Thread: Performance dynamics - dancing on a stage.

So this weekend four of us from my class did a mini show at a local event. It was the first time I have ever danced on a stage as opposed to on a ground level dance floor which is where the majority of hafla-level performers such as myself spend their time.

Anyway, I was pretty disconcerted by how different it all felt. I have stood on a stage before to do other things, but not to dance and I was immediately aware of a greater distance between myself and the audience which made me feel sort of 'divorced' from the audience and I was also quite freaked out by the spotlight because it was so mesmerizing. I kept wanting to look up into it and I found it very disorientating when I did a spin because it had a sort of inverse lighthouse effect. ..c::

What are your top tips for a stage, as opposed to a ground level performance?

Having a rehearsal with lighting, etc. would be first choice. But it's often not an option. At least getting out on the stage and moving around at some point before the show is helpful. Be conscious of projecting your energy to the farthest corners of the room, since you can't make eye contact very easily with that kind of lights. Just getting more experience on a stage will help, so get out and do it again as soon as you can!

Be conscious of projecting your energy to the farthest corners of the room, since you can't make eye contact very easily with that kind of lights.

Yes, I think it was the difficulty of doing this that pulled the rug from under my feet, I mean I could hardly see anything and therefore I had this weird sort of detached feeling throughout the whole dance and that in turn made me much more nervous than usual.

When dancing on a stage keep your gaze focus just above the audiences heads or the middle of the back wall. If you don't it will look like you are looking at the floor of the stage while performing. You can still engage the audience even when they are farther away than you are usually used to. That feeling of detachment is not so bad, some folks get extremely nervous when they can see the big audience. If you have your vision of the audience obscured by the spotlights it may remove a bit of that "oh my gosh I have a couple hundred or more pair of eyeballs on me". It is very good you had the opportunity to get up on a stage!!!

YES! It's so hard to make that transition, isn't it? Interaction is a big part of our dance, I think. I love exchanging energy with the audience and sharing the experience with them instead of Presenting it on a stage. But I've learned (grudgingly) to enjoy stagework, too.

My tips:
1) Like all things, it gets infinitely better with experience. You just get used to it.

2) Practice sending your energy farther out. Focus your gaze on the furthest thing from you when you rehearse. Onstage, find the 'exit' lights at the back of the room and dance to those... NOT the first row or two of people you may be able to see.

3) Be prepared to dance without getting any 'energy' back. Not only can't you get visual confirmation that they're enjoying you, but some theater audiences are trained to sit quietly and not clap, whoop or holler until the performer is finished. So don't panic if you're playing to a black, silent hole -- it might mean they're transfixed and LOVE you! Remember to *listen* for the applause during your bow, and stay onstage until it starts to die down a little -- this is the audience's turn to give you feedback.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

YES! It's so hard to make that transition, isn't it? Interaction is a big part of our dance, I think. I love exchanging energy with the audience and sharing the experience with them instead of Presenting it on a stage. But I've learned (grudgingly) to enjoy stagework, too.

My tips:
1) Like all things, it gets infinitely better with experience. You just get used to it.

2) Practice sending your energy farther out. Focus your gaze on the furthest thing from you when you rehearse. Onstage, find the 'exit' lights at the back of the room and dance to those... NOT the first row or two of people you may be able to see.

3) Be prepared to dance without getting any 'energy' back. Not only can't you get visual confirmation that they're enjoying you, but some theater audiences are trained to sit quietly and not clap, whoop or holler until the performer is finished. So don't panic if you're playing to a black, silent hole -- it might mean they're transfixed and LOVE you! Remember to *listen* for the applause during your bow, and stay onstage until it starts to die down a little -- this is the audience's turn to give you feedback.

What Lauren said.

Although I grew up singing, dancing and acting in choirs, musicals and plays on a stage removed from the audience, my BD performance experience was almost always up close and personal at parties. I enjoy that exchange of energy with an audience and it helps feed my performance. I still prefer that intimacy to stage work, but I think I've got a handle on stage presentation now.

Stage lights can be very disorienting -- they can even make me squint! I, too, sometimes feel kind of "off my feet" when on a stage lit like that. You will find that as your eyes become accustomed to the brightness during your set, you'll be able to see more of your audience

When dancing as part of a group, you will often have sight lines you are expected to keep as part of the uniformity of a group. You should definitely be looking -- and dancing -- all the way out to the back wall most of the time.

Dancing as an individual is different, IMO. You still need to dance "out," but your gaze can slide over your audience more; you can even dance to one person for a moment here and there -- whether you can actually see them or not! Look to the back, middle, front and both sides of your audience.

Congrats on your first stage performance. Now go out there and do it again!

Deborah

Originally Posted by khadiya

I mean I could hardly see anything and therefore I had this weird sort of detached feeling throughout the whole dance and that in turn made me much more nervous than usual.

I refer to it as a crocodile filled moat between myself and the audience. It's extremely daunting, isn't it? The hardest thing for me is what Lauren mentioned - the lack of energy back from the audience. I'm getting better at performing in those situations, but it'll never be my favorite kind of venue.

