people in the world are not willing to show up. Most people are not willing to keep showing up, even if they start. But see, now I'm not worried about you. You are not gonna be one of those people because A, you're listening to this episode, and hopefully you also listened to the other episode I did, all about the seven things that are secretly sabotaging you from the life that you want and holding you back from your dreams and causing you to give up all the time. If you haven't listened to that episode, it's a great one. I'll link it up here if you're on YouTube, or if you're listening, it'll be down in the show notes below. So definitely give that one a listen if you haven't already. Now, of course, even within the extremely small handful of people that are actually fighting for the same thing you might be fighting for, that's not to ignore the fact that that can still be an extremely competitive cutthroat

What is a 'blue ocean' & why does it matter for you?

SPEAKER_00 6:09

space. So there's another concept that I think might be helpful for you to consider, and that is the concept of a blue ocean. So I run my own business. I have a company called Adult Ballet Academy that includes a bunch of workshops and master classes specifically for adult beginner ballerinas, there's a community forum, there's resources, there's all different kinds of exclusive interviews, classes, amazing, amazing stuff specifically for the adult beginner on their ballet journey. So, in the realm of the business world, there's a concept called the Blue Ocean Strategy. When you are creating a product or a service or something of that nature, instead of trying to go to market where it's already a saturated market, it's a red ocean, meaning there are a bunch of sharks in the water and they are all attacking each other, and the water is red with the competition. You want to find a blue ocean, you want to find a space where maybe there's not so much competition, and it's actually a space that most people are not even swimming in because all they see is the shark-infested competitive water, but there's a whole blue ocean out there that's completely untouched, and there's essentially no competition. So, in the realm of business, it might be a lot more difficult for me to create uh, you know, an online ballet program that is specifically aimed at just anybody and everybody in ballet, but I specifically chose to speak to the adult beginner because I felt that that was a completely underserved market. I came into the ballet world not knowing what was going on, what to do. I felt like no one was really speaking to me specifically, and there was this expectation of like you should just already know this by now, or you're never gonna get anywhere because you started too late. I don't believe that that's true. I have a growth mindset, which you should know about from listening to some of my other podcast episodes, and I really believe in adults getting a proper ballet education and having a space, having a community that speaks to the unique pain points of being an adult beginner ballerina. Like it it comes with its own set of hurdles to overcome. You're trying to balance work, school, you know, romantic relationships, all these different things, affording your classes, not knowing where to go, not having proper instruction from scratch. So that is a lot more of a blue ocean because most people are not speaking to that population. Most people are trying to speak to children in ballet because that is what is still considered worthy and valuable of anybody's time, because those are the people that are gonna go on to become professionals, and everybody else can basically just go themselves, you know? So that is a blue ocean, and you can take that concept and apply it to anything, not just business, not just ballet, but any realm of your life that you're feeling like the competition is so stiff and you're you're never gonna get anywhere, you're never gonna be able to rise to the competition. Maybe, maybe that's true, you know. Like, I'm not necessarily going to become the principal dancer for American ballet theater, you know, like let's be honest here, okay? But that's not even my goal. My goal is to dance in a completely different realm that most people don't really care about or think about because they're too busy telling themselves that they're already too late. You know, I have gotten the opportunity to perform. I have I have done things in my ballet journey that I never imagined possible because I started to open my mind to, well, instead of having a very black or white approach to dance, instead of thinking, well, I'm never gonna be a principal dancer, so what's even the point of trying? You know, there is a point. There's always a point, as we know. And for me, the point isn't to be the best of the best of the best. For me, the point is to just dance, to do what I love, to have fun. And there are so many different ways to do that that have nothing to do with being the best in a company. There is a huge blue ocean of opportunities that are available to you right here, right now, at your current level, at your current state, but you maybe are just not tuned into them because you're too busy telling yourself that there's no point to any of this if you're not gonna be the best. So it's really critical to look at your relationship with competition and realize that it's not necessarily as important as you think it is. Maybe being the best in, you know, a really world-renowned ballet company isn't, you know, where you even want to be spending your time. Now, this is not me advocating for you not having big, super audacious, amazing, incredible goals. I am not advocating for not working hard or not caring. That's not what this is about. You know, I love ambition. That is my whole goal with this podcast and all the work that I do online is to get you to be more ambitious, to get you to chase and pursue your dreams. Another

'Scarcity Mindset' is the real problem

SPEAKER_00 12:05

huge thing at play is scarcity mindset. We've talked about this before in the episode all about the seven things that are sabotaging you. And one of those big things is scarcity mindset. When you're getting really caught up in a competitive attitude, and this this is my one opportunity, this is my one chance, you are operating from a scarcity mindset. Now, that's not to say that in certain circumstances there is going to be a natural scarcity, right? So imagine you are auditioning for a role in a company or you are entering a competition and there can only be one winner. Obviously, there's scarcity there. However, your approach to that scarcity is what is going to change the course of your life. You can approach that scarcity and say, this is the one and only thing that is going to define me as a dancer, as a human being, as an artist. And if it's not this, then it means I failed and I'm bad and there's no point in even trying anymore. Or you can approach that scarcity and say, I'm gonna try my hardest, okay? The competition is stiff and I know that I need to adequately prepare. However, if you try your absolute hardest and you prepare and you give your all and you still don't make it, one way of looking at it is you're a failure. Another way of looking at it is what if it just wasn't for you? What if there's something better coming along? What if there's somewhere else you need to be? Now,

