Performance anxiety affects every dancer differently. For some little ones, the idea of getting on stage can unleash a bundle of overwhelming nerves. Regardless of how many hours they've practiced their routine at the dance studio, fear of being the object of so many eyeballs can leave them frozen. Here is how to help your child work through stage fright when performing. 

How to Help Your Child with Stage Fright

1. Soothe with Positive Self Talk

Thoughts help shape every individual's reality. Consistent thoughts anticipating failure can cause unnecessary worry and tension in the body that affects performance. While your child's fearful thoughts cannot necessarily be controlled, they can be interrupted and replaced with more true statements. 

Help your child to develop positive self-talk using phrases or mantras that remind them of their unique skills and impressive qualities, like, "I'm an incredible performer" or "I'm going to nail this routine." When they feel jitters rise up, they can return to their power phrases to get back on track. 

2. Honor Their Nerves

Let your child know that it's okay to be nervous or afraid. This natural feeling affects professional dancers from the most prestigious dance studios and there is nothing wrong with these emotions. You can help your child notice how fear feels in their body and where they feel it most. Often naming a feeling and acknowledging it as a sensation in the body, makes it less overwhelming and scary.

3. Help Them Find Their Pre-Performance Ritual 

Getting out of a place of anxiety can require a visceral shift using another influential medium. This transition can be initiated using a hype song, meditation, team chant or breathing techniques. Nervous feelings can be channeled and directed to be used as fuel for a performance rather than an inhibitor. Find what lights your child up and help them cultivate a pre-performance ritual that gets them in the right headspace. 

If you are looking for a place where your child can have a creative outlet in the Bethesda, MD, area, look no further than Bethesda Conservatory of Dance. This award-winning dance studio offers age-appropriate classes for dancers 2 and up in creative dance, ballet, jazz and hip-hop. As a More Than Just Great Dancing™ affiliated studio, compassionate and qualified instructors are committed to creating a safe and nurturing environment for your child to learn new techniques and build confidence. If you are interested in learning more about the studio, visit the website. For questions, call (301) 654-2200.