-
Mental game-face – Performance Theories
Ok so on the weekend I performed in a Pole Show Case (not a comp) in Sydney. It was a big event, about 200 people in the audience, featuring great pole dancers from all over (including Bendy Kate from the UK)! Anyway, I was super nervous, one, because it had been 5 months since I had performed on stage, and two, because I wasn't sure about my routine (you know I am more comfortable with freestyling rathen than choreo so I hadn't really planned all the specifics).
We got to rehearse our routine on stage once. All the other dancers were watching, so I gave it my all… I was in the moment, feeling the music, hence everything was a bit of a blur…. I was panting like I'd run a mile afterwards, and I couldn't really recall much about the rehearsal! haha So it wasn't that useful…. I forgot to do one of my key moves (spent too much time on floor work) so I told myself, Okay, when I perform I need to focus more on the routine and not lose myself… Also, for some reason my elbow grip aysha, which is usually rock solid, was all wobbly (I think the pole spun way faster than my one at home) so i decided to chop it from the routine.
My performance was like the opposite to my rehearsal. I thought about everything I was going to do ahead of time, so i didn't forget to do any tricks, but I wasn't really feeling the music at all, I was just going through the motions.So even though I executed everything well, and I wasn't as buggered afterwards, It felt a little souless and dull… 🙁 I've looked back on some footage of it and I think what went wrong was that I wasn't in the persona… I was so busy concentrating on remembering all the moves I wasn't able to really get passionate about them…. In fact, I think I looked nervous on stage!! Which of course I was, but usually I'm pretty good at acting confident).
So now I am confused. Is it better to be in the moment and spontaneous and raw or be prepared and organised and self-aware? Arrghhh I just don't know! I have to admit, when I do my best dances at home, it's when I'm freestyling and just feeling hte music and feeling emotional…. not thinking about trcisk at all… but it's hard to let yourself do that in front of an audience when you've got time restraints and expectations….. arghhh jeez, what do you guys do when you perform? I mean, what is your mental game-face? Do you choose a certain attitude/strategy?
Also, since it was a big event, I had made the conscious decision to play it safe and only do moves/tricks that I was really confident in. Therefore, I didn't make any mistakes, but also, it all felt a little safe. Now I'm regreting not taking more risks and throwing a few of my more original and tricky moves in there…. Do you play it safe in performances or push yourself? I just don't know…. it was a great night thoguh for meeting people and it's going to be a very good learning experience. Any feedback/thoguhts appreciated xoxo
-
11 Replies
-
Well when/if I ever do a performance, I will be doing what is me…..freestyle. If I tried to do a routine, I would forget half of my moves. Actually thinking about performing in a show in Detroit next Winter. I am far from most people on here, but what I do have is my individual style and charisma. 🙂
So, you already did your performance and it sounds like you did great, so next time (and I'm sure there will be), change it up, freestyle and go for it! 🙂
-
Well while I think freestyle allows meto perform more authentically and expressively, sometimes I lose track of time and forget to use my best tricks etc…. which in a competition would be a disadvantage. There were some amazing dancers at the recent pole show case I participated in, who had planned their routine down to the last flick of their hair and it was still super engaging and raw and honest…. I think that a passionate performance is always better than a cold and well calculated one though, soo…… *sigh* next time I will put my whole heart and soul in it and not worry too much about routine…
-
this is a great question…I too love to freestyle and 'feel' the music, but when performing I really, really like to choreograph. Performing is just so different, and with a freestyled performance I feel I would lose focus due to nerves, and pole walk wayyyy too much, but that's just me.
With a freestyle, so many times I watch it (if I've video'd) and think it's pretty decent, but with building a routine I find different stylings and transitions that I don't know if I would have come to if I were just freestyling (or remembered, if I did 'accidentally' do them). So in that sense, choreo and repetition makes me better, because I can repeat, repeat, repeat and also focus on the extensions, toe points, etc…
-
I freestyle for almost every video I have ever made, but if I am performing in front of an audience I choreograph. What works for me is to learn the choreo and the music. To really really learn them, so that they are in my body so to speak, and I do not have to ever think about what I am doing. Usually, this means that I have worked on it so much that the choreo is complete second nature, down to the nuances, and that I know everything backwards and forwards and have no trouble at all hearing my musical cues. For me, its about repeats. Over and over. Any tricks in the choreo should be rock solid every time, or I cut them out about 3 weeks prior. I also use visualization a great deal. Anytime I cannot actually practice but need to work things out, I will listen to my music (in the car, at my desk during lunch, on a remote atoll in the Pacific, etc) and run my piece mentally while doing so, making sure that I hit all the cues and know where I am in the music. So far, its ended up that when I do it this way, I know my music and choreo so well, that I can really make that effort to go beyond, to feel the music, and really dance, instead of just freaking myself out on whether I know my choreo well enough or not or worrying where I am in the music. For me, well prepared choreography is a safe place to perform from, whereas I will definitely have major stress issues making any attempts to freestyle for an audience.
