How to Build Confidence That Holds on Oireachtas Day

The night before an Oireachtas, the shoes are polished, the wig is on the worktop, and the tan and makeup are laid out, and lying in bed, your dancer’s mind starts running through every step, every “what if” and every dancer they’ll be standing beside.

That’s the moment confidence either holds or starts to wobble...

Confidence isn’t feeling ready

Most dancers think confidence means waking up on the morning of a big competition and feeling ready. So when the nerves arrive, as they always do, it feels like the confidence has gone, and that something must be wrong.

Nerves before an Oireachtas don’t mean something’s wrong. They mean it matters. The confidence that holds isn’t the absence of nerves. It’s knowing exactly what you’re walking on stage to do, so the nerves have somewhere to go.

The mind fills the gap

When the mind has no clear proof to lean on, it fills the gap with the worst case. That’s why the night before can feel so loud. If a dancer is relying on feeling good on the day, the first wobble side stage knocks everything over, because there’s nothing underneath it.

Confidence built on evidence is different. When a dancer can point to the work they’ve done, and knows the one thing they’re focused on, the nerves can still be there and the confidence stays standing.

Building confidence that holds

Here’s how I’d build it in the days before...

Collect the proof. Look back at the Day 1 photo or video of the correction your dancer’s been working on, and put it beside where they are now. Seeing how far they’ve come is the strongest evidence they’ll have.

Pick one focus, not the whole dance. Decide before they walk on what they’re going to show, whether that’s the first eight bars being dynamic and sharp or the toes they’ve worked so hard on. One thing, nail it, move on.

Decide how they’ll know it went well. Make it something in their control, like “I held my turnout through the whole first step”, rather than a result.

Keep the routine the same. Whatever your dancer does to get ready side stage, keep it the same every time, so the body knows what’s coming even when the mind is busy.

For parents

On the way there, keep it simple. Remind them of their one thing, tell them how proud you are of the work they’ve put in, and leave any talk of results for another day. Your face is the one they’ll look for, so a calm one is the best thing you can give them.

Inside the Gold Club

This is the heart of what we do in the Gold Club: finding the What, the Why and the How, so dancers walk on stage knowing exactly what they’re there to do. Our Sharpness Challenge runs from 2nd to 6th November, it’s all pre-recorded so your dancer can start from Day 1 whenever they join, and Annabelle’s mindset classes are there every week for the side of competing that happens in your head.

I built the thing I wish I’d had when I was lying awake the night before a big competition. Walking on stage knowing what you’re there to do is the best feeling there is 💚

👉 Join the Gold Club