How to Overcome Stage Fright
By Christine Kane
I was backstage packing up the stuff in my dressing room . A woman knocked on the door and said , " Can I ask you something ?"
I invited her in . She asked me how long I had been performing . I told her . Then she said , " What I ' d like to know is -- when did you get over stage fright ?" ( At moments like this , I wish my husband were standing behind me so he could let out a boisterous " HA !") I said , " I ' m pretty sure I haven ' t yet ."
I told her that for the first whole year of performing , I was terrified every night I got onto a stage - even if the " stage " was made of shipping pallets and duct tape . The only thing that changed was my ability to " hold " the fear .
Here ' s the thing . If you ' re waiting to get over stage fright before you ' ll perform , do a speaking engagement , or teach a workshop , then you ' ll be waiting a VERY long time .
Here ' s why : Stage fright shrinks because of taking action . Once you take action , you ' ll learn how to overcome your own brand of stage fright . Nonetheless , here are nine little tricks to do if you ' re feeling anxiety ridden about a particular show or event :
7 . Get to the venue early . When I toured with a ballet company , we always arrived at the theatre at noon on the day of the performance . The dancers had to rehearse and take a class . The crew had to set the stage . And I got to be in " theatre mode ." Yes , I got nervous . But I felt like I " knew " the place by the time I got on stage . I used the time to just be in the theatre and feel the energy .
8 . Be a rock star . Seriously . What would it feel like if you were a rock star ? Find that feeling of deep confidence that ' s in there . It ' s not an ego thing . It ' s about knowing that you ROCK . Get on stage with that confidence . ( Sometimes this doesn ' t work . Sometimes you simply don ' t rock . So use this one with caution !)
9 . Perform from the fear . It ' s tempting to try and fight your anxiety , or figure out ways to blast through it . The only problem with " figuring out " is that performing is about interacting with the audience . It ' s about being totally in the moment . You can ' t approach it from your head . So , if you don ' t feel like you have a handle on your fear , begin " softly ." Don ' t try to " win them over ." Don ' t try to be funny . ( Because in certain moments - it becomes about the " trying " and not about the " funny .") You will find that you slowly ease your way into a confident place . Then you can find the energy you need to carry the rest of your time on stage .
1 . Give your fear a time-limit . If your event is at 8pm , then say to yourself , " Self , you have until 4pm to be as whiny and miserable as you want . At 4pm , we ' re letting that go . Up ' til then , have at it ." This permission is liberating . Because you ' re giving yourself the gift of non-resistance , the stage fright has space to diffuse . The time-limit will show you the side of you that can take over and be confident . Slowly , that confident side will grow .
2 . Don ' t have lots of to-do ' s on performance day . Go slow . This works for me , but I can ' t do it at every show because of my travel schedule . If I have a particularly big show , I always allow the day to be about the show and little else .
3 . Have lots of to-do ' s on the day of a show . Go fast . Some of my friends find that the less they think about a show , the better . So they go through their routines or see a movie . They show up at the venue at the last possible minute .
4 . Create a ritual . Your rituals will come to you with time . I change guitar strings and play songs for a while . I also say a prayer before I walk onto stage . Even if I ' m doing a small show , I get very clear that I want my ego to step aside .
5 . Get in the audience . Some of my friends love to wander around the audience and talk with people before they perform or speak . It relaxes them to just hang out and see that there are no monsters in the audience .
6 . Exercise . You will perform better if you ' ve exercised that day . It will put your emotions in a better place . Creative types need to exercise regularly .
While songwriter Christine Kane is best known for her hip and catchy tunes , and the downto-earth wit of her live performances , her fans and students share that they are inspired most by her message of living authentically , passionately and courageously .
Christine ' s philosophy is that you are the artist and your life is your work of art . That , she says , is what it means to " Live Creative ." She now shares this message nationally , speaking to groups ranging from the Air Force to the American Hospital Association to NICU therapists .
Christine ' s award-winning blog ranks among the top 10,000 blogs on the internet .
Christine has released six CDs and an award-winning DVD in her expansive career as a performer and songwriter . She has toured the country many times over , sharing the stage with everyone from John Mayer to the Beach Boys to Nanci Griffith . Border ' s Books & Music named her one of the Top Five Recordings of 2003 , the Washington Post called her " a petite powerhouse of a singer ."
If you liked this article , you ' ll love Christine ' s LiveCreative e-Zine . To discover more about how you can Make Your Life a Masterpiece , please go to http :// www . christinekane . com
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