This week’s posts will be covering a small number of the many things you can do to prepare your fight scenes for performance.

The first, perhaps the most important, is to enjoy it.

This can be extremely difficult to remember to do! You’re tired. You may be frustrated, you may be in conflict with your partner or teacher, you may be worried about your choreography or your lines. In short, it feels like there’s too much to think about. Why bother with trying to feel anything other than stressed.

Remember that everyone is in the same boat.

The most constructive thing you can do is choose your approach to the situation.  Rather than thinking about everything you have to work on and what you are trying to achieve, remember that you’ve come to a stage combat intensive because you love it. Something about stage combat was so attractive to you, that you decided to spend two whole weeks doing it! Yes, it’s tough. Yes, it’s challenging. But it’s also fun.

Remember the fun. Remember the love. Approach the work, your classes and your partnerships with an outpouring of joy, and the rest will work itself out as you continue to rehearse your scenes and refine your technique. Bring all your … wait, someone else has said it pretty memorably:

Or maybe this way: