Thread: Stage Presence and What every dancer should know

I would like to hear suggestions from other dancers on how to project good stage presence, and how to express emotional content in dance without giving away too much... Also, are there things you believe every serious dancer should know? Anything at all... Please tell........

Get thee to cheekygirlsproductions.com & purchase Michelle Joyce's Secrets of the Stage Volumes 1 & 2! I really found them to be excellent guides to have on hand and in your library!
Of course, I'll also be watching/reading this thread carefully b/c all the wonderful bhuzzers-veteran-performers have truly exceptional first-hand experiential anecdotes and practical advice to give that are pure GOLD!

I have those video, they are great but didn’t help me with my problem. I’m 5’8 but when I look at my self on video I don’t project my size. I look short and pugy. Yet when I see other famous dancers like the superstars on stage and video, the seem so tall project there image nicely, And I know I’m taller then a lot of them! Why do I look so short on stage?

I just posted a bunch of things in this thread, in response to "what should I work on if I want to go pro?":

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/262936-post25.html

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/262948-post27.html

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/262968-post30.html

Originally Posted by toria_dances

I have those video, they are great but didn’t help me with my problem. I’m 5’8 but when I look at my self on video I don’t project my size. I look short and pugy. Yet when I see other famous dancers like the superstars on stage and video, the seem so tall project there image nicely, And I know I’m taller then a lot of them! Why do I look so short on stage?

Toria, are you using the air above your head? There are some very simple theatrical tricks to make a dancer appear larger than life (but in a good way!!) on stage.

Latifa

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Toria, are you using the air above your head?

You have me wondering whether I am! I'd love to hear more about this if you're willing to share.

Do you mean like putting my hands up over my head? I do that sometimes

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Toria, are you using the air above your head? There are some very simple theatrical tricks to make a dancer appear larger than life (but in a good way!!) on stage.

Latifa

I'd like to hear more about using the air above your head and the stage tricks, too.

Mental preparation - holding such thoughts in your mind that will enhance the performance. I call it setting an intention for the performance. Or thinking "You're going to love this!" so that you project that energy to the audience while you are onstage. They will respond.

Lighting, costuming and the camera itself could be making you look shorter and pudgier on film than you do in real life.

Originally Posted by vron

I would like to hear suggestions from other dancers on how to project good stage presence, and how to express emotional content in dance without giving away too much... Also, are there things you believe every serious dancer should know? Anything at all... Please tell........

Your best bet is to study the greats. Watch their posture...how they hold themselves. Watch how they enter their dance arena...their body language. Fifi Abdou is a master at this... and Mona Said. Confidence is the key. And if you don't feel confident, you have to pretend you're confident. It is possible, but it takes practice...and nobody can actually teach you that. It's something you have to master all on your own.

The air-above -the-head thing is so easy to show, but describing it in print?? whoo boy, that's tough. Maybe I have a video clip I can upload that shows this... but it probably won't be until after RakEast.

Originally Posted by toria_dances

I have those video, they are great but didn’t help me with my problem. I’m 5’8 but when I look at my self on video I don’t project my size. I look short and pugy. Yet when I see other famous dancers like the superstars on stage and video, the seem so tall project there image nicely, And I know I’m taller then a lot of them! Why do I look so short on stage?

I'm 5'9" and have realized how important posture and arms is for us bigguns. Everything we do looks more pronounced, so make sure your chest is lifted, your neck is extended, your arms are strong. No floppy anything; we can't get away with it. Also make sure to follow through with movements; do your moves with purpose! ..g.:

especially arms at 5'10"....I get yelled at weekly for this in class....

I think I got muscle ingrained to not extend as much after doing a lot of musical theater and taking out the people on either side of me :( also, my arms have a distinct overbend, so I used to consciously bend them to make them appear straight, especially in jazz. The arm types are really different for every style....I don't know if you have experience in other types, but it may help to watch vids of the different styles in a row to compare the stand-out traits of the arms to find out what you may need to work on.

Watch an Arab-descent dancer - their whole faces show many expressions. Of course, they understand the words too which probably helps.

curious: what do you mean by giving away too much? the dancers I love best give every last ounce of what they've got, until I'm full to overflowing and loving every second of it. :)

I think a big part of good stage presence, besides the obvious mechanics of good posture, technique and stagecraft, is to really *care* about what you're doing, and about your audience.

if you love your music, respect your job as a dancer (to entertain, to give joy), and really care about delivering to your audience that will get you pretty far.

for the above-the-head stuff: it's a big pet peeve of mine that a lot of teachers seem to teach dance from the shoulders to the knees. footwork, breath and emotional expression are often ignored.

to utilize well the space above you - a very important space as it represents the emotional and spiritual realm - you need to give yourself a reason to be up there. any schmo can dance with an arm above their head, but that alone isn't very compelling. what is up there? are you gazing at the beautiful full moon? are you stretching your arms up into the sun? are you reaching for that tiara up on the top shelf? are you sliding your fingers down cascading silk velvet draperies? for expression, are you thinking of how it feels to spend time with someoneyou love? a delicious spoonful of creme brulee? how it feels to snuggle your kitty in your arms? or something that has happened to make you angry? or sad? if you have a real thought to interpret, then your movement and expression will have meaning, and will look genuine and compelling.

