Confidence In Dance
You must look confident when you dance, but that doesn’t mean you really are!! Even if you’re shaking in your dancing shoes, LOOK confident and your audience will be impressed.
Remember, the audience didn’t see you at rehearsals. They don’t know what the routine was supposed to be, so they won’t spot a mistake unless you make it obvious by frowning – or stopping!
If you keep your head up, torso erect, smiling brightly no matter what’s happening lower down, the audience will probably never notice you goofed.
Almost everyone is nervous before a show, it can’t be avoided. Learn to look confident every time you dance, even in rehearsal, and it will become a habit. If you make the effort to exude confidence in dance class, be prepared for some (jealous?) students to brand you a show-off. Those students want you to stick your tongue out when you’re concentrating and stop when you make a mistake.
It can be tough to weather that storm, but remember – the way you dance in class is the way you’ll dance on stage. Ask yourself what you want, to fit in or to become a good dancer. Serious dancers will always try to dance in class as they would on stage (unless they’re conserving their energy for a later performance).
My dance teacher was adamant that we must pretend we were performing at all times. That has stood me in good stead throughout my dance career – and has even got me into trouble! More than once, when I started performing flamenco, audience members told me I was a better dancer than my teacher. I knew that wasn’t true – my teacher was a far better dancer. The difference was, I was taught to dance confidently, whereas she was rather shy and tended to dance with her eyes downcast. So when we danced together (as we sometimes did), it was me who grabbed the audience’s attention. They never noticed that my feet were not as precise- all they could see were my ‘attack’ and enthusiasm.
Naturally, you must also rehearse,so you know the steps thoroughly. But that is not the most important aspect of your confidence score!
Dance Party Christmas Mix #1