Drops of perspiration begin to produce and trickle down your forehead. Your stomach knots and twists while your cheeks color red with warmth. Your hands shake and your shoulders tense and rise. Your mind repeatedly questions, “Will I nail my pirouettes?” or “What if I forget my lines?”
This is nervousness. The body physically weakens and the mind is consumed with thoughts and fears. Between performances, auditions, interviews or even presentations, COPA students experience nervousness frequently.
While feeling nervous is completely valid and normal, it is not always ideal. Intense fear can prevent you from doing your best or even feeling fulfilled through your art.
This past weekend I performed in the School of Dance Fall Repertory Concert. In complete honesty, I experienced extreme nerves. From the moment I applied my first stroke of stage-makeup until the final bow, I was nervous beyond comparison.
But I have performed on stage my whole life and dealt with nerves before. Most of the time, it feels more like excitement than nerves. What made this time different? I was prepared and felt passionately about sharing my piece. Yet, due to the amount of pressure I had placed on this performance, my thoughts had turned negative.
The nervous system responds identically to anxiety and elation. They both activate the sympathetic branch that creates the “fight or flight” response, intended to alert individuals of danger. This invokes several physiological responses, such as increased heart rate or shortness of breath.
In the brain, the amygdala recognizes emotions and responds to them. It signals the hypothalamus and prefrontal cortex to initiate reactions based on behavior. Depending on how positive or negative someone is processing their surroundings, the physical response can be determined to be either nerves or excitement.
That being said, the power lies in your mindset to determine if this physical experience feels stressful or adequate to the situation.
Before a big event, you are capable of refocusing your thoughts. If feelings of imposter syndrome or possibilities of what could go wrong creep in, take a moment to center yourself with breathing. Then, recognize your gratitude and trust your preparation for the given opportunity. You’ve already done the work, now let your energy fuel your passion rather than your fear.
Going forward, I intend to embrace my pre-show jitters and encourage others to channel that extra burst of adrenaline into your movement, voice or storytelling. While not always easy, these physiological responses can actually give your performance an extra-edge, rather than diminish your talent.