How disappointment can be a blessing in disguise

SPEAKER_00 13:54

I can give you an example of this from perhaps the most competitive cutthroat landscape on the planet, and that is New York City real estate. When I wanted to move to New York, my biggest goal ever was to live downtown. I grew up watching What a Girl Wants, and I really wanted my little Chinatown apartment and just be Amanda Bynes, okay? That's what I wanted. And I always pictured myself there. That that was my biggest dream. But when I was looking for apartments, I could not find an apartment that was realistically priced, except one. I found one where I was like, oh my gosh, this is the perfect apartment. It had so much natural lighting, the kitchen was super small, but it was like this gorgeous sunny corner apartment, so it had windows in every single part of the apartment, and it was light-filled, and it was in Chinatown, and it was just beautiful and affordable, and I wanted it so badly. I made an appointment to come see it, and before I even made it to my appointment, someone had rented it and it was off the market. And that is just the way that New York City apartment hunting goes. The competition is so stiff, there's always someone who has more money than you, more time than you, like it's just, you know, its own thing. So I obviously did not get that apartment. I ended up finding the apartment that I did move into, which was not a perfect apartment by any means. This apartment has put me through so many realms of hell. However, however, this apartment ended up being right around the corner from my dream dance studio. So there was a studio that I had always imagined going to. If I ever lived in New York, it was like the dance studio that I had on the top of my list. And I had no idea when I moved into this apartment that it was like a five-minute, ten-minute walk away. And when I moved to New York, I didn't necessarily move here with the idea that, like, oh, I'm gonna become this dancer and whatever. Like, I just knew that it was always a dream of mine to live here in general, and I had this dance studio in the back of my mind. But when I actually moved in and realized that it was so convenient for me to get there, I had no excuse anymore. And that was one of the big reasons why I even started pursuing dance at all. And my whole life has changed and like turned into something that I never imagined it could be, all because I ended up getting an apartment that I didn't even want. So I don't say that to dismiss the massive, massive disappointment that can come with not getting the part that you wanted, or not getting the apartment that you wanted, or not getting the things in life that you were working so hard for. You know, like right before I moved to the city, I had saved up $13,000 just to live in the city. I was working five jobs and I stocked all my money away. So you can imagine how disappointing it was to still feel like I didn't have enough to get the apartment that I really wanted and that I was really dreaming of. But I really think that if I hadn't lived in this apartment, I would never have become the person that I am today. And it's incredibly sad because by the time you're watching this, I will have moved out of this place because unfortunately it's just not livable, and there really was a lot wrong with it, but I say that with a lot of sadness. Like I'm really gonna miss this place. Uh, because it really did, it really did create me, it created Veronica Vicanza. It's the reason why I'm here doing what I'm doing. So all of that is to say that you never know what opportunities are being blocked from you because there's something else you're supposed to be doing. Like we make all the most grand plans, but I never I never could have planned that. I never would have chosen to live here if it if it were up to me. But now I see what the point of me living here was because I needed to be here. Even though it's so hard and it's so sad when you're faced with that initial disappointment, you never know if you're open to it, if you're open to it, you never know what other wonderful, amazing things are waiting around the bin that you never could have seen coming because you were so hyper fixated on the the competition.

Stop living your life from "lack" & trust the process

SPEAKER_00 19:26

So I hope that this is helpful. I know that the ballet world really is so competitive, the performing arts, the dance world, all of the art forms really. You know, I hear that the musical world is really competitive and the writing world is competitive. Everything, everything is competitive. But I guess the way that I view competition is that it's essentially just another word for scarcity, and I no longer choose to live my life from a space of scarcity. I believe in myself, I believe in my abilities, and trust in something maybe bigger than me that is guiding me forward, and that there are opportunities that are are set to come that even if I don't always get what I want, or we don't always get what we want, sometimes we get what we need, you know? Like the Rolling Stones tried to tell us this a long time ago. Have we been listening? So, yeah, just to live your life from a space of abundance, knowing that there's so many opportunities. There is a big blue ocean out there of opportunities, and if you don't get what you want, oftentimes it's for a reason. So, even when you're asking yourself, even when you have a major disappointment and you're asking yourself, what is the point of going through all of this if you don't even get what you work so hard for and life is so hard, just remember that there is abundance and that it's not so scarce. There is abundance, but most of us just don't even know how to look for it, and most of us don't even know how to see it, and sometimes we even reject it when it comes to us. So just keep all of that in mind, and I really hope that you've enjoyed this episode. If you're enjoying the podcast and you want to keep up with me on another part of the internet, I have a weekly newsletter called The Slipper at It where I share lots of self-deprecating stories, lots of tips, tricks, all the things that I'm learning on my adventure of being an adult beginner ballet dancer. So if that sounds good for you, you can subscribe to that for free and you'll get it every week straight to your inbox. You can sign up with the link right up here if you're on YouTube or if you're listening in your ears, then you can find that in the show notes down below. Subscribe and let stay up to date. So with that, I will see you very soon with another episode. But until then, please don't forget that even when it feels like there isn't one, there is always a point. I can promise you that. Okay, thank you. Bye.