Here is my two cents...

I dance with my husband, so this may be somewhat subjective.... When we do a showcase, I hear the music, look into his eyes, and dance just for the love of it.... I dont think a lot about the steps, or the performance... Your audience has no idea if you did not dance your routine, missed a step, they just are with you... Just dance as you feel it.... You will be amazed how all the practice just falls into place

Good luck... Come back and tell us how good it feels.

Janet. That sounds romantic. Do you think your husband would mind if yiu danced with me and looked into my eyes. Regards

LOL
Hey, I loan my husband out all the time! The ladies at our dance studio love to dance with him!

Congratulations! I get pretty nervous before showcases and competitions. Here are some things that help me:
-- do a rehearsal of all my dances in my costume, hair, and make-up beforehand, so I know there won't be any "wardrobe malfunctions" and I know how to get the look I want without having to experiment the day of the performance
-- rehearse my dances in the order I'll do them at the event
-- don't expect perfection. Everybody makes mistakes, even top pros. The goal is not to make no mistakes, but to know how to not react to them visibly and how to recover from them fast. I do as many rehearsals as I can that go all the way through the dance no matter what happens, so I can practice recovering from mistakes.
-- try to remember it's a performance, not a test. The more you can enjoy dancing in the moment, the better it will look to those watching.
-- remember the audience is on your side. They know what to expect from a beginner and they want to see you do well. (By the way, you might find out whether it's customary for spectators to cheer at your studio's showcases. The first time someone yelled my name during a showcase, I was so startled I looked over at them and totally lost my place.)
-- I don't watch the other dancers before I dance. It does cut down on the fun of seeing your friends perform, but if I watch, I tend to start comparing myself with other dancers and get more nervous. That's just me, not eveyone feels that way.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

On valentines day we had a party at our studio.
As part of the program the owner called out students with their instructors to do on the spot performances. It wasn't really a showcase, just looking how everyone is comming along and to give some of us a first taste of dancing with people watching, clapping and cheering. It wasn't that bad. I started completly out of rythm on my second step so my partner/instructor had to correct me but after that I just concentrated on the size of the floor and what moves to do (and to keep my head turned the right way the dance being a walz). The crowd I only registered as the clapping when we did the various moves. I cant say I actually saw the people while I danced but I definitly felt them as being there to support me - friends.

And I am already completly stressing over my first real showcase in June.

Best of luck and let us know how it went.
And let me know how you dealt with the jitters, I will be needing advice when my time comes too

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the excellent posts! It was last night and the whole show was great - we all had such a good time.

I wasn't nervous until right before and then I was incredibly nervous - thought about fleeing! Missed a turn in the beginning and flubbed another (shaky legs, not b/c I didn't know the routine), but about halfway through I thought "I'm already out here, I might as well go for it." So I relaxed a bit and just had fun. We'll see if I feel the same way after seeing a videotape!

Wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed it!

Congratulations, glad you enjoyed it! My husband and I are already looking forward to the next showcase.

That's fantastic. Pitty we cant see the video :) Remember we always are ourself's worst critic, so dont be too harsh on yourself when you watch the recording.

And have fun planning the next one ;)

I also had my first showcase last night! It was a blast! Most of the dances were about 1:30 long with a fade-out of the music. We were the lastcouple of the night. We chose the waltz to Journey's "Open Arms" and we had it prepared to use the whole song. (3:19) There was no problem with the time so the owner said to "go for it". I am just a beginner and we did have some hard steps in the middle (twinkle and weave) and at the end (progressive weave) I missed the first 2 steps of the progressive weave, but my partner covered wonderfully and I caught up for the last 2 and our finishing step. Everyone who has not done a showcase should try it It was alot of fun.

Billman