Have you ever evaluated your habits in the 2-3 hours leading up to your performance? Really looked at what you do, and where you are during those moments of time?
Often, with all the preparation that goes into training, costumes, and strategy, this 2-3 hour window can be easily overlooked. However, if you can identify what your needs are during this period of time, it can have a dramatic improvement on your performances.
Now I’m going to ask you to dream for a moment, and I want you to picture how you spend your time hours before you perform:
Where are you?
1) Are you buzzing around the ballroom trying to take in all of the energy and emotion?
2) Are you in a quiet space, contemplating your strategy and calming your mind and body?
3) Do you go wherever your partner goes?
I love discussing this topic because once you figure out what you need; it produces BIG time effects with nearly painless adjustments. There are only 2 steps you need to identify and implement, and then you’re on your way! The first one is all about pinpointing your pre-performance needs, and the second one focuses on how to balance the needs of your partnership.
Are you ready?
1) Your Needs (Introvert/Extrovert… Potato/Pahtato)
One key thing to remember is; what you need pre-performance may or may not coincide with your natural tendencies. Through trial and error check to see if these scenarios fuel you or drain you, and notice how your body reacts while you read through them:
- Watching others perform before you dance…
- Speaking with other competitors before your events…
- Spending time in the practice room when it’s quite or when it’s busy…
- Joking with others in the lineup before you walk out…
2) Partnership Needs (All Partnerships are not Created Equal)
Once you identify what you need before an event, communicate with your partner. It may work out that you both need the same things, but if you fall on opposite ends of the spectrum, it’s not a big deal (just requires some discussion). Communicate to each other what you need, and map out a strategy: the time you’ll meet, the location to practice, and what you can and cannot discuss before your event.
And there you have it! Easy as pie, and very effective!
As always, I love to hear if you try these strategies out, and how they worked for you!
Until next time,