I would say that one of the biggest things I learned was where am I looking when I am dancing? Am I dancing to the sight lines or am I dancing to the first row of the audience or the last row? Because is you are dancing to the first row or the sight lines you are not big enough!

In "Thearte" we talk about projecting your voice to the last row in the house. In dance, your voice is your body and movement vocabulary along with that indefinable something which carries your thoughts and emotions with it.

And this is going to sound a little new age-y, but remember that many times when you dance and aren't feeling it because you have other things going on, it shows in your dancing. If you are feeling small, unless you can suspend that, you will come across as small. I have a couple of vids which I have migraines. I didn't want to be there, but had committed to be there. I look as though I am phoning it in!

Oh, and one way to really approach looking bigger in stage, imagine that your lover is in the back row of the theatre and you want them to see the love, the joy, the sadness, the everything which you are and which they are to you! And then imagine that the house seats 1,000 people!

{{{HUGS}}}

I agree about the extension being so important for tall dancers as well as little ones. Tall people - women in particular, but men do it too - so often do not take their space. Reaching your arms right up (with a nice gentle curve) and lifting the chest makes SO much difference.

But! Here's a thing. How do you bring your energy down for beledi or something more intimate and introverted, or earthier, without hunching over yourself too much? It's a problem I have. When I am all orientaleish I look OK but I fear that when I'm actually having a nice time, my arms are ooky and my back is hunched. Tips?

Originally Posted by zumarrad

But! Here's a thing. How do you bring your energy down for beledi or something more intimate and introverted, or earthier, without hunching over yourself too much? It's a problem I have. When I am all orientaleish I look OK but I fear that when I'm actually having a nice time, my arms are ooky and my back is hunched. Tips?

I try to remember to keep the chest lifted, it makes everything look better. It's my new "default" mantra. Because I tend to drop the chest when I am not paying attention to it.

One approach I like to use is theme based, based on the song I'm using.

Try to get the lyrics of a song, so you at least know what it's about. You want to have an idea of the overall theme. Happy, sad, love, national pride, etc.

Then while you are improvising or choreographing, delve into the music itself. During each section of the music, consider what is the feeling of music. What instruments are being used? Are the notes low or high? Are the notes long or short? They will tell you what to do!

I like to use dance imagery, too. Putting yourself in a situation or scene in your head and acting out that, can add a lot of interest to your dance. Even if it's just a feeling that correspondes to the music will come out in your facial expression.

IMO- you can't give too much to your audience...also, I feel that many dancers focus on hip work too much and not enough on arm and upper body movement expression. Also, your eyes and facial expression.

I recommend acting classes. Never hurts to cross train!!

Originally Posted by zumarrad

When I am all orientaleish I look OK but I fear that when I'm actually having a nice time, my arms are ooky and my back is hunched. Tips?

Aargh. I have this problem in beledi/shaabi, too. It's especially bad because I'm round, not tall, and when my posture goes I just look rounder. I try to keep my chest and head lifted and do any really obvious "relaxing" only from the hips down, but I'm not sure how much it helps.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

But! Here's a thing. How do you bring your energy down for beledi or something more intimate and introverted, or earthier, without hunching over yourself too much? It's a problem I have. When I am all orientaleish I look OK but I fear that when I'm actually having a nice time, my arms are ooky and my back is hunched. Tips?

Building up upper back muscle strenght and working on flexibility in the front does help to keep 'default' dance posture from closing down.. but as long as 'open posture' is not ingrained in your muscle memory it will still feel unnatural to stand tall while dancing to something more introverted/earthier.. Still working on that myself as well.

What helps me: Try thinking of it as having 'heavy hips' and 'heavy feet' while your upper body is still lifted i.e. really feel the weight of your body, but only from the waist down.

Also: shifting the weight back to the heels just a little bit will bring more 'earthiness' in the movements without messing too much with posture.

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I would say that one of the biggest things I learned was where am I looking when I am dancing...
Oh, and one way to really approach looking bigger in stage, imagine that your lover is in the back row of the theatre and you want them to see the love, the joy, the sadness, the everything which you are and which they are to you! And then imagine that the house seats 1,000 people!

{{{HUGS}}}

Wooowww! That was an awesome description!!

OMG! You guys are so awesome! I’m actually going to print these out and keep because this is some of the best information I’ve heard on this subject.
BTW, wouldn’t this be a great workshop!

[QUOTE=Zana;263634]Aargh. I have this problem in beledi/shaabi, too. QUOTE]

BTW, what is Shaabi? I'm planning to go to Alexandra King's Dance Camp next year and she told me this would be one of the workshop topics. Thanks!

