Combating Stage Fright

Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, the stage lights are blinding and all of a sudden you are overcome with a paralysing fear. Stage fright hits. Stage fright or nervousness prior to a performance is completely normal! Many dancers feel it, but pushing past that fear helps you grow not only as a dancer but also as a person. Here are 6 Tips to help you move past the fear.

Breathe
This might sound obvious and I’m sure you know that you need to breathe, but sometimes when that fear overwhelms us we forget to breathe. I have found choreographing breathing into my number (especially a fast paced solo, or free exercises) can help me to remember to breathe and calm myself.

Visualise
Before you go out onto the stage visualise yourself completing your routine flawlessly. Visualise yourself on the stage with the lights and the audience, imagine yourself doing your routine in this setting. This can help you prepare for the actual moment you step onto that stage.

Face your fears
Sometimes stage fright can be a case of practicing. Take every opportunity you can to get on that stage. The more you practice and the more you actually perform in the setting that scares you the more acclimatised you will be and hopefully the fear reaction will lessen.

Shake it out
Sometimes moving around and shaking out your muscles can help alleviate some of the nervous energy. Some dancers have little rituals they complete prior to going onto the stage, like shaking out each of their muscles or jumping up and down on the spot, the familiarity, movement and routine can help to shift the mind from the fear.

Practice where you perform
If at all possible see if your coach can organise a stage practice where you will be competing. Performing on the actual stage where you will be competing can help you familiarise yourself with the stage, the audience, the green room, the backstage area, etc. This helps you become more comfortable with the space and hopefully helps to calm those nerves.

Being comfortable
Make sure you are comfortable in your costumes. Ensure what you are wearing underneath is comfortable and supportive and nothing is too tight or digging in. If your costume does not fit properly speak up and let your coach/manager/costume person know what the issue is. Do not suffer in silence. There is nothing worse than having a wardrobe malfunction on stage! Once my entire top half of my costume came down mid solo, it was absolutely mortifying and did not help with my stage confidence at all!