Have you ever missed a step while praise dancing before an audience? if you have, then you will likely understand the embarrassment that comes from being the only one on stage doing the wrong thing!

As a new praise dancer, I found myself in this position many times. I would attend rehearsals, practice over and over, and be pretty confident that I knew the steps. Then when I got on stage along with everyone else and the dance began, some place or the other - I would blank out, turn the wrong direction, raise the wrong hand, the list goes on. Then to make matters worse, I would hurriedly try to get back in line, making it even more obvious that I flopped!!

Even when I became more experienced, these moments happened now and again. So here are a few tips to prevent this mishap, and properly handle it if it happens.

  1. Practice, Practice, Practice: Knowing the dance before you get on stage does not guarantee a perfect presentation, but there is no substitute for practice. You need to understand yourself and know how long it takes you to learn a new dance. Your friend may grasp a full dance in only one rehearsal, but it may take you longer. Be honest with yourself and put in extra time at home if you need to.
  2. Practice Without Music: One way to know if you have totally grasped a dance is to do it from start to finish with no music! Try it. Rely completely on your memory and see if there are certain sections where you blank out or mis-step. Then work on memorizing those better.
  3. Manage Your Anxiety: Just like "Speakers Anxiety", dancers experience anxiety just before presenting to a live audience. You see the lights, crowd, and stage - and you begin to get fearful, flurries in your stomach, sweaty palms, faster heartbeat, etc. If you've had small doubts about how well you know the dance, they become multiplied as you mount the stage.
    As a praise dancer, you have to learn to manage your anxiety. It has been said that a little bit of anxiety helps you perform better - but you have to learn to convert a good portion of it to confidence and self control.
    Before mounting the stage, you can start by reminding yourself of scripture that boosts confidence such as Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (NKJV); 2 Tim 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (NKJV) - or any others you know.
    Also, Say a prayer asking God to help you relax and focus on bringing Him glory.
    Remember that the audience is not there to judge you but to receive a message that you are carrying. So let go of the apprehension, and deliver the message.

 

What if it still happens?

If you still find yourself missing steps while praise dancing, resist the urge to condemn yourself or think you're just not good enough. Becoming a skilled dancer takes practice, and you can do all things through Christ. In the heat of the moment, remember these tips -

  1. Gracefully recover and return to position. Blend in with everyone on the next step, and don't reveal on your face (or your body language) that you just "messed up". Half the audience did not notice the error but they may notice if you look flustered and upset.
    Also, focusing on the error may lead you to miss even more steps!
  2. Maintain a positive attitude. I used to get off stage and mentally recount every step I missed and wonder how many people noticed. Then I would get even more upset!
    Even though the goal is for you to get better, mistakes sometimes minister. That little error of yours, though not part of the dance, is what someone out there saw, that told them that even though they have messed up in life, they can get back up, get back in line, and Jesus would still love them the same.

 

How have you handled this issue? Comments below.