I started dance, with Ballet, with only a stage. When I was one on one with the people at first I was freaked by it! Then, I grew to love it! Now the stage gets me crazy (go figure). I get much LESS nervous up close! Now I pretend that I am dancing one on one with the exit sign, sometimes the person I can not see in the front row, or that unseen person in the middle, that helps to change my focous while dancing onstage.
I do tend to charge the front of the stage, my attempt to get closer, trying to change that!
Project to the exit sign if all else fails!!!

I enjoy dancing both on a stage and close to the audience but it feels very different. Some things I'll perform close to people that I won't on stage-I hate doing shamadan on stage for instance I like interaction with people for that. Near them you feel you are sharing experience more, on a stage its more lonely you have to send out more. Its quite usual I've seen some fabulous dancers that just don't come over well on a stage-they get lost in away they just don't in a more intimate setting. i've been an actor and I find this helps because I'm more aware of stage dynamics and positioning than a lot of people and can project the energy to the back row. its also unnerving as your mistakes are more noticeable-so any stage performance needs careful preparation and also adapting for the stage-you need to be able to fill that space and some movements may be lost to your audience halfway back.

These are all really good suggestions. Like Faaria, I started performing mostly on stage in ballet (and jazz) performances. In addition to "projecting" out to the back wall, it's also important to make good use of the space. If you are dancing a solo, be sure to travel more than you would in a small space like in a restaurant. I try to move across the stage, sometimes on the diagonal, along the apron and very rarely close to the back or wings (i.e. the velvet curtains will grab at your costume, veil or other prop). If you do not feel the heat of the stage lights on your face, you may be in shadow so move a bit more into the light (especially if they use a spot light). Try to keep your arm movements "big" and away from your body. You don't have to worry about smacking a waiter with your veil so take advantage of the space! ..l;,

If you are dancing with a partner or small group on a big stage, avoid the temptation to spread way out. Keep your formations tight but not cramped and you will create a greater visual impact. You don't have to "fill" the stage. The audience will shift their eyes to follow your small group as you travel--ignoring the "empty" space. When dancers are split far apart, the audience isn't sure where to look and their attention becomes divided. If you want the audience to focus on one group/dancer, bring them/him/her down stage, closer to the audience. It's also nice to create sight lines in your formations--say have someone more to the up stage right corner and then someone in the down stage left corner (i.e. from the dancer's perspective). A "Western" audience will naturally start looking at the dancer to their left (dancer's right) down to their right (dancer's left). I learned this in ballet, later in theatre and also in art history. There are entire books devoted to staging so there's much, much more to learn.

Of course stage makeup is also important--defining your eyes and mouth a bit more so they can be seen well from far away. Your lovely expressions will be lost if the audience cannot see them. Stage lighting can also wash out fair skinned dancers so you might want to go a bit darker with your foundation than you would for a more intimate venue.

One other, probably obvious, suggestion...always wear appropriate undergarments on a raised stage. .w.:

I've seen lots of bare legs or bike shorts worn under 25-yard skirts up on a raised stage and just had to wince. I would prefer to see harem pants, jazz pants or even tights! What might be a slight flash of leg at a ground-level performance becomes the "Full Monty" up on a raised stage. ..l;,

Where were you.?..we were in Bacup and I know that was a small theatre but it was the biggest I have ever danced in with its' stalls and circle and proper sloping stage!
I think simply about the stage v dance hall. Everything has to be bigger, clearer ,more colourful..that means moves, costuming,make-up ,facial expressions.
I imagine the audience out there and that I have to reach them. The previous week we had performed the same routine at a hafla and luckily its' one that works with movement suited to both and I enjoyed both experiences.
I watched most of the show and the acts that didn't work showed lack of cohesion in costuming and movement,lack of commitment to rehearsal of course, shyness
( Shi$..even if you are scared witless you can't show it..my heart goes like the clappers and my mouth is dry..out there you have to get over it!)and meekness.
The ones that worked were not just slick and cofident but colourful, snappy and short in length and the groups smiled out and at each other.
Just for your info Khadiya, if you can get to Liverpool at the end of Jan,Feb,march and April Caroline Afifi is doing workshops on performing. If anyone can get to instill those skills into you, she can.
PS the wonderful Alison and Denise raised £1800, half of that for Just Because......it's a matter of life and dance | Home. And Tracy was just brilliant , lovely to watch.