I second a lot of what everyone says. I'm 5'3" and people are always telling me they think I'm much taller both off and on the stage until they stand next to me. Good posture is important. My basic stance is rib cage lifted up and off the waist. I also dance on the balls of my feet the majority of time. At least one arm is up and extended most of the time. Head up, not looking down at the floor or my hip. When I do veil work, I'm stretching and reaching my arms to the highest point possible.

Big hair doesnt hurt!

But I think the most important thing is confidence. I notice that dancers that are hesitant or unsure of themselves tend to hunch over and curl in more.

Originally Posted by dunyah

I try to remember to keep the chest lifted, it makes everything look better. It's my new "default" mantra. Because I tend to drop the chest when I am not paying attention to it.

I think I usually keep my chest lifted (ballet training), but I have a tendency to look downward when I'm concentrating. I think that when I do that, I'm focusing all of my energy inwards and not allowing it to flow outwards. If I forget myself and "concentrate" at a performance, the audience will not get any of the energy I need to send them because I'm too busy thinking about myself and what I'm doing.

After this was pointed out to me by the leader of my studio, I started really working on not looking down when I concentrate. I try to focus on the mirror or above the mirror in class. I try to actually kind of interact with the image on myself in the mirror, to try to emulate the idea of interacting with the audience. It seems to be helping a little bit.

This is a great thread and has given me lots more ideas for becoming a better performer.

Thanks for posting this!

Attitude has a lot to do with it. For instance, no matter what level you are, always go on stage with the attitude that your audience wants to watch you. If a dancer goes on stage with a fear that the audience will not like her, that can show in one's performance.

But body language speaks very loudly too. Is your chest lifted and leading in your posture or is is pulled back or slightly sunk, are your arms closed a lot of the time or open ...is your head held high or tilted down? Do you watch your feet a lot? These are some things that can keep a person from projecting themselves as well as they could.

I agree with those who said to watch DVD's of dancers you feel project themselves well and study the way they present themselves on stage.

Lisa

Great stuff on this thread! Here are a couple of my random thoughts on the subject:

First, as has been touched on already, posture is a HUGE part of stage presence. Arms that extend gracefully into space rather than hanging close to the body with no energy, a lifted and open (shoulders back!) chest, neck long face forward (rather than looking down) is all essential. This is body language that says 'I'm confident and eager to communicate with you' instead of 'dear god, please don't let them look at me!'

There are three components to the above, and they're all important.

1) Physical strength and flexibility. Stretching the chest and front of the shoulders, strengthening the upper back and arms is essential. A person can't simply *decide* to have a strong and open upper body.

2) Habit. If you don't rehearse with an open heart and energy in the arms and head, you won't perform that way.

3) Genuine confidence and openness. If you're actually thinking 'dear god, please don't let them look at me' it won't matter how strong or flexible you are, or how much you've rehearsed good posture, you're going to cave in on yourself.

So, how does one achieve genuine confidence and openness? Depends on your starting point. If you have serious self-esteem issues or anxiety issues, that goes beyong the scope of this forum, so we'll assume the dancer is a normal woman with normal insecurities about performance.

1) Practice, practice, practice. True confidence comes with being very well-rehearsed. If you could do the dance in your sleep, you won't worry about 'messing up.' Most of us can admit, at least privately, that we're falling short in this area, procrastinating, and under-rehearsing.

2) Consciously keep your mental focus moving away from yourself. Any time you find yourself thinking about YOU (negative thoughts, like 'what do they think of me? Did I just screw up? Is she looking at my toenails, did I paint them? or the polar opposite thoughts, like 'this is the coolest part, I really looked awesome doing this part in practice') you're projecting all your energy inward, and that needs to be immediately corrected! (sometimes we want internal energy, for a short time, but even then it should be about the music and the emotional content of the music, not self-conscious thoughts.)

Think about your audience while you're dancing, and their enjoyment of the music. Can you help them to hear that bit of playfulness in this section that you hear? Can you surprise them with an unexpected accent? Can they feel the sorrow in this portion? Can you show them what you hear?

As long as your attention is on your audience and your music you can keep from becoming self-absorbed and continue to project.

Great post Lauren, thank you for that.

Thread hijack- just to answer vron's question.

What I understand Shaabi, the word itself (adjective), to mean what in the USA we would call "blue collar" or "average jo", "common" or maybe even "redneck" (in the offensive sense).

Shaabi is also a musical style, of which Hakim and Saad are popular singers. Shaabi music is characterized by its everyday and/or racey themes.

Shaabi is now coming into it's own style of dance too, with lots of pride, sass, bounce to match the fun Shaabi music.

Originally Posted by norma

Head up, not looking down at the floor or my hip. When I do veil work, I'm stretching and reaching my arms to the highest point possible.

Big hair doesnt hurt!

Amen to the big hair comment. Also I wanted to say yes, look up (as opposed to looking down), but not "up" like a small child looking up at an adult for long periods. Makes you look like that small child...