It has become a cultural cliché to equate dancers with unattainable perfection. When movies, television, and print advertisements want to portray perfection, they are often accompanied by the image of a dancer. Considering that perfectionism comes at a high cost to a person's mental and physical well-being, Robin Prichard suggests this mind-set should be recognized as unnecessary and counterproductive rather than the price of admission to great mastery. The question then becomes this: What can this concept be replaced with that will lead toward deep, deliberate practice and achieving mastery? This article outlines the dangers of perfectionism and offers an alternate mind-set, which Prichard has termed "exquisite imperfection." Then it offers strategies for students to incorporate this mind-set in the studio. This article is for students at any level of dance to help them examine their patterns of thought, challenge their harmful mind-sets, and replace them with more beneficial ones.