I’m sitting backstage… Flo, Mary and Diana (remember the Supremes?) are putting on their long eyelashes. Flo’s rhinestone-studded lash winks at me. Thanks mom and dad. As a kid, I got to hang out with the Supremes, Johnny Cash, June Carter and tons of others, while they magically transformed into gods and goddesses! It was the 1960’s and I was a little kid and my parents were in ‘showbiz’ and we were on tour, yet again. Backstage the stars were normal; playing cards, making jokes, telling stories, putting on makeup. No one noticed me. I blended into the background of props and costumes. I studied them. I mirrored and practiced every gesture, joke, and story. The moment they began to transform into Olympian gods, I was riveted. Johnny Cash paces like a caged panther. The musicians play his overture. The stage lights explode. Every cell in his body is ablaze. I watch the back of a Light Being stride onto the stage and into the Light.
It never occurred to me that this wasn’t a normal childhood. I thought everyone transformed nightly from Clark Kent into Superman. Through osmosis I absorbed the magic. As a professional dancer in New York City and all over Europe, I honed the craft and developed my approach to stage presence. I taught undergrads at Santa Fe University to move consciously from stage fright to stage-ready. And now, I bring my skills of presence and calm+fidence to those in business throughout Chicagoland and other major cities.
Next time you feel anxious about an important meeting or are sleeplessly worrying about delivering your sales pitch… think of me. I can help. It all begins with an inner pause. Johnny Cash paced. Flo ‘put on her eyes’. The great ones get very still inside. A moment of emptiness. If you’re desperately trying to calm down or you’re wrestling with a nasty inner critic, you’re skewed.
The pause, or check-in is the time to leave your small self behind. It’s time to feel the surge of pure powerful potential. It’s time to dive into your body felt experience. Enjoy the pounding of your heart. Listen to the sounds in the room. Wholeheartedly connect with your body. This is when big magic happens and the stage fright fear transforms into useable performance energy.
This is teachable. Presence is a gift from the gods that you can learn and practice. Wanna find out how? Let’s chat!
With Gratitude,
–Melissa
info@melissamatsonmoves.com