Getting on stage is always a thrill–but sometimes it’s a bit scary, too. Whether as dancers, public speakers, or just getting up to recite nursery rhymes for friends, some days can be harder than others.
Whether you have stage fright, some nerves, or just want to go into the performance mindspace, here some things to help.
- Rescue Remedy: This is Elena Lentini’s go-to solution for any kind of pre-show anxiousness. It’s flower essences, very gentle. Every health food store and a lot of drug stores carry it. Try it in advance first, though, just so as not to be surprised.
- Dunya says, Breathe. Slow down: Inhale to the count of 4, exhale to the count of 8. It won’t take many breaths before you feel calm and centered.
- Put one hand to your forehead and one to your chest. Sit quietly and feel the energy. After a while, change the hand from your forehead to your belly. Just breathe and feel the energy connection.
- Run in place. Breathe in time with your running. Exhale with each step.
- Tap with your hands all over your body to ground in the present moment.
- Remember what you are here for. Alli R said, “Today my husband is having one of his MS flare ups (he is already in a wheelchair) and I was saying, “I wish I could find something helpful to feed you, to do for you.” He replied, “Well, you can do your dance practicing, so I have something to watch, ‘cus I enjoy that.” I have been drilling and rehearsing next to his chair daily (while I thought he was watching TV) and I skipped today because I was feeling down because HE was feeling ill. He has been a huge inspiration for my dance already, but man… Next time you need a reason to push you to dance, think about dancing for those who can’t!”
This is the gift we bring to every audience. This is the level of love that underpins our performances. Remember, every time that you go out to dance is a gift to the world. This is the light you shine into the darkness. The right people will be there, and they will see it. It will be a beacon to them.
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5 Comments
1. I like to clear my schedule of anything but the performance the day of. No other obligations.
2. I prep ahead. Costumes, everything I need for the performance. Belts pinned to skirts, jewelry and hair stuff all in one bag, tops and skirts on one hanger,etc. My hands shake between dances, I get all excited, I don’t want to do any thinking, remembering, fussing or struggling. I set everything up for maximum ease.
3. A couple hours before I start costuming and make-uping, I do an hour workout that is physically demanding, usually with a dvd. Planks and push-ups, torso crunches, air chairs, shimmy drills, heat generating, core-muscle activating stuff that requires max effort. After, I’m VERY VERY relaxed, physically and mentally. Then I do some improv dancing, for fun, to feel the lightness, to enjoy how relaxed and toned my muscles are. Then I go get prettied up.
4. I listen to the music I’m dancing to while I drive to the performance site, and imagine myself dancing to it (traffic permitting!!).
5. Right before I go on, I remind myself that practicing is for me, performing is for the audience. It’s not about getting it right, but about enjoying giving the dance to the audience.
6. Then I Smile! Smile! Smile! Fun! Fun! Fun!
Liked your “stage fright” suggestions. I do a similar thing with my hands that my sensory-motor husband taught me; I put one hand on my heart (which is usually thumping hard) and one on my belly (which is where I feel my stress) and put the right amount of pressure to feel comforted, and take deep breaths. I can feel my tension reduced after a few minutes.
Great tips, Daniela and Irit. Thanks!
I do the preparation and the breathing, but really I love my jitters and would worry if they didn’t show up. It’s my body preparing me for the mouth of the wolf! Ideally, my perception sharpens, time slows, and I feel intensely alive.
Gavin de Becker talks about this in *The Gift of Fear,* a gorgeous, humane, and very entertaining book. Since your body can’t tell the difference between performing and mortal danger, it’s helpful for learning how to work that edge. And for, you know, getting rid of stalkers.
I feel the same way about mine. The excitement and adrenalin fuel our performances. I don’t think of that in that context as jitters, but as performance energy. Back in the day, our initial response to danger is not fear, but alertness, excitement, heightened awareness, that fight or flight response.
Unfortunately, when both fight and flight have been exhausted, we are left with fear. Those of us who have been too often in a state of unresolved stress or fear often bypass the excitement of danger and go straight into fear. This is when we need grounding techniques to help us breathe through the anxious activation of trauma and find our place of courageous readiness.