The Nutcracker Syndrome

We’ve all felt it. That feeling of having to do face that same meeting, that same project, over and over again, and the gradual loss of all motivation.

Professional ballet dancers all across America feel this every year by about the 10th Nutcracker performance, with around 30-40 more to go. For context, the Nutcracker is the ballet world’s bread and butter and a season unto itself. It happens every year, and most companies depend on it for their financial sustainability. Particularly in the corps de ballet, you end up doing the same role over, and over again.

For audience members, The Nutcracker is a family tradition or a safe teaser into the world of watching a ballet. There is magic in every moment of the Nutcracker, from toys coming to life, to a Snow King and Queen and an entire act of fantastic characters from all over the world. How could one possibly get bored of that!?

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Well, when you’ve done anything enough times, it’s easy to let the muscle memory take over and have your mind leave the building. I admit I’ve had a few moments when, live and dancing on stage in front of thousands of pairs of eyes, I am thinking about what I might make myself for dinner…

So what to do? How can you not only keep your mind in the game, but keep the game interesting for you?

Here are some pieces of advice that dancers often apply to negate the effects of The Nutcracker Syndrome:

  • Offer yourself the following re-frame: Even though you may be on your 400th enactment of a given activity, someone out there will at some point be experiencing the outcome for the very first time – do it for that person.

  • You are an expert and yet there is always room for discovery: test out different ways of doing something, see what effect it has. You may surprise yourself and learn that there is still room to keep things interesting, growing and improving, even as an expert.

  • Practice mindfulness. One of the beauties behind certain repetitive tasks, is that you can actually invoke the practice of mindfulness and presence, turning something ‘boring’ into a peaceful part of your day. Get into a flow state with it!

These are just three among many other tactics to help improve the quality of your experience around weekly meetings and projects. If I can do over 400 Nutcrackers throughout my career, finding something valuable and interesting in each iteration, you can apply this same principle to your personal Nutcracker.

Please share how you deal with your daily or weekly tasks. I would love to hear some other ways to keep things fresh!

Rachel Cossar