The Nutcracker was a popular show that many people in the community looked forward to attending during the winter season. Calli Chapman who’s been dancing for 12 years, and Sylvia Dell who’s been dancing for 13 years, experienced all of the emotion and nerves that come with performing. Knowing how to manage your nerves helped them before a big performance.

“Sometimes I have my moments where I get really scared right before I go on stage,” Chapman said.

They spent many hours of hard work in the studio to make sure that everything was flawless for an expected audience, which was overwhelming. For an important show like The Nutcracker, these feelings were understandable. 

“I [got] very nervous; it was really stressful too,” Dell said. 

Even experienced performers had to deal with these nerves and find strategies to work with them. The nerves simply could not be ignored.T he good butterflies helped these dancers learn from their mistakes, even if it may have felt intense at the moment. The fear of making a mistake while performing was dreaded by performers in a big show and could intensify nerves causing stress. 

“I’ve learned ways to put my nerves down. I use the five-star method where you shake out your limbs 5 times each”. Dell

The five-star method catered to their emotional needs by counting to 5 and shaking each arm and leg out. Some people found that having a mind and body connection was helpful to them. Not all dancers have the same methods to calm their nerves down. Some people preferred socializing to relate with one another like Chapman. 

“My friend Hadley and I take some deep breaths together,” Chapman said. 

The constant demand of being able to keep a dancer’s physical and emotional health in top shape is tiring. The Better Health Channel shows that deep breathing is a good way to calm down your nervous system to get your mind back in sync with your body. 

“I kind of forget everything that’s going on around me and just go. Don’t overthink it,”  Dell said. 

This was one approach to take before stepping on the stage, or a mindset to have while being out on stage. Self-confidence and a positive mindset were important to overcome the initial nerves of an audience. Many dancers who performed in The Nutcracker saw these moments as a milestone in their careers. 

“My body knows it, and I know it, so I just have to be more positive, and trust myself,” Chapman said.