Be aware that you can direct the audiences’ gaze to what you want them to see. When a magician performs a move, he uses misdirection to draw your attention away from the trickery. In dance we want to draw attention to how we are expressing the music at that moment - and every moment! Moving through space with the arms in one line establishes an area for the audiences’ eyes to follow and makes you larger than life. Have you ever watched a dancer and after seeing the performance were surprised at how short they really are? That’s due to creating long lines with the arms and body combined with their on stage personality. Framing or extending the energy of movement directs the audience to where you want them to look. If you are doing a series of intricate hip accents and your arms are everywhere but by your hips, the audience will tend to watch where your hands are. When you frame the hips with your hands, you have established in the audiences’ eyes to look at what the hips are doing. By then extending into other positions you can direct their gaze to encompass all of you and how the hip movement affects the entire dancer. Extending the energy of the movement is when you describe with your hands the same movement you are making with the body. For example, in doing a figure 8 hip movement, with your arms extended and your fingertips at hip level, trace the same path as the hips. With both techniques, framing and extending the energy, you can feel the energy field surrounding your hips (some call it the aura, or personal body space). Exploring the relationship between the hands and body creates a power that you can feel and a confident look to your dance presentation.