Category Archives: Ballet News
Performance Nervousness-Part 2
In the Wings
Now that you have identified the type of performance nervousness you are feeling from Part 1 of my Performance Nervousness series, it is time to come up with a solution. In the book I wrote, The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide, (www.balletaudition.com) I outline the types of techniques that can be used to get rid of Audition nerves. The same concepts can be applied to backstage nerves.
Here are some of the long-term things you can do prior to the show to ensure that you are feeling confident going into theatre week.
Set Goals- Write out your goals ahead of time, starting with your first rehearsal. If you set realistic performance goals and work on them throughout the weeks of rehearsals leading up to the show, you will feel more confident.
Mental Preparation- Mentally prepare yourself through imagery. This is something that I have gone into extensively in The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide. If you can visualize yourself performing a role perfectly, you can take that same feeling into the real performing situation.
Here are some of the short-term things that you can do to help with pre-performance butterflies.
Avoid Caffeine & Sugar- I remember sugaring up before shows when I was in school and it always turned out disastrous. Either you feel like you’re going to jump out of your skin while you’re onstage or your sugar high crashes right before the show and you are left feeling tired and lethargic.
Eat and Hydrate- No one performs at his or her best on an empty stomach. To ensure that you won’t energy bonk before the show, eat at least 1 hour prior to call. Sip on an electrolyte enhanced beverage throughout the day.
Listen to Music- Listening to your favorite tunes on your iPod before the show can have a huge calming effect on your nerves. Most Professional Dancers practice this technique pre-performance.
Warm-up- Warming-up before the show will give your body the peace of mind it needs to successfully execute choreographic demands.
Focus in the Wings- Think positive before you are about to make your stage entrance.
Breathe- Don’t forget to breathe and relax before going onstage. If you’re holding your breath, all of the movements that you have been working so hard on in rehearsal will feel lot harder and more taxing on the body.
Try some of these techniques before your Nutcracker performances this month! If you are looking for more techniques to try pre-performance, check out the eBook I wrote at www.balletaudition.com. The techniques outlined in that book aren’t just for auditioners!
Happy Dancing,
Nikol Klein, Professional Ballet Dancer / Author
My Next Ballet Book
What ballet tips and secrets are you dying to know?
Researching new topics for my next book!
I need your help deciding what subject to write my next ballet book about! Since The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide is selling so well, I know that you are all in search of the valuable information that your teachers simply aren’t telling you. As a Professional Dancer, I have been through it all, and have the tips and secrets you need to make it as a pro. Why not learn from my experience?
So now is your chance to ask the questions you have always wanted to know the answers to! Best of all, if I choose the subject you suggest, you get a free copy of the book!
So tell me, what ballet tips and secrets are you dying to know? I’ve been getting some wonderful suggestions on my Facebook Fan Page and want to give my loyal blog followers a chance to have a say.
Leave me a comment below! Good luck!
Also be sure to get your copy of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide >>HERE<<
Happy Dancing,
Nikol Klein, Professional Ballet Dancer/ Author of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide
Effects of the Recession on the Dance Community
It’s all you hear about in the news, and it has effected the Dance Community.
It is hard to stay optimistic when you hear about companies such as New York City Ballet cutting as many as 11 dancers from their rosters. If NYCB, a company who I would consider top notch, is having financial issues, imagine how the small regional Dance Companies are struggling. (link to article)
Sarcamento Ballet cancelled the rest of it’s season. (link to article)
Even worse yet, no companies are hiring for the 2009-2010 season discouraging potential professional dancers from persuing their talents.
What do you do when this happens to you? How do you survive when you are laid off and have no place to dance? I have experienced this first hand as the company that I dance for had to cancel it’s February show of Coppelia due to lack of ticket sales. Instead of complaining about something I couldn’t control, I decided that I needed to do what was in my best interest.
You can look at these periods of layoff as blessings in disguise. Come on, you know you can’t dance forever, so this is the perfect opportunity to discover your other talents. Take this time off to enroll in a college class, pass on your knowledge by teaching dance, or think about heading off to a new company.
I have taken this wonderful opportunity to continue to develop my Personal Training business. Over the two months that I have been laid off from ballet, I have been able to sign on 10 new clients, create videos, and work on my marketing campaigns.
Be proactive. Don’t let these hard economic times get you down! Develop your other interests and begin paving a path to your career transition after dance.
-Nikol Klein, ISSA CPT/SPN and Professional Ballet Dancer
Learn More at www.nikolklein.com
Ballet Audition Tips
