Performance Jitters and Why You Shouldn't Have Them!

By Leianne of BellyUp

Right before my aunt performed at her first student recital at BellyUp, I wished her luck. She thanked me but said she was nervous, and asked:

"Don't you get nervous?"

I'm not going to lie. I almost never get nervous about performing. It's not like I think I'm going to put on a perfect show or anything – far from it. It's just that I see every performance as yet another opportunity to dance – which is something that I love to do! To me, it's not about a big crowd having all their eyes on me. It's not about whether or not I'm as good as the act before me, or how I compare to other dancers. There is none of that pressure. To me, it's about "You mean I get to dance on a big stage with tons of room in a fabulous costume? Awesome!" When I'm up onstage, all I care about is having a great time… and that tends to show by the huge smile on my face while I'm up there.

What you need to know about the audience is that they are there because they want to see you shine. They're there to have fun and to see you having fun. They want to cheer you on. Nobody out there is waiting on the moment for you to mess up (at least I hope not). So relax! And enjoy yourself!

And bonus: the great thing about being relaxed onstage is that you're less likely to make mistakes. Your body starts executing by muscle memory, and if you're well-rehearsed (which you should be), you'll get through your routine effortlessly. It's when you start to second-guess yourself ("What's the next combo?" "Wait, was that a turn to the left or a turn to the right?") that mistakes tend to happen.

But if you do mess up, don't let it get to you. I have had my fair share of on-stage oopsies (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aXU97suAaM&feature=youtu.be&t=1m34s – and I'm front and centre nonetheless). But guess what? When I make a mistake, it really doesn't faze the audience, so it doesn't faze me. I just keep smiling and keep going. When you mess up onstage, you shouldn't worry about the audience judging you for it, because they're more likely worried for your sake ("I hope she's ok and keeps going!")

Mistakes do happen, just like they do during class or in rehearsal. As much as we love nailing choreos onstage perfectly from start to finish, it's more important that you know how to recover and not freeze in the middle of a routine. So just remember that performing is not about pressure – it's about dance, and dance means being care-free!

So get out there and see your performance for what it really is: an opportunity to show how dance has touched you emotionally, whether it fills you with sassiness, sultriness or flat-out joy!

…By the way, my aunt nailed it – and with a killer smile!

Leianne is one BellyUp's lead dancers in the Ala Nar dance ensemble. Known for her dazzling smile and incredible shimmy!