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Life Through Dance

Your Dance Presence

By Elizabeth Dickinson

One definition of presence is the ability to project a sense of ease, poise, or self-assurance, especially before an audience. Another definition of presence is a person or thing that exists or is present in a place but is not seen. In dance competitions or even on the social floor, presence is something that is felt even more than it is seen.

There are visible, physical ways to enhance presence (standing up straight, smiling, etc.). These are valuable because neuroscience suggests that a positive physical change to our posture also improves our emotional and mental state.

The reason we want to watch some dance couples more than others, or we are drawn to dance with one person more than another, sometimes comes down to the presence they project and their enjoyment in dancing.

Cultivating the sense that you belong somewhere, that you have a right to be there, and that you are enjoying what you're doing all contributes to the presence you project.

When I was an actor, the expression for establishing presence was "taking stage." Taking stage meant walking on as if you belonged, as if it was natural that people would approve of you, and with a sense that what was to come would be worth watching.

May we pursue our paths on and off the dance floor with a sense of confidence that we belong.

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