Can stage presence be learned? Some would argue that it comes from self-confidence and from years of experience. I, however, am a great believer in the "as-if" theory. If you act as-if something is so, eventually you will believe it (nothing like being the queen of "De-Nile"), and in turn, what was only as-if, is now TRULY so. I start all my beginners with lessons in stage presence - yes it can be learned - even before I start them with steps and technique. Watch any dancer with superb technique who keeps her shoulders hunched or looks at the floor. She pales in comparison to dancers who shine, stand upright, and exude confidence, even though their technique may not be as exacting. Of course, the ultimate dancer radiates stage presence and has flawless technique! You don't have to have confidence to radiate confidence.

You don't have to be calm to appear calm. I think of the tales of various television and movie personalities, who get so nervous and worked up before a performance that they literally are sick before each performance. I'm sure you've heard stories of actors and actresses who absolutely glow on stage, but privately suffer from extreme shyness or nervousness.

A dancer can be taught stage presence, regardless of her skill level (remember - it's the very first lesson for my beginner classes) and regardless of her own demons. Often these lessons are overlooked. It's not enough just to emphasize good posture. Yes, correct, lifted posture is essential to radiating stage presence and confidence, but it is not the only element.

NOT having constant eye contact, especially if on a raised stage, is an important element to stage presence. Yes, you read right: NOT having eye contact. A performer has to look out over her audience. Remember back to your first driving lessons. The instructor told you, I am sure, that you have to look ahead to where the road is going in order for your car to go there. You mustn't look at the hood ornament or directly onto the road in front of you. If you are on a raised stage, and you constantly make eye contact with your audience, where does that lead you? It leads to a stooped posture and a head down position. It is a little less pronounced when you are on a dance floor level to the audience, but don't forget the audience is seated, so that you still are glancing downward. Yes, every once in a while, you should make here-and-there eye contact, but make it a habit to look out beyond and up. If you just skim the heads of the audience, for the most part, you will give the impression you are making full eye contact. An audience member will know that you are not making eye contact with him/her, but he/she will be certain you are making it with someone else!

Another way NOT having constant eye contact helps a dancer's stage presence is that it keeps her less engaged in her audience and more engaged in her dancing. Yes, again you read right: LESS engaged. I know this sounds totally opposite of what you would think is important. Often a dancer will make eye contact with a friend, or a particularly attentive smiling audience member. Once the dancer engages that person, it becomes likely that she becomes drawn in to the person and starts ignoring the rest of the audience, thereby actually defeating the purpose of eye contact. A better way to handle this is to smile broadly at the attentive person and move on. Even if a portion of the dance is being directed at the one person (for instance, if the audience member is celebrating a birthday or anniversary) the dancer should look up and smile at everyone, and give a wink or two. The more a dancer is drawn in to one person via sustained eye contact, the less focused she will be on her dancing and the music, and the less energy she will give out to the crowd.

Speaking of energy: If you want to think of the audience as giving off energy, think of that collective energy as floating up away from the people into the air. A dancer's energetic field floats around her and above her. The magic of stage presence is how to get the dancer's energy out into the audience, and how to engage the energy of the audience. By looking out OVER the audience, rather than directly at the audience, your energetic field will float over and out above the audience to mingle with the energy of the audience. That is how to get a dynamic exciting experience going between the audience and the performer.

Teaching this "over and out" method (vs. making eye contact method) helps within the classroom setting as well. Oftentimes, especially with new dancers, the student will feel shy about dancing in front of fellow students. (Not necessarily during the portion of the class where we are learning technique, but during the portion of the class where I might say, "Okay, now show me how you dance with it.") With eye contact comes a certain level of intimacy. With that intimacy comes shyness, uncertainess, and embarrassment. I have secured instant miraculous results in the dancing capability of my students by directing them to look up and out over the other students and to make eye contact just once in a while. It frees the student from seeing that everyone is looking at her and frees her to not only dance, but use a full range of facial expressions as well. It also does instant wonders for posture and stance.

Regarding posture in stage presence, it is not enough to stand up straight. It is not simply good posture that will radiate confidence and presence, but the magic lift that does. The magic lift is on my agenda from the first minute we start a new class. Even professional dancers who come to me for stage presence coaching will find that anything they do technically will not project without this proper alignment. As an example, I will dance for a minute or two with the finest technique but no lift, then will do nothing but walk around the room, but with the magic lift. Invariably the consensus is that, for entertainment, they would rather watch a technically "inferior" dancer if that dancer has stage presence. It is a more engaging, dynamic, and fun performance for the audience, than a performance by a dancer who might be technically skilled, but who slouches, doesn't lift, doesn't look over and out, etc. (Of course let me issue the disclaimer here that it is ALWAYS good to be a technically skilled dancer!) I would be going out on a limb here (but don't I always!) to say that from the rib-cage up is stage presence, from the ribcage down is technique (acknowledging, of course, that arm-work and rib-cage work definitely involve skilled techniques). But, as my friend, Karina put it, "upper body stuff can cover a multitude of sins."

Of course, however, we want as few sins as possible! So please don't counter-sue that I am advocating poor dancing with good stage presence. I am just trying to make three points with this essay: (1) Stage presence can be taught from the very first lesson (even in a one-shot short workshop); (2) A dancer does not need years of experience to radiate confidence and energy; and (3) Excellent stage presence can go a long way in the dance presentation of a new dancer or a technically-challenged dancer, and can instantly ignite the performance of an already skilled professional dancer.

There are other issues that contribute to stage presence that I will talk about in the next issue of the Newsletter. But for now, just remember: Lift, look up and beyond, and smile (but don't paste it on !) and practice, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!!.