Nerves are good. They mean you still care.
Instead of worrying about how to keep them down (or worse, how to burn them off!) how about thinking about how you're going to take all that energy and put on a fabulous show?!
I know how you're feeling - I'm performing at a friend's party in a few hours and my stomach is in knots. I've got so many things to consider - she's a friend so I want to do a fantastic performance, but I also want her to feel comfortable when she gets up to dance with me, so I have to rein it in a bit so she doesn't look bad in front of her guests. I hope she enjoys the music choice I made and the little joke I'm having with the intro. I hope I don't offend any of her guests. I hope my costume holds up. So many things to worry about and we haven't even gotten to the usual causes of my nerves which is ZOMG, PEOPLE OUT THERE! But it'll be okay. It always is. I'll have fun and the guests will have fun and even if my performance is a disaster it won't exactly be the reason people are at the party in the first place.
So what I'm saying is you'll be fine. Even if you do make a mistake or have something go wrong, it's unlikely that anyone will notice, much less care. What they will see is a baby dancer who is sharing her dancing with them. It's okay to have nerves and it's okay to make mistakes. Enjoy your debut sweetie! You've earned it.
In addition to the good advice shared above, I think that when you are starting especially, knowing you're as prepared as you possibly can be is good. So make sure your costume is all ready and fits well, and press anything that needs pressing, the night before. Make a checklist if you want, so you don't forget anything (safety pins! The right underpants! Earrings!) Take some time to make yourself feel and look great - bathe, moisturise, do your nails etc - and make sure that you leave plenty of time to do makeup etc. All of that will take some of the pressure off. And the ritual of getting ready can be very soothing.
Try not to wear yourself out with excessive practice on the day. It's as good as it's going to get. Your job now is to sell it, so concentrate on feeling GOOD because that will feed into your performance.
Avoid too much caffeine, sip something soothing, eat a light balanced meal before and get yourself something nice to celebrate your first performance with afterwards - some wine, some chocolate, whatever you wish!
A bit of lavender essential oil on the back of your neck can be very calming if you get very anxious.
Save chemical relaxants for LATER. (I do know of dancers who have benefited enormously from the use of Special Herbal or Prescription Aids in certain circumstances but I would not advise it in general, and certainly not first time!)
I'll add: Eat a banana.
Remember to breath DEEP and S-L-O-W. Remember you are beautiful, and you'll have fun!
I assume this is with a troupe?
Good tip. Thank you. And no, I'm by myself
The purpose of the first solo is to get you used to the idea of being on stage by yourself. That's it. If you didn't fall down you succeeded! Sounds like you did way more than just that - so its definitely a 100% success!UPDATE: So I just got back from performing. Surprisingly, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. There weren't many people there so that was kind of good. Plus I had the support of my teacher and sister.
The dance went well...I made sure to smile and just have fun!!! Definitely an experience I won't forget.
Thanks guys for the great tips, they really helped!