After having a conversation with Paula via Skype we ended up exploring a lot of different topics. But one that got me going was performance!
What makes someone stand out on stage?
What draws you in?
What makes them so good?
Who is my favourite artist and why?
In cast change on the ship I am currently on I watched the shows for a month while learning them. One girl stood out every time I watched. I tried to watch other people but she had such stage presence I couldn't take my eyes from her. She trained at Elmhurst from the age of 11.........is this why??
Please comment and leave your answers and ideas.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI was told something in my training and it has always stayed with me. a good performer always looks like they know a secret. It's having that extra something you can't teach. Ingredient 'X' as my tutor used to call it.
Ahmet
Hi Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that you can teach people stage skills - how to dance and sing and act, but stage presence is something that is natural, organic. I believe that the gift is to enjoy what you are doing and to share that enjoyment with others, most importantly your audience. An artiste can be a superb dancer, but may have no charisma, charm or energy behind their performance. That's no joy to an audience.
Whenever I was in a show, I believed that if I had made one person in the audience laugh / cry / smile / forget their regular lives for that one or two hours, then my job was done and I had succeeded. I am guessing that the girl you couldn't take your eyes off is totally encapsulated in the moment.
I hope the rehearsals went well and that you are now enjoying your moments on stage. :-)
Best Wishes,
Jo.x
i agree with ahmet here i personally think that amazing stage pressence can have nothing to do with how technical you are or how trained you are it is about that something extra. A lot of the time i think it can't be taught! i think it is the love for what you are doing or that passion for the performance.
ReplyDeletei found a definition of stage presence as follows;
The ability to command the attention of a theater audience by the impressiveness of one's manner or appearance.
Which i tend to agree with as im sure you know from seeing it previously people can have perfect technique but if they are not enjoying what they are doing then it shows in there performance, where as someone may not be perfect but if they are truly enjoying the moment then it shows! and makes the audience enjoy it also.
thanks for the questions hope my reply helps, steph x
Ahmet- I love the theory of having a secret! I'm going to keep that in mind for my next show. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments. I agree that performance is not something that can be taught but rather someones feeling and passion!
So is this innate to the person? Is this related to the issue of talent? What is talent and how is talent related to performance?
ReplyDelete'Talent', 'X' factor, She's got 'IT' ... why all these codes? Is this quality or attribute knowable within oneself? Or is it only recognisable in someone else? In what way or ways does this quality manifest? Is it a comparable quality across 'talented' people (i.e. can we witness the same qualities across talented people?), or is it unique in every case? What is it they are able to 'do' that amazes us? Does it seem to be 'learnt' or is it there from the beginning, or both? Is it culturally specific, or is it a quality or qualities that transcends place and time? I think these are the starting points Kimberley to get at the root of this.
ReplyDeleteI think you can look at this from different perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI agree, you can have all the training in the world but you have to have the ability to 'perform'. I think Jo is right in saying that stage presence is a natural thing, I do believe that you can enhance your performing skills but there has to be certain amount of natural ability to begin with. There is definitely that thing we all refer to as the 'x factor' but I'm not sure if it reflects whether someone has trained or not. When working as a choreographer, I often find I am far more interested in not what dancers do but how they do it. These days good dancers with solid training are everywhere! There are more vocational schools than ever before but this doesn't reflect the amount of work that is available. It no longer comes down to performing that perfect triple pirouette in an audition, it comes down to performing that perfect triple pirouette with an extra something that will make you stand out from the crowd.
This issue always reminds me of a particular experience at a 'Grease' audition. The auditionees were taught the 'handjive' sequence and I remember the look of panic on everyone's face as they were trying to pick up the choreography at audition pace. Most of the girls including myself, focused all their energy into assuring no mistakes were made. However, when it was time for a cut some of the girls who had made plenty of mistakes during the audition were kept behind. My only conclusion to this was that they had perhaps performed better as they were not as stressed as the rest of us!? It was a real learning curve for me and think it relates to the initial questions. What makes a good performer? What draws you in?? Food for thought...
H came across your blog and i found this really intersintg as we are all different someone who has stage presencse to you may not have stage presense to me. I think it comes down to taste and what you look for in a performing, however i do beleive you either have stage presense or you dont. I think someone could be an amazing dancer and teachnically faultless but if there is no expression on the face it takes away the amazement on what the body can do would you agree?
ReplyDelete