Whether you are a dancer, actor or performance artist, you will be well aware of the phrase ‘backstage ritual’.
Many performers employ these in the run up to their performances, and any straying from the ritual may be thought to considerably affect the performance, haunting the performer from the moment they step on stage.
To a certain degree, these rituals epitomise the workings of a theatre – if things do not happen exactly as they did in the previous performance, it will not be as successful or may even result in error. This mindset is naturally adopted by those working on the theatre stage, striving to make their performance worthwhile for the audience.
Lucky legwarmers or lucky socks are often used by dancers and actors before they go on stage, usually in order to warm their feet up correctly, or simply to feel reassured that if their performance is affected at all, it won’t be because they varied their ritual routine before going on stage! Other performers take to kissing the walls just behind the stage, adding their lipstick mark to thousands of others who have passed along the wall in a reassuring performance gesture. Listening to the same music before a show is a similar practice, as is getting ready in the same order each show.
Not complying with your backstage rituals can make you mentally doubt your upcoming performance and will usually affect how you perform for worrying about the disruption to the ritual. The best thing to do, rather than compensate for the change to your routine, is concentrate on the task in hand, as the involvement in your performance will distract you from worrying about what did or didn’t happen before you stepped onto the stage.
Break a leg!
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons