I went to the Performing Arts School and studied classical ballet. That attitude is something that’s put into your head. You are never thin enough.
I would have been a visual artist. When I was in high school, that was one of the things… I had to make a decision what I was going to go to college for, and at the time, I also painted and sculpted. I got more attention for my performing, so I thought that was a better idea.
When you feel like you are performing at your best, it’s a beautiful feeling.
In about 9th grade, an English teacher told me I had a talent to act. He said I should audition for a performing arts high school, so I did on a whim. I got accepted. Then I got accepted at the Julliard School, and by then, I was serious about it.
I’m not one of these guys who is dedicated to playing or performing – that’s just one facet of my life.
I love performing. I love getting out there. It’s kind of like why I make music.
I have a passion for playing tennis and enjoy the workload and struggles of performing in this amazing global sport.
I want to express myself in a different way. I have a performing inclination.
The power of network television is amazing. I’ve been performing for years but have been seen on only a few episodes of this show, and people spot me in public now all the time. They say, ‘Hey, aren’t you on ‘Nashville’?’ Most locals seem to really appreciate how authentic the show is.
I started putting a wire up in secret and performing without permission. Notre Dame, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the World Trade Center. And I developed a certitude, a faith that convinced me that I will get safely to the other side. If not, I will never do that first step.
I never get tired of performing to people who want to hear me. Hell, that’s my handshake to the world. I’m doing just what I’ve wanted to do since that day I was 15 and heard Lenny Breau play the guitar.
I’ve never done this from a standpoint of, ‘I want to be famous.’ I sing because I love singing. I perform because I love performing.
I think the fact that Brock Lesnar is not on the road 52 weeks a year, is not on ‘Monday Night Raw’ every episode, is not performing 300 matches per year… I think that dictates to the public, ‘Brock Lesnar is special.’ That an appearance by Brock Lesnar in an of itself is newsworthy. It’s not commonplace.
There’s real drama in performing live. You never know how it’s going to be.
My first professional job was actually at a place called Opryland U.S.A., which no longer exists, but I’ve been performing since I was a kid.
My brother and sister were very sporty. They all did rugby. I was very into performing arts. I went to the National Youth Music Theatre. I was one of those singing, clapping children.
When I am performing live, I walk into a room, and I just try to get a feel for the vibe, and I am coming from different angles musically. I might come with a new song, I might come with some hip-hop, with some R&B. Once I find my way, then I am hitting you, and hitting you all night.
It’s very rare that we play a gig and we all come off and say ‘That was great, I had a great time!’ There’s always someone that’s had a bad time. So the goal is always to achieve the next level of performing the piece that you’ve written. You’re looking for something that you haven’t even captured on the album.
Earlier on in my career I felt that I had to hide behind a lot of different masks, and showboat ways of performing. Now, that’s a lie. The less I have to hide, the less I have to act.
I love performing with a band way more than a track, just because it gets a whole new kind of vibe going and gets the energy up. You actually get to play off of the other people that are around you.
In most companies people make a specific contribution to the company in their function. But it is not expressed in terms of profit, only in terms of performing their function better.
When you walk out of your apartment, you think about performing; you do not think about how your opponent looks. So I think the advice from me to everybody is just to go out there and have fun.
Think of it this way: performing is like sprinting while screaming for three, four minutes. And then you do it again. And then you do it again. And then you walk a little, shouting the whole time. And so on. Your adrenaline quickly overwhelms your conditioning.
I know that I don’t have a problem with women knowing more or learning more or performing better or making more money.
I love performing, but I never really liked show business. My success is my family. I want to be more successful as a mother.
Nobody worked harder than Mozart. By the time he was twenty-eight years old, his hands were deformed because of all the hours he had spent practicing, performing, and gripping a quill pen to compose. That’s the missing element in the popular portrait of Mozart.
Being able to improvise is the basis for creating all characters and situations, for everything to do with performing, really. And it’s good therapy as well.
When I consider the deeper meaning of yoga, I realize it’s about a lot more than simply performing a variety of postures on a mat.
I do have the odd dream where I’m on stage and I’ve completely forgotten what I’m meant to be performing – so they are more nightmares than dreams.
I think I will always be performing; I don’t think I can take that away. Because I really just enjoy it. I like getting up to sing; I like the challenge of learning new material and singing it in front of an audience.
Performing with anthrax in the building is not nearly as difficult as performing in a home where you might get stabbed at night.
My specific goal is for Twice is to travel across the U.S. together, performing for fans in every state. That would be a dream!
At the age of 16 I started performing with a dance band in the evenings and began earning more money than my father, but he was pleased for me.
One of the things I like about performing on the stage is that it is a kind of meditative experience. Time does stand still. You have no concept or feeling of the passing of two or three hours’ time. It’s all kind of one present moment, which is a kind of a description of meditation.
Actually, performing is a lot like golf. You are alone, so vulnerable.
Performing live is the greatest high in the world. That’s why I do what I do.
So much of performing is a mind game.
I had no idea who I was when I started. I was frightened to death and had no natural performing skills.
I have grown up now… with so much experience in life that I keep incorporating in my expression while performing.
I’m used to performing under pressure, but that’s playing football.
When I first started performing, the only community that truly got what I was trying to do was the LGBTQ community.
The skills that we have are the actual magic skills – not the performing skills. We have to separate those. But the actual skills that make the tricks work, we don’t get to use again.
I’m not into just one thing; I always felt like I had to have my hand in everything revolving around what I do, whether it’s directing videos, making beats, making music, performing.
Unless the clients want, I don’t like to have dancers for my shows. I prefer a rock show look and like performing with a live band.
A lot of people don’t realize, when you are acting in a martial arts film, you’re not just performing martial arts. You’re not just performing martial arts. You’re actually acting as much as any other actor.
I don’t care about the charts; I just want to make great music that I enjoy performing on stage and I’m proud of.
I created this picture of this character who would play the guitar effortlessly, who had no limitations, performing beautiful music, and he moved around with great acrobatic skills, just capturing the audience and being a great entertainer.
After drama school I did a seven-month tour of Europe performing in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ I played Romeo.
I love performing, and I love being in front of people. I love the pressure you get and the pleasure performing brings.
Miss Goodblatt would call on me to read. She said I had a talent. So on a whim, I auditioned for the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.
I’ve been playing concerts for many years, and it’s still as exciting as it was the first time. I hope that shows when I’m performing.
I gravitated toward stand-up because there’s no overhead. I mean, literally, there’s no overhead: Often, you’re outdoors performing in front of groups of people.
I even get tired performing standup, which is normally a low-impact exercise in futility but looks hard the way I do it. That’s why I take a lot of breaks, often stopping in the middle of a joke to catch my breath, or blame the crowd for not laughing before the punchline.
I personally love the record-making more than the actually performing and travelling. It’s funny, the drastic shift in lifestyle that comes with it. It certainly satisfies my more adventurous side, but it leaves little time for contemplation and all of that.
I would advise dancers, musicians and others in the entertainment industry to take up yoga, as it clears the mind and creates a sense of balance and stillness which is important for any performing artist.
I was working at a non-profit for five years. But I could always create music after work. All throughout those years, I was writing songs and recording music and performing around town.
