The hours before a performance are different for everyone. Whether it's the local studio's end-of-year Christmas concert, or the large, 100-dollar-ticket, company performance, there are always those who get so nervous that they can hardly function and there are those who chill out, not caring that their dance is on in two minutes. For me I stress, I worry and I panic. As a part of the Sydney Contemporary Company we do three productions each year, with a month break in between. Each production has multiple performances each week, and whether it's the opening night, or the last performance, my nerves still run sky high. We are currently halfway through our Peter Pan tour and there is a seven thirty performance on tonight.
Time until curtain opens: 13 hours
It's six-thirty in the morning and I have been up for over an hour, going through the dances in my head with the music playing on my iPod. I'm halfway through the second act when my alarm goes off; time for my morning run. So I get up, get changed and follow the familiar path that I usually run. It takes about an hour, which gets me almost to the end of the final act. The half an hour after my run is spent on an exercise routine that consists of sit-ups, push-ups, ball crunches, leg raises and a six minute plank.
After a quick shower (I'm too nervous to stand still for too long), I skip breakfast and devote my time and nervous energy into breaking in three new pairs of pointe shoes. Although we are a contemporary company, many of our dances are performed on pointe. My feet, being quite flexible and strong, tend to break pointe shoes fairly quickly and I go through about two or three pairs each performance. This involves softening the box by wetting it and squishing it in a door, doing multiple rises, relevés and echapés to soften the sole and then repeating the process for the other shoes. Once they are all broken in I rehearse the more difficult dances. My mind goes on autopilot when I step onto the stage, as I have practiced each dance many times, but I still feel the need to go through everything like a madman before a performance.
Time until curtain opens: 7 hours
It's lunchtime, and even though I have yet to eat anything today, I am not hungry, so I skip lunch as well. Our hairstyle is very complicated, a small braid around the head into a French twist. This takes a long time and is a good way to occupy my hands so it has become routine for me to do everyone else's hair as well, also I have become pretty pro at it.
Time until curtain opens: 3 hours
All that can be heard right now is the screaming of our choreographer as we do a few last minute run-throughs. My nerves have got the better of me and I am continually getting each dance wrong. This stresses me out even more, and although I'm sure I'll know it when the time comes, I can't stop practicing.
Time until curtain opens: 1½ hours
We have professional make-up artists to do our make-up and as I sit in the chair my legs are bouncing up and down. My make-up artist is getting annoyed with me because, by bouncing my leg, my whole body is moving, including my face.
Time until curtain opens: 30 minutes
I'm dressed in my first costume and I have so far re-organised my dressing room at least five times. My costumes are all in dance order on my costume rack, so that they are easily accessible. But I'm having trouble deciding which end it would be easier to grab from, so I keep switching it around.
Time until curtain opens: 1 minute
Ahhhhhhhhhh, I am panicking! I'm in the first dance and we're on stage in our starting positions. I can hear the audience on the other side of the curtain and it is not helping with my nerves. The music has started and the audience is starting to quiet down as the curtain opens. The lights are on us and our routine starts.
2½ hours later and the final dance is about to go on stage. It's almost over, one more day of stress down. The hour or so after the performance is the best; we get to go out and see all the audience members and sign programs. Seeing their happy faces and the way we inspire them is one of the reasons I continue dancing, and because I love it. The final part to my routine is dinner, which I actually eat.
