How Dancers Can Overcome Stage Fright

Whether you are just a newbie in dancing or you have been to several dance shows before, experiencing stage fright is all too common. The secret to overcoming stage fright is not to deny that these feelings exist. Instead, focus on how you can transform your anxiety into positive energy that can help you perform your best on stage.

Level up your focus by using process goals

When you attend an audition or take part in a dance competition, it is true that there is always the possibility of winning or losing. However if you are only thinking about winning or losing before a performance, you will be handling too much pressure.

In order to avoid this, you need to set yourself your own performance goals that will relieve some of the pressure you have from performing to win. For example, instead of fretting over winning or losing, why not strive to have the best time while you perform. If you cannot have a good time performing, then why are you doing it in the first place?

Turn your fright into an opportunity

Instead of being afraid of the crowd, make the dance show your opportunity to learn how you can better handle the pressure so you can perform better even when the stakes are not high. When you are not too afraid, you will make minimal mistakes and this can further boost your confidence as you perform.

If you were at an audition and you were not selected, it does not mean that you lost or you have just wasted your time. This gave you a learning curve which you can use to improve yourself or exert extra effort to do better next time.

Give your stage fright new meaning

Some symptoms of stress and pressure do not automatically mean that you are anxious about your performance. If you regrettably focus on and fret about these feelings, and start imagining a negative result to your performance, it will develop into stage fright.

Think about giving the nerves you feel a new name like passion, excitement or energy to perform. These are normal emotions and it can help you prepare for your performance.

Remember your past to fuel your present

Remember that you are already a successful dancer who managed to overcome tons of auditions, rehearsals and performances. You can use your past memories of previous performances and dance shows to ignite the best in you for your present performance. Try to remember every detail and every sensation of your past successes.

Just like what others keep on saying in the movies; get in the zone. You want to take pleasure in it and appreciate how much you enjoyed every minute of it. This exercise can help you build confidence and prepare yourself to have the best performance ever.

These are some mental exercises that can help you focus your mind on the positive and give it the mental readiness for a truly wonderful performance. This can also help keep your stage fright at bay. Always remember that it is normal for all dancers to experience stage fright but this does not mean that it has to be incapacitating. What you want is to be able to enjoy yourself so you can perform better and have a successful performance every time.