4 Tips on How To Manage Recital Stress

As recital season creeps closer, some of our dancers are finding the line between excitement and terror a little too thin! So, how do you manage your recital stress? What’s the best way to find the balance between preparation and fun? Here are some of our best tips:

Practice Outside of Class

When your dance class is only once a week, it can be very difficult to remember every step perfectly from class to class. What this means to your teacher is that we have to go back over the same ground every week, instead of working on fine-tuning technical details like spacing and expressions (especially if you’re not able to come every week). If you mark through the movements once a day, even in your head, you’ll be surprised by how quickly you’ll retain the dance steps! And the more you feel confident in the steps, the more confident you’ll feel on stage.

Watch The Videos

We post class videos on our just-for-dancers Google Drive (if you’ve lost the link, we can easily email it to you again) so that you can see what your class’s recital choreography. This is very helpful if you miss a class, or if you’re not sure of certain steps. For those visual learners, this is a great way to stay up-to-date.

Don’t Just Dance the Steps; Dance

This advice is a bit philosophical, but it really makes a difference. When it comes to the stress of learning choreography, we tend to get hyper-focused on the technical aspects and forget to let our emotions flow through – remember that dance is about expressing yourself through movement. Use the music and the steps to feel something – and let that feeling shine in your dancing! Not only will you be a better dancer for it, but it will relieve the pressure of technical perfection.

Remember That We’ve All Got Your Back

This recital will be full of your supporters: the only people in the audience will be fellow dancers, and family and friends. Your teachers, the tech crew, even the ushers want you to do well – the good vibes you’ll get just by walking in the theatre will blow you away.