Show Yourself in Your Dancing

Dear dancers and parents,

Have you had a teacher or director tell you something like,

"You have everything you need, just show me more of yourself."  — or — "Your technique is there, I need to see more of your personality when you dance."

If you have, you're not alone. This is a common piece of feedback that dancers bring to me. They are usually confused about what it means and how to work on it.

I have some proven tips on how to do it, but first I'd like to share a common pattern I have seen over the years:
 
You were a passionate, expressive dancer in a small studio. You went away for a summer or year-round training to a bigger school and got serious about your technique; it improved, but in that work, you stopped expressing yourself.

In the excitement of building stronger technique, maybe teachers didn't notice; maybe you didn't either. Class became about perfecting steps, achieving exact placement, and finishing things cleanly.
 
But one day, you realized you weren't expressing yourself anymore. Maybe it was when a teacher asked you to "dance more" or to have a less serious face. And you thought, "Oh. I've forgotten how to do that."
 
I've coached many dancers who share a similar story when we first talk. They are still fully committed to dancing, but they've lost their passion and joy in the studio. Or they still feel it, but it no longer shows on the outside.
 
Today, I'm going to share some of the tips that helped them with you.
 
"THE EYES ARE THE WINDOWS TO THE SOUL"
I'm sure you have heard this saying; it has been attributed to Shakespeare, DaVinci, and Cicero, which just means it's been around for a long time and no one is sure who said it first.
 
It's also true. Try having a conversation with someone who does look you in the eyes; it's hard to know what they are thinking or feeling.
 
Once someone meets your gaze, you can begin to understand who they are and what they're thinking.
 
And yet...dancers look at the floor all the time!
 
I know why you do it: it helps maintain balance and focus. But, since you will eventually need to raise your gaze to eye level, you might as well start building that habit now, even when you feel a little off your leg.
 
Dancers also stare at themselves in the mirror with a determined focus or a glassy stare. Neither spot - floor or mirror - offers any glimpse into who you are or what you're feeling, so try to combat these bad habits.
 
Lift your eyes, gaze directly at your viewers, and communicate how you feel about what you're doing.
 
One of the easiest ways to work on this is when you are dancing with your peers or a partner; it can be during class or a rehearsal. Notice when you can catch someone's eye and do it; it might feel more natural to do that than make frequent eye contact with your instructor. It also makes class and rehearsal more fun to dance.
 
Don't let there be a mystery around who you are as a dancer: the first place to start is with your eyes.
 
EYES WITH HEAD AND ARMS
This one is obvious and you've heard it a hundred times, but it bears repeating: move your eyes with your head and arms. It's another way to get to using your eyes and maybe it's easier to start here. If you faithfully put the focus of your eyes where your head is supposed to be, they will never be on the floor or in the mirror.
 
MUSICALITY
When you watch professional dancers, try to notice how they use the music and see if you can do the same. Play with tempo, phrasing, and mood. You can be ON the music and still play with it.
 
One specific area to challenge yourself is in balances; try to hit the balance at the early part of the note and hold it until you have to come down to be on the next note.
 
I've noticed dancers often make their way up to a balance slowly and then start coming down before they need to which makes for a very short balance. This also applies to turns and jumps: make the most of the music by challenging yourself to stay suspended or held longer. How you do this will be unique to you, which is part of showing your unique self to your audience.
 
INTERPRETATION
Notice what other things draw you to the dancers you admire. Hopefully, it is not just their technique or beautiful bodies, but the way they dance - their movement quality, facial expressions, and the way they interpret roles.
 
Even when there isn't a character to interpret, like a prince or a will, you can work on your interpretation of a piece of choreography with your eyes, your musicality, and finding ways to imbue it with your personality.
 
Think about how the choreography makes you feel; does it create a mood or rekindle a memory? Is it playful or somber, measured or chaotic? Take those qualities and weave them into the way you move. Intention can be a powerful source of interpretation, so play around with the intention behind your movements.
 
DYNAMICS
Finally, you can start working on dynamics in your dancing as soon as your next technique class. When someone says a dancer is "dynamic" they are referring to how the dancer moves their body in space: fast/slow, strong/light, sudden/sustained.
 
For example, someone might do a strong grand jete or a light grand jete - the effect would be very different. Consider Albrecht's jetes in Act 1 when he is courting Giselle versus the same jetes in Act 2 when he is dancing to his death at Myrta's command.
 
The same goes for a pique arabesque:  it can be sudden and communicate fear or surprise, or sustained and communicate something entirely different, like sadness and resignation. Think of the difference between Odette's arabesques in Act 2 of Swan Lake - fearful - and the same arabesques in Act 4 when Odette knows she is going to die - same step, very different dynamics.
 
Other dynamics to consider are accelerate/decelerate, flowing/abrupt, and direct/indirect.  
 
When you play with all of these different qualities - musicality, interpretation, and dynamics - while also using your eyes, it will have the effect of showing more of yourself in your dancing; your personality will come through in the choices you make.
 
So if you are confused about what to work on when your teachers tell you to show more of yourself, this should be a good start!
 
If you'd like support and coaching on any of the above, please get in touch! Our first phone session is free of charge and can be scheduled here. 

Merde to all of you who are competing in the next few weeks!

Be well,
Elizabeth