Even as dance hobbyists, I find that mental preparation is one of the most overlooked aspects when it comes to performance and one that is perhaps not discussed enough. My own personal philosophy is this: I figure that most people in my level will have an approximate similar level of technical skill as us. How can we stand out?
Here is my best kept secret…which is actually not so secret (especially since this is a public post). I just fake it. Yup. I pretend I’m a “real dancer”. I project the image of how I think a confident high-level performer stands and approaches the dancefloor and what happens in the moments in between dances… since physiological signals (body language) can not only affect how others see us, it can actually also affect how we feel about ourselves.
Do you smile because you are happy, or are you happy because you’re smiling?
;-P
This tedtalks vid is well-worth 20 min of your time.