-
if you practice your "wow" moves enough, you will not forget them when performance time comes.
in other words, after incorporating the really advanced stuff into your combos enough times- over and over again, it will flow naturally without having to think about it.
i've seen lots of your videos, and i think you are being overly critical of yourself- which is what all great performers do. you are an amazing, beautiful, skilled, and graceful dancer.
I think that it's good to have a choreographed routine, but also have the ability and flexibilty to freestyle it because, in situations where the pole may be slick or to spinny, you can adjust the dance. I'm sure all the pro's have to change up their routines a bit when unexpected things happen.
-
Corby, I know hwat you mean about cutting tricks that aren't completely solid. In my rehearsal some things didnt go as well as I liked so I swapped them for something more secure, but now I feel like I should have taken more risks and pushed myself to do my absolute best, because really, I've danced way better at home than I did on stage. Ah well, I guess different things work for different people, but muscle memory defiitely helps, i agree, so repetition is a must. EVen if its just repeting combos, not necessarily an entire choreographed routine…. I cant wait to perform again because I've learnt alot from my recetn performance. Especially what NOT to do (overthink things and worry etc).
-
O definitely. And its one thing to have trouble with a trick/combo due to nerves, and quite another to attempt to perform something that one has NEVER had confidence with. For me, I want to give my audience a good show, and I fully believe that they should not have any idea how hard I am working physically. Should look so easy they think they might just be able to do it!
The last show I did, over half my piece was floor work! And I only used tricks/spins that I am totally comfortable with, and I still get compliments from that show (it was in March). Not because it was difficult, but because I was so comfortable with it that I could dance it. It was the costuming, the music, the dance including floorwork/polework altogether that made it a standout piece. Not the difficulty of technical dance. However, that said, performing at home feels so so different then performing on stage to me, that there is no real way to prepare for it initially if you have no experience. Just do it, and you'll find what works for you. 🙂 I know it. You are a beautiful dancer.
-
I completely agree with Corby. I am poling since January and in April I've decided to join the choreography classes to perform in stage beg June with another 5 polers (group performance – not a competition). For me it was not easy at all, knowing that I don't have any dance background, struggled with the musicality and follow the group. The other polers were working on the choreography since last September and I had to catch up if I wanted to participate. My approach was to listen to the music and break down the words, the rythm and associate them with the moves. At the begining I was afraid not to have time to be on time with the group which made my moves very rushed and cold, but then I realised that I really did have time to do it well and smoothly. Before sleeping, I've also used a lot the visualisation, to rehearse the whole dance (+/-4m30). From the practice and the visualiation, I get the confidence that I can do it well. The repetitions in group also helped me a lot to be "in" the music, "in" the choreography and the result was great. I definately prefer to dance on choreography, but so far it's not my strongest point to create my own piece.
Good luck for the next performances/competitions!
-
Overlooking the freestyle vs. routine question for now, as I’m already planning on writing something about that when I get Internet back, your primary question was if you DO have a routine, do you concentrate on what you’re supposed to do or your artistry? As a lifelong performer, there’s a clear answer: practice your routine so much (or at least so intelligently) that when the time comes you don’t have to think about it. Then you can give 100%.
If you are underrehearsed for some reason, think of it this way: the audience will care more about your flare and personality, whereas you will care more about what specifically you did and how well you did it. Who do you want to please?
-
No matter if you decided to routine or choreograph you have to love what you're doing and believe in it. I have come full circle into a place where if I LOVE what I'm doing then i'm happy – you can't please everyone because you can't read their minds – but you can please yourself because you know what you want, so dig deep and find that…be the dancer YOU want to be because everything else is subjective.
I'm feeling good lately because I stopped finally, after 5 years and 3 competitions , I stopped caring what other people want. I want to tell my story, my messages, my thoughts…there's no right or worng way to do that.
But I do agree with Pippi – rehearse, rehearse, rehears – my least favortie performances were when I hand't heard the song hardly and just went up there and tried…there's nothing worse than knowing you can do better – so make you happy and that's what matters 🙂
-
Thanks for replying girls. You all had good points. Being under-rehearsed is destructive because it increases self-doubt and nerves/apprehension so I really need to make sure I have repeated my moves so many times that muscle memory will kill in no matter what. This will help me relax and focus on the artistry of my dancing.
Thinking about what is more important to me personally is such an essential thing I cant believe I didnt do it before now. I am definitely someone who appreciates dance, fluidity, expression etc over strength and tricks, so I should let myself feel the music in the future and just stop over-thinking my routine. I think that's why I like freestyle so much… I'm not distracted by trying to remember choreography, and there's no pressure to get everything right because I have no expectations, im just in the moment, feeling hte music.
Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to comment, it's really helped me clarify my ideas and emotions. I know now why I feel disappointed by my performance last weekend, and I know how not to let that regret happen again 🙂 xoxo
Log in to reply.