Overcome Stage Fright

Nearly every performer experiences it at some point in their career, if not before every single performance. Increased pulse, sweating, shaky limbs, and overall fear of failure are all too familiar. Stage fright can be crippling and turn even the most prepared performance into a failure.

What a lot of performers don’t realize is that not only is it important to practice your material, but you also have to practice performing. It’s a skill that becomes better over time. The ability to relax and enjoy a performance doesn’t come easy to anyone. It takes time, experience, and learning how to recover from mistakes. But if you’re worried your nerves will get the best of you, there are several methods that can ease this common anxiety.

1. The Right Foods: Fruits like bananas and apricots naturally lower blood sugar, and the probiotics in yogurt can be calming to your body overall. Eat food that you know makes you feel your best. Avoid high fat, high sugar, and greasy foods that will slow you down. Also limit caffeine and alcohol close to a performance, since these can greatly affect your ability to stay mentally sharp.

2. Exercise Your Stress Away: Not only is dance a stress reliever because it’s great exercise, but pretty much any physical activity will have a similar affect. Chose the one you like most, whether it’s running, biking, or swimming. If you’re a professional dancer, sometimes exercise that is outside of dance can be very effective at relieving tension.

3. Get Into The Ohm: Meditation is thousands of years old and has stood the test of time for a reason. It works! Focusing and quieting your mind intentionally can work wonders before a performance. You can also try some gentle yoga, breathing exercises, or even a guided meditation app right from your phone.

4. Speaking Of Breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing, in particular, is scientifically proven to calm the body. It increases oxygen levels to your brain and lowers the heart rate. Controlled, deep breaths from your diaphragm are essential to getting yourself under control when you feel that you may lose it.

Whenever you’re performing, put yourself in the position of an audience member. When you watch someone dance, are you watching to critique their every move and find faults? Or are you simply enjoying the performance and feeling happy? Chances are it’s the latter. Perform with the knowledge that what you’re doing is brightening the day of every single person watching, and you’re giving them a memorable experience. Even if you are in a competition, the judges are there because they love their art. Show them how much you do, too!

If performing is something you truly love, do everything you can to enjoy it. Sharing your gifts with the audience is such a fulfilling experience for everyone. With time and proper techniques, you can surely find the balance to control any fears.