Game Face!

The face. Your expression and emotion you give.

It’s what truly gives every routine life.

It is the key part of the dancer.

It’s what makes it an art.

It’s what gives the dance soul.

It’s not just about the technicalities and athleticism. The expression your face gives while you perform is just as important as everything else. Without it, it simply becomes dull and is no fun to watch. The only way to truly sell a routine is to perform not only physically executing it, but also with their personality, emotion, and facial expressions. Performance is not just body movement. Performance = choreography + emotion given from facial expressions. It’s what gives the dance the true 100% it is meant to have. The mood of the music is what the audience will take in, the expression and interpretation executed from the dancer is what will connect both the performer and spectators. Throughout learning choreography and performing a routine, some dancers tend to forget the use of their face. Here are some tips to help you work on your performance face.

Listen to the music – It’s the backbone of the entire routine. The more you understand it, the better you know how to react. The music is your best friend during practice and performance time. If your best friend comes to you feeling happy, you feel happy. If the music sounds and exudes the feeling of happiness, it’s what you would vibe off of.

Let yourself go – During a performance, the last thing we would like to be doing is to be caught up thinking. It can not only lead to a possible slip up, but it takes away a lot of the fun from the dance, which can easily be picked up by the audience. As what I was told and what I tell my dancers, don’t think, just do. Let yourself to feel the music in a physical sense. You are the living embodiment of the song.

Practice your facial expressions – Try listening to your music and just stand in front of the mirror and practice the emotional responses you want to give off. You may feel silly at first, but it’s not about that, it’s about performing the routine at 100%, and a performance at that level without the face.

Don’t overdo it. – We’re not cheerleaders (no offense to those who are or were). True emotional facial expressions cannot be mimicked. The viewers can sense if the emotion is being forced. Give an authentic emotional response.

Here is a the basic list expressions expressed by the human race. See if any of these expressions fit into the choreography or routine you are performing You can use this as reference if you feel a bit lost on where to start for your facial expressions. I suggest experimenting a bit, but once you get the flow of it going, stick with the expression you think works best.

As dancers, we must remember that the expression we give while performing is just as important as the choreography we perform. It is an integral part of who we are. We are the ones who can beyond doubt give the life each dance deserves. We have that ability to. Without it, the dance loses the art and the no soul. We are the soul and the life of the dance. It’s up to you to live that life to the fullest.

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