How to Be An Amazing Singer- Stage Movement

WORKING THE STAGE

Make sure you understand the emotional subtext of the song before movement is added. Gestures should be natural and should relate to the text.

To find natural gestures, first, speak the words of the song as if you are having a conversation,  adding some natural gestures you would normally make in conversation. The challenge with gestures in singing is that we sustain notes when singing, and we don’t do so in speech.

Make gestures short and natural, just like those you would use when talking animatedly.

Use the concept of the Fourth Wall- the imaginary wall between the artist and the audience. The fourth wall is where you place a mental image of the person you are singing to. Songs are usually sung to someone- real or imagined.

The person should be someone in your life who causes you to feel emotional. As you are singing, you are having an imaginary conversation with that person who is up there on the imaginary fourth wall.

Don’t worry about the audience- just sing your heart out to this person on your wall. The audience will be able to see what is going on in your eyes and will be pulled in to the story- if your eyes are open and slightly lifted.

Focus your eyes slightly upward, just above the heads of the audience. That way, everyone in the audience thinks you are singing to them. Don’t focus the eyes on the first row or look downward at the stage.

This makes you look to the rest of the audience as if are asleep. The audience wants to be able to look into your eyes and see a story there. The eyes are the windows to the soul!

Don’t close your eyes for more than a couple of seconds at a time- this shuts out the audience. No one wants to watch someone standing there for an entire song with their eyes closed, no matter how great the singer is!

Don’t allow the eyes to wander and don’t blink rapidly.

Some songs are more audience interactive, and the point with these songs is to get the audience to clap or sing along. In this case, of course, look at the audience. Some audience interaction is fine- just don’t look down at the front row all the time.

THE THREE POINTS OF FOCUS

There are three points of focus on the imaginary Fourth Wall: center, right, and left. You can look toward these points of focus if you are singing into a microphone on a stand, or you can walk toward these three points of focus if you are holding the microphone.

Changing focus provides contrast and keeps the performance interesting.

Break the song down into sections, each with a different point of focus.

• VERSE ONE: Start the song looking up and out to the center.
• CHORUS: Shift focus (as well as the imaginary person you are singing to) to the right.
• VERSE TWO: Shift focus to the left.
• LAST CHORUS: Shift focus back to the center.

BASIC CHOREOGRAPHY

Movement adds yet another layer to a performance. Working the entire stage is necessary for up-tempo songs and power ballads. Don’t leave this to chance- choreograph it, rehearse it many times, and know the movement plan.

The movement doesn’t have to be complicated to be interesting.

A simple zig-zag choreography that incorporates the three points of focus is:

• Sing the first verse center and upstage (toward the back of the stage, where the curtain is).
• On the next section of the song, first, look stage right and then take 3-5 steps toward stage right, starting with the right foot. Never cross one leg over the other when moving across the stage; start with your right leg if you are moving right and your left leg if you are moving left. Sing the next section of the song.
• Then look all the way stage left, and cross the stage, starting with your left leg, taking 5 or 7 steps. Sing the next section of the song facing at a slight diagonal, looking out over the left portion of the audience.
• For the final section of the song, look to center stage, cross to center (leading with the right foot) and end at center stage, a little downstage (toward the front of the stage, where the audience is) from where you started.
• Always remember to look before you walk- it should appear as if your attention has been drawn compellingly toward someone who you now feel the need to walk toward.
• Lead with the right foot if you are crossing stage right and lead with the left foot if you are crossing stage left.
• If your mic is not cordless, be sure to grasp the cord with your non-mic hand, so it doesn’t get in the way. If you are crossing stage right, the mic should be in your right hand, and you grab the cord with your left hand. If you are going left transfer the mic to your left hand and grab the cord with your right hand.

In addition to this simple choreography, add a few emotion-driven body movements such as bending your knees, and simple hand gestures that reflect specific emotion.

Great acting, commitment to the text, natural gestures, confident movements, a great voice, and a great look produce star-like charisma.

THE PROFESSIONAL BOW

Bowing professionally is an important part of the performance. Wrapping up your performance with a professional bow will enhance the entire experience for the audience. A professional bow looks like this:

• Say thank you into the microphone. If you are holding the microphone, lower the hand holding the microphone to your side.
• Take one step back, with your right foot first.
• Place your hands, palms downward, on your front thighs.
• Slide downward until your body is in the shape of the number 7- a 90-degree angle.
• Your eyes should be on the floor: don’t arch your neck upward.
• Slide back up, look stage right, and walk stage right, starting with your right foot.
• Exit quickly.