It seems there are so many ways to be an audience member. As I think about this concept , I sympathize with how hard it is to be a GOOD audience member. Sitting during a multiple hour showcase of dancer after dancer, my meal gets cold and my mind wanders off to the crabby day I just had at work. As I sit anonymously in a crowd of people, how much difference does it really make if I smile or not?

It is so easy to feel, as an audience member, that all you are obligated to do, is to show up. But during a performance, the audience IS part of the show. Its energy level, its responsiveness, its attentiveness, weather the audience claps, or gets up to dance or sits there like a dead fish, all dramatically effects the experience for the entire room.

I did experiments to see if one person/audience member could really effect a change in the room's energy. Once I found myself sitting at a show with a dead-quiet, super-respectful audience. When the dancer did some difficult move I instigated clapping, the room followed suit and the dancer felt invigorated by this attention, the audience then gave her more attention of their own accord and the energy spiraled up from there.

I also tried other things like sitting where a dancer could see me and intentionally looking very attentive and pleased with her show, regardless of how tired and hungry I honestly felt. The dancer seeing me often liked having a friendly face out there and seemed to give more joy during her show, and that would lift my spirits.

These energy enhancing things made for a better performance for me to watch. I talked with my mother about how to make it through long boring meetings at work and not get grouchy about it. She talked of studies that had been conducted about the mental effect that smiling has on your own disposition. Smiling affects your own mood in a positive way. I tried it at work, and the effect on my endurance level and ability to be productive in a long meeting was astounding.

So I have tired applying this same technique at long showcase performances. I found that I started seeing each dancer in upbeat and positive ways and my exhaustion melted away.

In her recent newsletter Suhaila Salimpour tells a story of her performing in front of Nagwa Fuad. At first Nagwa ignored Suhaila quite rudely by talking non-stop through Suhaila's show and engaging those who attempted to pay attention to the dancing in conversation; then, flattered by Suhaila's humble display of respect, Nagwa condescendingly praised her, and later invited her on stage and manipulated her into "proving herself" in a shimmy contest.
This experience, both disheartening and eye-opening, brought Suhaila to commit to always deliver her full attention whenever she was in the audience when a fellow dancer was performing.

This story reminded me how many of us, both students and professional dancers, have been traumatized by a "diva" act - insecure, manipulative and uncaring. I had an experience very similar to what happened to Suhaila, and it made me, too, think
about my responsibility as an audience member.

Last year I had gained a few pounds more than I was comfortable with. I got called to perform at one of my favorite places to dance and I could not turn down an opportunity to dance with one of my favorite bands regardless of how I was feeling. I arrived to find a table of very accomplished teachers. I was friends with many of them but one I felt very nervous about impressing. She had never seen me perform. As I was getting ready I was very nervous and tried to think of what special things I could do that would make her think I was a good dancer.

The first song I could not even look in the direction of the tables. When I did my veil work I felt very confident and I looked over at the table they were sitting at. Most of people at the table were watching intently with big smiles … except her. She had her nose in the menu, then chatting with her head down.

As my show went on and the rest of the table was clapping for me yet she still looked away. I battled with my confidence. Finally I thought well maybe I have just missed her watching me. So I went up to the table and danced right in front of her. She buried her nose in the menu again as the rest of the table engaged me.

At that moment my selfconsciousness left me. I realized it had nothing whatsoever to do with my dancing. It all had to do with how rude this diva dancer was. I actually felt relieved that she had not seen my show. It also meant that she can never voice a valid opinion about my dancing, since she never really saw me perform.

Suhaila’s philosophy sums up how I feel about being an audience member: I will always be the audience member that I wish other dancers to be for me. Smiling, clapping and thinking of at least one thing that the dancer is doing in a very special way.

Sarah Skinner - Dancer photographer
www.shakemyday.com - and NYC events around town!

Comments
ayperi
Sarah, This is a good note to all of us, not least myself. It is so easy to lazily believe that we as the audience are anonymous. Thank you for an elegant reminder. Also a good article to pass on to non-performing- or first-time hafli-attending friends!

sarahskinner
ayperi - I am so glad you liked it. I was so blown away to find that THE Suhaila also thought about such things too!

ayperi
Sarah, Mm, that is a nice reassurance that the ledgends are people too! :) The timing of your article was perfect... I emailed it to some friends and a teacher on Friday, just before our hafli today, and my teacher sent it on to her mailing list. Hopefully will bring more readers to this awesome site!

Susan
I totally agree - it helps to have a friendly face in the audience when performing! I have often found, when at live performances, that my enthusiasm gives the dancer a "face" to perform to, especially if the rest of the crowd is unenthusiastic.

Tasnim
Sarah, how insightful! Being a relatively new dancer, and a fitness instructor, I totally understand how important it is to have interaction from both the audience (or students). One person's consistant distraction can easily disolve your confidence if you linger on their non-participation. I try to get my audiences attention, but if they persist on ignoring me, I'll move on to the happy, eager faces (there is always at least one). There are always going to be people who are unmoved by your gift. Better to think that some day they'll pay attention & allow themselves to be lit by your joy. I, like you, try to be the audience member I hope to have. I am the one who can be clapping, smiling, bowing my head in acknowlegment and shouting lalalalalalalala! I agree that you can be the catalyst for changing the mood of the audience. I have been an audience member at many student shows where family members who are already nervous that they have a "belly dancer" in the family, can be pretty uptight. I try to give smiling eye contact to the nervous young dancer and clap appropriately to make them more upbeat. Your observation that once someone else acts, others will follow suit, is right on. I too have then seen the families & audience warm up and start to clap & smile. This is true of tipping as well. You can also be the person who starts the tipping. Many people think the dancer is being paid enough by the venue. Showering your favorite dancer with dollars can always start other to reach intio their wallets as well. Thank you for this much needed article. Tasnim

Nabilaa
Great article! I love being a "good audience member". It's so much fun to see a dancer light up when she sees somebody "digging" her performance. I think a lot of people are just not aware of their facial expressions, and "neutral" can come across as "grumpy" or "disapproving". I've heard stories of dancers "snubbing" other dancers' performances, and that's just infantile behaviour as far as I'm concerned.