My second student group performance

is this weekend...I'm looking forward to it, and will come back home to my (first) costume tonight (it was finally delivered today, after I ordered it 5.5 weeks ago).

I'm also, a little nervous, about a few things, like looking at the (big!) audience, I didn't really do this on my first student group performance which was last December, I felt too shy too. But I want to do it this time, at least a little! I have been telling myself, there is nothing to feel fear about! Just get up there and enjoy yourself! I have been practicing while smiling (and sometimes I just giggle anyway, while doing some of the moves) as in the first performance, I didn't smile much.

This time I am at intermediate level (have been on this level for 9 weeks now), last time it was at improvers level - so it is faster, though I know the routine well.

I got a little shakey last time, and found it difficult to do a good, smooth maya, because of it...I may try to take some rescue remedy just before I go on stage. (last time me and at least half of the group had a drink before!).

So, how do you guys deal with the nerves on stage? Any tips will be appreciated.

Amethyst said:

So, how do you guys deal with the nerves on stage? Any tips will be appreciated.

Click to expand...

Smile!

If you remember to enjoy yourself while on stage, you'll probably experience less nerves AND your performance would probably be better both for you and your audience to watch.

Don't be afraid to do mistakes or forget the choreography. You'd better do it with a smile and do the mistake with confidence than become even more nervous afterwards.

I hope this will help you!

I am always nervous before I dance but these days when I hear the music which I have come to know inside out for those dances I will be dancing, I take a deep breathe and move into my 'dance space', but that comes with time.

I have made mistakes but remember when you are in a group, people can only watch one dancer at a time, so if anyone was watching you when you made a mistake, they probably wouldn't even realise that you had, just keep smiling and move on. As for looking at the audience. I was always nervous about looking directly at anyone when I first began to perform, so I would kind of look at the top of heads, and allow my eyes to skim across an audience, or lokk between people, with a smile, they may have thought I was looking at them, or someone else at that moment, slowly the confidence came to look at people.

Good luck with your performance, and do try to enjoy it through your nerves, be proud of yourself.

Oh rescue remedy is a good idea, also before you go out to dance along with some deep breathing stretch a little and shake the nerves out by shaking hands/arms, and with a few gentle shimmies or something, that can help loosen you up so you are not so stiff with nerves when you get out there.
~Mosaic

I like Mosaic's advice a lot - it goes for me too.
Especially the stretching, deep breaths and I also sometimes use Rescue Remedy or carry a certain kind of crystal/stone if I feel like it.

I also like to carry jewelry or the like, that I got from people that means or have meant a lot to me. Kind of like a little symbolic token or talisman.

To some dancers, it sounds ridiculous, they just have other means to the same end. It doesn't matter - the important thing is finding out what works for YOU and go with that!

In that spirit, here's an additional angle to handling stress and the audience from the stage, that you may or may not find useful:

*I like to find out if there's anyone in the audience I know - and/or anyone who looks like a really positive person. There is almost always someone out there that'll have this really encouraging, active response to any performer up there.

Find out where those persons are seated, and as soon as you move into their vicinity or are facing in their direction, look at them! Meet their eyes and smile or wink at them, if you cock up the choreography, just roll your eyes and smile, laugh...or do the opposite!
If you spot someone really bored/boring when you happen to remember the audience, someone who doesn't seem react to you at all - get stubborn about it! Keep trying to make eye contact and just make it a (silent) point to punish them for being so unsupportive!

Clown around, wink at them, make sad, pleading puppydog-eyes, make a little chin-up arrogant diva-face and flick your hair in their direction - whatever you feel reflects your own personality best.
If you're the competative sort: If you succeed in getting him/her to smile - YOU WIN!

*Make sure that you have plenty of time to change into your dancing gear - it usually takes longer than you think, so do a couple of timed trial runs at home the day before the actual event (or whenever you have the time and opportunity).

*Move your focus away from yourself. I use this one a LOT: When you're out back, tune in on your fellow students and spend your energy comforting them if some of them look stressed or insecure. When you focus on helping someone else, it gives you a sense of purpose and a feeling of being in control, and all the while you focus on that, your brain will forget to come up with silly ways to maintain your own stress (or even make it worse) - like "telling you to hyperventilate", producing more stress hormones than needed, making you shake, making you feel like you have to pee, or whatever.
I kid you not - It's a great little psychological trick!
Tell someone else to relax and have fun, everything will be okay, and your own brain will be much more inclined to actually listen to you and react accordingly, than if you tell it to yourself.

In essence:
Having a plan and having given some thought what to do and how to handle yourself in the event of such and such usually works wonders on nerves.

I hope you have a great time and that you'll be blessed with the best and most supportive audience there is!

Daimona, Mosaic, Prusilusken, thank you for the good tips and encouragement

I'll be doing the stretching, deep breathing, shimmying, and smiling...and having a positive focus!

Yes and yes, above advice is very sound! Smile and have fun with your dance-mates! I also bring a kind of Talisman like Lise says. '

Dear Lise, I don't think that's strange at all. I still carry a card to all my (even pro) performances and shows that I got from my teacher before my 1st ever show. It says "Think about your posture and dance the stars out of the sky!" (in Dutch that sounds much more logical lol). That old card still gives me a good feeling. Next to that, I also carry a green (jade?) scarab I got from a teacher who has become a very dear friend over the past year.

I feel much more confident carrying that stuff around, haha! Good luck on your show Amethyst!!