Where were you.?..we were in Bacup and I know that was a small theatre but it was the biggest I have ever danced in with its' stalls and circle and proper sloping stage!
I think simply about the stage v dance hall. Everything has to be bigger, clearer ,more colourful..that means moves, costuming,make-up ,facial expressions.
I imagine the audience out there and that I have to reach them. The previous week we had performed the same routine at a hafla and luckily its' one that works with movement suited to both and I enjoyed both experiences.
I watched most of the show and the acts that didn't work showed lack of cohesion in costuming and movement,lack of commitment to rehearsal of course, shyness
( Shi$..even if you are scared witless you can't show it..my heart goes like the clappers and my mouth is dry..out there you have to get over it!)and meekness.
The ones that worked were not just slick and cofident but colourful, snappy and short in length and the groups smiled out and at each other.
Just for your info Khadiya, if you can get to Liverpool at the end of Jan,Feb,march and April Caroline Afifi is doing workshops on performing. If anyone can get to instill those skills into you, she can.
PS the wonderful Alison and Denise raised £1800, half of that for Just Because......it's a matter of life and dance | Home. And Tracy was just brilliant , lovely to watch.

No, no. Nothing so grand - just our local hobbies fair which was very poorly attended indeed and probably only mattered to the 4 of us who were performing.

I think I was just surprised at how much that feeling of being divorced from the audience disconcerted me because I have a fair bit of experience at being on a stage, just not being on a stage to dance.

Also the lighting guy went bonkers when we asked him to do the lights for us. You could see him rubbing his hands with glee and he just mucked around with them so there were all sorts of weird things going on with the lights the whole time.

I *always* wear proper and suitable undergarments for any performance.

I think the trouble is that I simply don't do it enough. When I have several performances closer together I am much less nervous but when I go a long time between I have too much time to think and brood about it.
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Originally Posted by khadiya

No, no. Nothing so grand - just our local hobbies fair which was very poorly attended indeed and probably only mattered to the 4 of us who were performing.

I think I was just surprised at how much that feeling of being divorced from the audience disconcerted me because I have a fair bit of experience at being on a stage, just not being on a stage to dance.

Also the lighting guy went bonkers when we asked him to do the lights for us. You could see him rubbing his hands with glee and he just mucked around with them so there were all sorts of weird things going on with the lights the whole time.

I *always* wear proper and suitable undergarments for any performance.

I think the trouble is that I simply don't do it enough. When I have several performances closer together I am much less nervous but when I go a long time between I have too much time to think and brood about it.
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Hey you might a lighting guy's night! Usually it seems they shake their heads and say .."MMMM oh no...Can't be done! "
It doesn't matter about anything else if you all had a good time ..g.:and..... my dear I hope you wear proper and suitable undergarments at all times...especially with all this snow about!
And make sure you are very proper for our Bedazzled venue looks like one belonging to the Cof E!

Hey you might a lighting guy's night! Usually it seems they shake their heads and say .."MMMM oh no...Can't be done! "
It doesn't matter about anything else if you all had a good time and..... my dear I hope you wear proper and suitable undergarments at all times...especially with all this snow about!
And make sure you are very proper for our Bedazzled venue looks like one belonging to the Cof E!

..l;,

Snow, what snow? We almost never have snow up here - Morecambe Bay warms us up doncha know!

I did get the impression that the lighting guy was just a tad over enthusiastic about the whole thing.

We did have fun but I got very cross with myself for the sudden outbreak of nerves and as a result I wasn't satisfied that I had done my best.

Well all the suggestions are great. The only thing I can add that has not been said.

Be aware of the edges of the stage and please, don't fall off!!!

Originally Posted by AngelaDiCaprio

Well all the suggestions are great. The only thing I can add that has not been said.

Be aware of the edges of the stage and please, don't fall off!!!

Good one. We could have rolled off with the camber that was on that old Variety Hall stage!..g.:

Originally Posted by khadiya

..l;,

Snow, what snow? We almost never have snow up here - Morecambe Bay warms us up doncha know!

I did get the impression that the lighting guy was just a tad over enthusiastic about the whole thing.

We did have fun but I got very cross with myself for the sudden outbreak of nerves and as a result I wasn't satisfied that I had done my best.

It's on them thar hills............. yes I know we get away with it on the plains but you never know..get thee hence to Damart!
And the wind is whistling over our marsh.

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Good one. We could have rolled off with the camber that was on that old Variety Hall stage!..g.:

Oh gosh, those slanting stages are a nightmare to dance on! I recently danced on one which angled down to the front, and the organisers had very thoughtfully pulled across the curtain so I only had about 1.5 metres of space to dance in, on the sloping edge, and with microphone cables and mats to avoid. Good one! Sloping stage=do not dance in heels or spin! I did both, because it was almost as if they'd dared me.....g.:

As far as hints for dancing on stage when you can't see your audience:

- Look for reflections from people's specs! It can help if you really need to see a 'face'

- Act. Pretend you are making eye contact with imaginary audience members (right now, Daniel Craig aka James Bond is my favorite, although he's starting to get distracting) and have a 'conversation' with them - smile, glance, reach out to them. I do this even when I can see my audience, because I am a bit phobic about making eye contact - so I make imaginary eye contact. It's much less confronting!

- When you're in a stage audience, take note of what things the performer does that look good (or bad) to you. You'll notice things like bigger-than-usual smiles look good, a lowered gaze might get lost, etc. So figure out what techniques work and put those practices into your own routine.