How to Relax before a Dance Performance

Hey guys, I thought I'd post on ways to keep calm and relaxed before a big dance competition or dance performance.  My friend had a big competition the other day and she was  freaking out and I helped her relax. She did a whole lot better in the competition than I think she would have  if she wasn't calm.

For myself, before I get on stage to perform, I get very anxious and nervous and many times just flat out feel sick to my stomach.  The more I feel this feeling, the worse I do in my competitions, and the lower my score is.  I came up with some ways to  relax, and I go through them before I go on stage.

• Take deep breaths. Just slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Slowly drink sips of water. For me, I have found drinking water helps my nerves calm down/
• Calmly start stretching. I find that if you stretch quietly on your own, you won't have to hear everyone talking about the competition and it won't get you more nervous.  Plus, you will be extra stretched before the competition.  
• Listening to music.  I normally just listen to my ipod to block out other noises and people talking.

Many times, I start getting butterflies in my stomach days before the competition or performance even starts.  What I started to do was only practice for a little at a time. For example, instead of rehearsing my dance for nine hours a day like I am supposed to, I only rehearse for three and then I go to the mall or movies, or just do something else that is fun.  This helps me get my mind off of the competition.  The more I dance the routine, the more I think about it and it gets me nervous, and then I start to mess up the routine which gets me mad and frusturated.  It is better to just walk away and come back.

The day of the actual performance, while everyone is flipping out and having anxiety attacks, I am quietly in the corner breathing in deep breaths and slowly letting it out.  I am drinking little sips of water and calmly stretching.  I have my ipod in and blocking out everything around me.
When my dance mates see this, they know that I am in my relaxation mode, and they know not to bother me  because if they did, I will only get more nervous and frustrated.

I believe that these strategies can help anyone calm down, but I usually use them before getting on stage because that is when I find myself the most nervous. 
All of this seemed to help me a lot when calming down before a performance. Hopefully it will help you too. =)