Developing Stage Presence

Whether you're a singer, a dancer, or a performer of any kind, you need to have stage presence. To many, "stage presence" may sound like an elusive quality that only a few of us can achieve. Others mistakenly think stage presence is all about how you dress. Both assumptions are quite untrue: Stage presence is the ability to appear vibrant and confident in front of an audience.

Even a technically good singer needs stage presence. You might have a superb singing voice, but if you hunch your shoulders, pace nervously, wring your hands or let them hang limply by your side, you are not radiating confidence. This will hurt your performance. In fact, a less skilled singer with stage presence has a better chance of electrifying the audience than a good singer with poor stage presence.

There are different ways to develop good stage presence, and one of them is having a good posture. Confidence also leads to a better stage presence, and you can gain confidence by practicing a song over and over until it's comfortable and familiar to you. Singing in front of many different audiences will also give you more confidence.

When you sing, don't just stand in place: Move your body, and make each motion convey the emotion of the song. This will come more naturally if you are emotionally connected to the song.

Never underestimate the power of stage presence. At the same time, remember that good stage presence is no substitute for good technique and skill: A skilled singer with good stage presence will light up the stage.