The Importance of Knowing Your Good Side
RNCM Opera Scenes 2017
Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart
You hear it all the time: “no wait, get my good side!” and though it might sound self-indulgent, it can be empowering to have that self-knowledge. Knowing how to stand and what positions to take to look your best in a photo can save you a lot of frustration and gain you a lot of confidence on stage or during a photoshoot.
Not only that, using your body as a tool to help you in your performance is a must. Certain movements and ways of standing will make the audience perceive you in a certain way. Standing up straight will make you seem more confident, fidgeting will make you seem nervous, hunching and walking slowly will make you seem old. Knowing about this body language, and more importantly, how this translates to your own body, gives you another tool to communicate with the audience and to tell your character’s story.
Opera photographers are usually hired for only one performance. Generally this is one of the final dress rehearsals that isn’t open for the public yet. Often it’s the first rehearsal where everything comes together and it can be quite hard to be on form in a rehearsal where it might be the first time you’ll be singing in costume with the full orchestra there. You might be thinking about balance and getting used to singing in a corset -again- and not thinking about where the photographer is. Ideally you want to get to the point where you don’t have to think about body positioning and like all things on stage, the more you practice, the more ‘showing your good side’ will come naturally.
It might sound incredibly vain -and I can feel many of you cringing just thinking about it- but practice your performance in a mirror. Rather than concentrating on your singing, concentrate on angles and looks. And if you’re feeling really brave, film yourself and analyse how you look. Google tips on how you can show off your body type in the best way.
I want to point out I’m not necessarily talking about looking ‘pretty’. I’m talking about what looks ‘aesthically good’. Looking “ugly” can look fantastic and dramatic. Don’t lose track of your goals: you want to communicate your character’s story with the audience in the best way possible. You’re the artist and your body is the instrument. The more you understand how to “show your good side”, the happier you’ll be with your photos.
