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To be a connected performer you have to know how to work a crowd, dancing with energy and having a blast. Parents need to connect with their kids on stage by applauding loudly, staying together, and showing studio support! Fact: If a dancer knows their mom approves & they can hear her calling their name, they feel immediate support.
Obviously, experience as a performer plays a big part in this. Performers, remember - you never dance alone, not even in a solo! Always include the audience in your performance and be aware of all the other dancers in your group. Be sure to involve the audience or the other dancers on stage with you in your performance. Make eye contact - directing your energy to one person in the audience as well as connecting to the others around you, and responding to the energy others give you.
Facial expression is important in dance but it’s so much more than just smiling. Real or sincere organic facial expression often has more to do with the eyes! So, rather than focusing on smiling, I suggest that students practice an “open” expression with their whole entire face - but especially the eyes.
As you perform, engage the muscles in the face by slightly lifting the eyebrows in a way that is natural and comfortable. It is the same expression as speaking with great animation in conversation. Feel the energy! As for the rest of the face, be natural. While a smile can be important during certain types of dances, it will not match the mood in all dances. Do not plaster a smile to your face; be natural - adjust to the mood of the routine & your audience.
Musicality in performance is expressed through a lot more than just counting beats. Movement includes transitions and shifts that hit accents in some choreography styles. Exciting performers fill these spaces in the music and movement, not allowing the energy to drop. Understand the music and it’s value. The audience sees YOU as the music. Dance is music made visible. You become the music!
Confidence is also essential to performance. Having confidence does not mean you should act in a self-centered manner - it is the opposite. Dancers with confidence give a lot to the audience.Great performers are actors! In understanding the emotions of a piece, a performer will have an idea of what the choreographer is trying to express.
Your job is to make the audience believe - creating emotions that were not there a second ago. There is actually only one way to do that and that is to feel it. Imagine you have a secret & you are keeping it from the audience. Keep excitement alive in building toward the big reveal. Pretending changes the energy on stage and creates compelling performances. Projecting, shooting energy beyond your fingertips and toes, out through the top of the head, from your eyes, or even from every cell in your body, can improve the execution of your movement. Dance has a dimension beyond the physical. Your energy goes beyond the limits of your BODY!