 There is an artistic challenge and responsibility for everyone involved

that must be met if the dance production performance is to be

successful.

 Dance is perhaps the most hedonistic of the arts simply because of the
fact that movement in itself is a pleasurable experience. The more one
becomes aware of and sensitive to, the sensuous feedback of moving, the
more one can become absorbed in the self. Here lies a danger for both the
choreographer and dancer. The selective eye needs to be always on guard to
ensure that the joys of movement are not limited to the experiences of the
participants themselves but can be transmitted to an audience, which has
given up both time and money to sit in attendance. The inability or
unwillingness to communicate movement in a medium that by its very
definition is a performing art only serves to alienate the audience and thereby
nullifying the power of dance.

 The choreographers attitude toward the audience is every bit as

important, if not more so, as the dancers attitude toward
performance! Dance is a performing art and as such requires the physical
presence of an audience at a certain time and a specific place. A performance
is conceived with the idea of its being presented to someone. This thought
should not be lost sight of in the course of preparing for the production. It is
especially easy for those absorbed in their work to confuse the expression of
the art form with what is little more than ego indulgence.

 Your attitude toward performance is extremely important. It is vital that
everyone knows from the outset the importance of working with their full
concentration, commitment, honesty and integrity toward the performance. At
rehearsal, your attitude and goal must be, the performance! Always, dance
like no one is watching. To instill this attitude is not an easy task. The weeks
and months of intensive rehearsals needed to prepare a work for the stage
can and will be exhausting… excruciatingly so! The practice that leads to the
more perfect execution of movement too often becomes an exercise in rote
mechanical action. This is what fosters and perpetuates the ridiculously ‘naïve’
attitude that… “I won’t do that when I’m on stage or the audience is present”
your spontaneity and inspiration to dance will return. That’s not going to
happen… 99.9% , you will perform just as you rehearsed. This refrain betrays
a false sense of security and is a dangerous assumption. There is no question
that the presence of an audience affect performers. The excitement generated
raises the adrenaline level of the body and a heightened awareness results
that makes the performer more alert and more sensitive than in rehearsal. But
that same excitement can be the thing that destroys your performance. For
example, tension never seen previously during rehearsals suddenly becomes
evident in the neck and limbs of your body… Balance, apparently secure in
 the studio rehearsal is destroyed because of nervousness. Other less subtle
changes may be detected in your face. By constantly stressing an ‘attitude of
performance’ during the sometimes grueling days of rehearsal makes the
transference from the rehearsal studio to the stage more natural and a much
better performance.
 The little theater or theatre also provides an intimate performance
area. However, the fact of having an actual stage, installed lights and other
accoutrements of the theatre brings higher expectations and greater formality
than that of the studio. This is natural and desirable. There is a special
separation between the audience and performers that that is not only literally
existent, but also psychologically. It’s here that the performers must try to
bridge the gap. Still, because of the size of the theatre and the distance from
performer to audience, the intensity required for projection is not overly
demanding or uncomfortable. Now the large theatre that seats 500 plus
patrons is a different situation altogether!
 The studio is the least pretentious setting for a dance performance and
has the advantage of providing very close contact with the
audience. Generally this setting gives members of the audience a special
feeling of goodwill toward the performers; perhaps the close proximity of the
two heightens audience responsiveness. This atmosphere is especially
important for less experienced dance students. Dancers in such a situation
can learn a great deal about projection. A difficulty with performing that close
to an audience is that the performer may lose concentration due to the
distraction of seeing a particular face in the seats. The almost instinctive urge
to acknowledge or to ignore that person threatens the concentration
necessary for performance. Constant practice will enable the dancer to see
the audience, yet not be distracted… To project beyond the personal through
the movement. The studio is an excellent place to present ‘first’ works…
informal showings, works in progress and previews of completed dances. The
formality is constructive and also conducive to the staging of experimental
works and other types of dances that in their very conception demand intimacy
to succeed. Often disarming in its simplicity, the studio performance generates
a wonderful atmosphere.