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Colleen Jolly performs at PoleCon 2023

Fix Your Face: 3 exercises to improve your facial expressions during your performance

You’re ready to perform your next – or even first! – pole dance routine. You’ve perfected your moves, bedazzled your costume, and practiced your musicality.

But did you practice your face???

Having your facial expressions match your movement enhances your performance!

There’s lots of classes to help you improve your moves but how to start to improve your face?

Exercise #1: Start with a Mirror (or your phone)!

Practice common emotions like (but not limited to):

  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Frustrated
  • Surprised
  • Excited
  • Scared
  • Innocent
  • Sneaky/Plotting

You are trying to create a “generically” understood version of those emotions on your face. While real people react differently in different situations, think about the “emoji” version for your intended audience. What do people think of when they see that someone is surprised or scared? Real life might be different but for “show biz,” think of the generic version.

Then, make it BIGGER. You want people in the “cheap seats” to understand and be able to see (and feel!) that emotion. Makeup and highlighting features like your eyebrows, eyes, and mouth are important but just thinking about widening your eyes bigger when you are showing surprise or excitement can help your emotion be “read” more clearly.

Exercise #2: Create a Situation

Once you’ve got some emotions down, start to think of the situation. This could be related to your upcoming performance or just for practice. Here are some to get you started that should elicit a variety of expressions:

  • You just woke up on your birthday morning to the present you’ve been wanting all year
  • You just opened your mail and it’s a summons for jury duty
  • Your boss just emailed you and said “we have to talk”
  • You just found out that your best friend is moving… closer to your house

*just* can help make it more real – what’s the first thing you think of  

If you had the *same* face for all those scenarios, it’s time to go back to the mirror or maybe ask a friend for support!

Exercise #3: Ask a Friend

While it’s important for you to feel and show the emotion in your facial expression, if someone else doesn’t “get it” then it won’t help your performance.

Grab a friend and either in person or by showing them a video ask them these questions about your expressions:

  • Is my face “saying” the emotion I intend)?
  • Is my face communicating the situation?

You can also ask yourself, do I *feel* the emotion when I’m making the face? Sometimes it helps to try and feel the emotion first and then make the associated expression. Ask your friend if that helps the emotion come across more clearly.

Just Remember

There’s a lot of things to remember about performing but keep these three things in mind to really enhance your performance:

  • Facial expressions are as much a part of your routine as you moves or your costume.
  • Practice your face like you practice your moves—it’ll get easier with time.
  • Don’t wait until the last minute to “add” the face in.

Ready to perform at PoleCon? Watch our newsletter for links to apply for our next event!

Colleen
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