Many dancers, especially in competitions, often have fewer problems with choreography or technique, but find it difficult to find the right expression while performing.
Many contestants destroy their rating by missing, wrong or monotonous expression.
It is often the expression that costs the last points on the way the podium, but on the other hand I have often seen dancers who, despite technical errors or mistakes in the choreography, achieved a very high score because they naturally had a great expression or were born “stage hogs”.
There is a whole range of exercises and techniques that dancers can use to improve their expressiveness and performance, such as:
1. Acting Training: Acting training can help dancers improve their emotional performance and expression skills. An acting course or acting training can help dancers to improve their skills in the areas of posture, gestures, facial expressions, language and singing. Individual acting exercises or exercises from improvisational theater can also be incorporated at the beginning or end of a dance class or in rehearsals.
2. Improvisation: Improvisation is a great way for dancers to improve their creativity and spontaneity. Through improvisation, dancers can improve their ability to interpret music and create movement.
3. Mirror Exercises: Mirror exercises are a simple but effective way to improve posture and expression. By looking at yourself in the mirror, you can refine your posture and facial expressions and become more aware of facial expressions and postures.
4. Character Development: Another way to improve expressiveness is through character development. By assuming the role of a character, you can improve your ability to interpret and portray emotions. It often helps with stage fright if you can hide behind a fictional, self-created role instead of going on stage as a “private person”.
5. Mental Training: Mental training is a technique of performing visualization and relaxation exercises to improve mental concentration and focus. Through mental training, dancers can improve presence and charisma on stage.
Overall, there are many ways to improve expressiveness and presentation. It’s important to try different techniques and exercises to find the ones that work best and help express a unique artistic voice and personality on stage.
Anything can be trained. It may take some effort at first, but it’s worth surviving the initial “embarrassment and giggling fits”.
With SK Dance I also offer special workshops on the subject of stage presence and presentation, which can be booked individually or as an in-house workshop in your studio. Some exercises can also be learned in online coaching sessions via Zoom. Write to us.