Normal couples usually feel anxious when facing the crowd. Absolutely understandable, just imagine when you need to perform a dance which you learn in a relatively short time, guess not too many people can stay calm.
But surely we need to overcome it in order to perform well. The first step to overcome it is to understand it's nature. It is an intense nervousness one feels before or during a public appearance or performance.
We feel anxious because of the fear of judgment or failure in front of the audience, leading to symptoms such as increased heart rate, trembling, dry mouth, and excessive sweating. Together with it could be psychological symptoms such as memory lapses, intense fear, and avoidance behavior.
Once we are alerted about these symptoms, we can address and manage this anxiety effectively.
Mental Strategies:
1) Focus on the positive aspects of your performance rather than thinking about your potential errors;
2) Practice mindfulness and meditation to keep calm;
3) Visualize a super successful performance in order to build confidence, and at the same time reduce negative anticipations.
Physical Techniques
1) Do your warm-up before a performance, it is not only warming up your body but also releasing tension.
2) Take deep breaths to control your heart rate and relax your body.
3) Ensure adequate rest and nutrition to maintain your energy and concentration levels.
Be Prepared
It doesn't matter what mental strategies and physical techniques you do to overcome performance anxiety, the best, the most powerful, the most effective what is to be prepared.
Practice makes perfect, so practice is a key. And over-practice makes muscle memory building easier. But preparation is not limited to this.
Another preparation can be a dress rehearsal practice on the stage. This familiarises yourself with the venue can significantly ease anxiety.
Or you can imagine yourself succeeding in your performance. Thinking about the audience reacting positively, receiving applause, and feeling proud of your achievement. This positive visualization technique can enhance self-esteem by reinforcing the belief in one's abilities.
But all these are based on your dance foundation. A solid dance background gives you the biggest self-confidence.
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