balletboyrhys Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Just a brief personal history first.... I've been dancing for about 7 years. For my first year of college i went to the University of Utah. The program wasn't a good fit and while there i developed a lot of bad habits, and the bad habits that i had before got much worse. When I transfered to my current school, i had a lot of struggles because they basically had to reteach me everything. It's been a tough process but i've been getting a lot of good feedback and everything seems to be going great. Since i spent so long really focusing on technique and retraining my body I haven't performed at all. The faculty wouldn't cast me in anything until they felt I was technically ready. Now I'm cast in a ballet and rehearsing all the time. I'm double cast in a soloist role but as the performances are months away we dont know which of us will get to dance the most/best nights. I really want to show everyone how hard i've been working and that I really can do it. The problem is this: whenever I'm in back going over the steps (marking or full out) i dont have any problems, i can perform musically and choreographically accurately. But once I have to actually dance the part, i freeze up. My timing gets all off and i forget steps. Its just a huge mess. I guess not being in a formal rehearsal situation for so long (its been years...) I've developed a slight case of stage fright, but in studio? I dont really know what to do. It's annoying because I know the steps and I know i can do them, but how can I show the choreographer that when every time I try I just look like a mess! Any ideas??? Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Buck fever! Actually, that's just a nickname for a form of performance anxiety that comes on after a prolonged absence from a task, and is even worse when new training has intervened. I think you've nailed the nearest source of the anxiety. Remember that rehearsal, while important, is not a performance, it's work. Rehearsal is the time to screw up, so that you get it all out of your system. Relax when it comes time to rehearse your new work, stay loose, and the famous, "don't think, do!" comes in handy here, too. You can get left at the station, missing the train while standing there thinking about what you're going to do today! Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 A word of encouragement from Momof3darlings, via PM: If you really feel it is a big problem, and you're on a college campus, you might see if there is a Sports Psychology department or even within the music department sometimes they have someone who deals with audition anxiety for musicians. Many athletes and musicians use focusing methods prior to times of anxiety to learn to use the anxiety to better their performance rather than negatively affect it. The methods transfer over to any performance type activity. Have you talked to your instructors about the issue so they can help you with it in rehearsals? A good piece of advice, if you ask me. Or even if you don't! Link to comment
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