Now You See Me

I have had the opportunity to perform at some really good shows. I performed at the Bangladesh Premiere League Logo Unveiling Ceremony in December 2011 where numerous cricketers -- foreign and local -- were present, I performed at AdFest 2012, where people from the advertising and creative world were present and many other such shows where the audience watched and appreciated my dance wholeheartedly. But then there were some other shows here and there that would make my heart sink. With people screaming out obscenities about our appearance, barely focusing on our performance, we would go back home heartbroken with the thought that we had just performed and put in our sweat and tears into this only to remain unnoticed and underappreciated, or worse, noticed for all the wrong reasons.
The audience plays one of the most important roles during a performance. I had to learn that the hard way. Quite frankly, most of the performances that I had been a part of had mediocre viewers. VIP's would pay some attention to our performance, but there would be so much chattering and wandering about at the back that it would almost completely take our own attention away from the performance. Thankfully, we had trained ourselves enough to not let that get in the way, but it's still quite crushing to feel that barely anyone enjoyed your dance as much as you thought they would; you end up feeling hollow, questioning your ability to engage your viewers.
I remember incidents, mostly during classical music concerts, where some very famous, international artistes had to beg the audience to keep it down and stop clapping in the middle of a performance just so that it doesn't distract them.
What most people need to understand when going to a show is that when an artiste is on stage, more than just performance, more than just putting up a show, it is more like a form of prayer for them. This is the time when they are pouring their heart and soul on the stage to show everyone in front of them what exactly makes them who they are. That performance is what defines them, that performance is their portal to the rest of the world; that is exactly how they want to be remembered and cherished. Just that fact, in itself, putting the beauty of the performance aside, should be worth a whole lot of respect. Guts aren't easy to get a handle on when there are hundreds or thousands of people watching you -- that handling of the gut, that calming of the nerves, that is worthy of some respect.
When one is displaying his/her talent, criticism (constructive) is better than ignorance. Nothing is more insulting and humiliating for a performer than to have viewers who are not really “viewing”.
Now that I am focusing more on independent performances, as difficult as it already is to get a gig, I try and make sure I know the environment and the kind of people who will be attending the show. Knowing your audience, at least a part of it, is better than going to a show only to come back feeling like a failure. So next time your have a show of your own, that you will be in-charge of, try and pick the ones where you are certain that people will not only understand but appreciate everything you are putting forth for them. At the risk of sounding like a L'Oréal spokesperson, we, artistes, are worth every ounce of respect that we get because we have worked hard to get where we are. Let's face it, our lives aren't ordinary, we shouldn't be treated like or beneath it.

Naziba Basher is professional dancer, journalist, student, animal lover, cricket enthusiast, workaholic and dreamer.