Dear ballet students,
many have already experienced this. The big show is coming. You're plagued by stage fright. You feel dizzy or nauseous, you have a dry mouth, sweaty hands, a racing heart, no appetite or you have to go to the toilet all the time. This is completely normal and affects many who are supposed to perform on the big stage in front of many spectators. There are several ways to deal with your stage fright. We want to go into some of them here.

1. Visualize your appearance:

Imagine the ballet performance as you move and dance on stage. Visualize every scene and every move you will make. This technique can help you feel more confident as you mentally prepare for the upcoming performance.
Visualization is like a mental journey or a head cinema that can be carried out unnoticed from the outside. This allows you to "program" yourself to a winning situation. More on this at rhetorik-online.de .

2.Breathe deeply:

Focus on your breathing and try to breathe slowly and deeply. This can help calm you down and reduce your nervousness. A specific breathing exercise here:

• Breathe in with your mouth and breathe out through your mouth with a blowing sound.
• Close your mouth and breathe in slowly through your nose while counting to four internally.
• Hold your breath and ideally count to seven.
• Breathe out fully with your mouth open and a sound heard, counting to eight.
• Repeat the exercise as you like (ideally 3-4 times)

You can find more breathing exercises at barmer.de

3.Move before the performance:

Stage fright is also a manifestation of our escape reflex. Exercise helps you break down this escape reflex. A short walk in advance or climbing the stairs to the fourth floor will help to reduce stress. Of course you shouldn't exhaust yourself; just move.
If you're already at the performance location, you can walk up and down backstage. This is a signal to your body that you are on the move and that there is "no danger". More on this at career-competence.at .

4. Talk to others:

Talk to other dancers or your teacher about your fear. Sometimes it helps to talk about your feelings and to know that you are not alone.

5.Practice more:

The more you practice, the more confident you will feel. If you find yourself feeling insecure when dancing, practice more to build your confidence.

6.Stay positive:

Positive experiences from recent performances will help you build your self-confidence. Remember what you have already accomplished in the past. Why should the next gig be worse? Focus on the positive and think about your strengths and achievements. Mistakes are also a learning opportunity. You can learn and grow from every performance.

7. Take breaks:

Try to relax before the performance and take breaks to collect your thoughts and feelings.

8. Use your rituals:

Many professional performers and dancers use their own ritual before each performance. The "ritual" can be of different nature and range from stretching exercises, short meditations, brushing your teeth, reciting a poem, prayers to music. Rituals give us security and are faithful companions in stressful situations. Through the repeated sequences, they bring structure to the seemingly chaotic events. More at stuttgarter-nachrichten.de .

More on the website of ballet studio Ost