Many dancers have been in situations where they post a beautiful, unique combo to share with the world. Moves that came to them from pure inspiration that was outside of themselves or others. And then within a day or two, see various other dancers doing the same thing on Instagram, but not crediting where they got their idea. This is not a new topic in this community, and I wanted to give my two cents on what I think about the matter.
It Only Makes Sense to Give Credit
I think itâs a tough subject. Thereâs one part of me that absolutely thinks credit should always be given. I always do for various reasons.
- One, itâs basic respect.
- Two, it adds to the âsocialâ aspect of social media. Tagging people and letting them know that their work influenced you is part of what builds a community!
- And three, if their work inspires me, itâs bound to inspire others, so I should share their username!
Weâre all on this app to influence one another whether we realize it or not. It does not take anything away from me to give proper credit to someone else whoâs doing amazing work.
Devilâs Advocate
Then thereâs the other part of me that thinks itâs just the ego that wants the credit. Thereâs nothing new under the sun and no one has invented a new pole move in years. Even whatever inspired you to come up with that nice combo, all stemmed from learning different moves from different people. Maybe you havenât seen anyone put the moves together in the way that you did, but regardless, they arenât new moves. And expecting credit is more just the ego having a fit.
But Then AgainâŚ
But then I go back to my original thought, that credit should always be given regardless. When people save and copy otherâs dances without tagging them, it kind of gives hater energy. Many people are actively growing their pole accounts and taking two seconds to leave a username is the best way to really support one another in this small community (especially if they are trying to make dancing their living).
So, when someone doesnât take the time to leave a mention, itâs like theyâre deliberately choosing to take from a dancer without supporting them in return. It’s common sense to not steal fashion designs or someone’s intellectual property, but there’s no protection for copying an aerialist. It’s only upheld by respect and morals.
Everything is an exchange! If youâre taking ideas from others, itâs only reasonable to (at the very least) leave a tag if you can’t financially support them. It would actually only benefit you to do so! When you uplift others, you uplift yourself.
We are all creative beings meant to share our art with others and inspire others. So, when I notice others doing the combos that I come up with, Iâm actually flattered. It brings me joy knowing that I inspired them because itâs my purpose to do so! The only reason I would care about a tag is because Iâm still growing my brand and would like to expand further. But I also have total faith that everything happens on its own divine timing. I expect nothing because I know I will be taken care of and my desires will be met!
I Am a Mirror
I notice dancers with extremely large followings donât have this problem as much. Itâs pretty obvious why! Once a dancer gets big enough, people tag them in everything because they want that personâs attention or validation. But when a dancerâs account is still small, itâs easy to take from them and not feel a way about it because you donât really want anything from them.
Even though a lot of people wonât notice that youâre taking a smaller creatorâs ideas, that dancer will notice, and it will change their opinion of you. The only two people that will sit with that knowledge will be you and the dancer, and as long as you donât care, then keep stealing! But remember that this world is just a mirror. The more you give, the more you receive. The more you take, the less you receive. I donât make the rules, I just observe them.
So, my final opinion is that I think itâs always best to give credit! But I also donât feel too bothered when I notice others who donât. Art is meant to be shared and not everyone will be as authentic as you! Donât feed the ego too much over small things such as âcreditâ because if youâre being true to yourself and fulfilling your mission to this world, then you will be provided for and people will know your name. Stay patient and keep making your art, no matter what.
