So, Joana asked me what I thought it took to perform on stage in a dance recital or competition.
Well, obviously the answer is blood, sweat and tears. There! Blog done.
Actually, it’s really not that simple. For me, the real question is why do we perform? What do dancers get out of performing on stage? I think it is a mixture of things, so I've put together a few of the ingredients. The acronym for which is, of course, DANCE.
Dedication & Attitude
Whilst it is true that performing on stage requires DEDICATION and hours of hard practice as a base line, a dancer also needs to bring his/her unique ATTITUDE, as in personality, to the stage. A troupe of dancers may all be technically strong and equal, but the one who shares a little bit of his/her personality with the audience is the one who steals the audience’s attention. Towards the end of the pandemic, I watched a show with young dancers who had to perform with their masks on. In a group of dancers who were all technically equal, my attention was drawn to the ones who inserted their personalities into the interpretation of the music. It reflected in their eyes and that undefined space around the choreography, where the smallest bit of their own body language was allowed.
Nerves
Performing also requires NERVES, but not of steel. Most performers get nervous before going on stage; this is what energises you to get on the stage and give of your best. It’s a bit of a balancing act between nerves and adrenaline. Nerves keep you sufficiently outside of your comfort zone to perform at a higher level than you had rehearsed at, and the adrenaline ensures you have the energy for this.
Courage
For me the most important ingredient is COURAGE, although confidence is another close “C”. A performer is confident when he/she has put in the hard yards and knows he/she can execute at his/her best. But it takes courage to work with your nerves, to give an audience a bit of your personality. It takes courage to risk not pleasing everyone, to risk making a mistake, going blank or falling. And it takes courage to just pick yourself up again and keep on performing. It takes courage to reckon with yourself, as you are likely to be your harshest critic. It takes courage to willingly make yourself vulnerable to all these things.
Enjoy
And if you don’t ENJOY performing, well then you would be very hard-pressed to be on the stage! Perhaps you enjoy performing because the power of the music moves you. Perhaps you are an entertainer at heart. Perhaps it is because you enjoy telling a story through your performance and realising that the audience has really bought into it. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline and excitement of just being on and around the stage that you enjoy. And who doesn’t enjoy the applause? It affirms us and the effort we have made, it encourages us and, maybe, we simple enjoy making other people happy.
So, to all the dancers out there, whether you perform on stage, in competition or in your living room for your cat, may your Dedication and sparkling Attitude allow your Nerves to elevate the Courage you need to Enjoy your performance.
Viv van Zyl
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