Got the chills on Saturday while attending a grand event. Another performance on Sunday left me in the cold.

This is a tale of two performances, which took place less than 24 hours from eac h other but were light-years apart. One breathed life into me, while the other w allowed the afternoon away in blandness. I ll give you some of the nitty gritty details from yesterday s classical music conc ert in the form of a few tips for the performers. Always, always share your gifts with your audience. Look them in the eyes, bare your soul and touch their hearts, or else you ll leave them hanging. Never abruptly end a song. Let the last note sing that s when the magic happens in the silence following the final note. Make eye contact with your fellow performers. If you don t relate to the people yo u re making music with, how on earth do you expect sparks to fly with your audienc e. Take delight in your performance. Your joy will infect your listeners with the s pecial magic that all of us crave. Nothing compares to watching greatness in motion. Whether you re seeing it, hearin g it or reading it. That s what happened Saturday evening. I was sitting just a fe w yards away from the brilliance on stage in front of me. Reveling in this spect acular rendition of Swan Lake, I realized once again how amazing we all are. The dancers of the Russian National Ballet know how to put on a great show. They invited us into their world with effortless elegance. Joy and passion oozed fro m them as they physically told this timeless love story. Muscles rippled while t he dancers stretched and whirled their finely tuned bodies around the stage. Trained to embody one unit, these masters of dance moved around the stage breath ing as one. It was mesmerizing. Got shivers down my spine all evening. Facial expressions drew me in, while incr edible feats of flexibility and balance enabled my heart and mind to soar. The a udience, numbered in the thousands, was completely transfixed. You could have heard a pin drop all evening. One thing s clear. These dancers bodies were totally centered and balanced. No matt er which positions they flowed or jumped or twirled into, they exhibited great r elaxation and balance at all times. Just like Tchaikovsky s beautiful music. Its ingredients are greatness and beauty, strength and sensitivity, relaxation and rejuvenation. You cannot help but be s wept away. Imagine listening to music that creates those tingles every day. It s something al l of us can use to bring our hectic lives into balance. Every one of us needs to recharge our mind, body and spirit during the day. Take a time-out right now, get comfortable, and listen to some beautiful, uplift ing classical music. Copyright 2006 Tania French ZZZZZZ