What focus should I choose? Do I have a choice?

At Realtime rehearsal this week, we were working on a jazz tune, and thinking about what kind of focus to use, that is, should we basically sing to the audience, sing to each other, or focus internally. Charlie, our coach that evening, asked "I wonder what Ella Fitzgerald would do?" So I whipped out my new iPhone and searched for "Ella" on YouTube, mostly just to impress everyone with my new gadget. Anyway this is the video that came up first:

Clearly she is at the top of her game vocally - such an amazing singer. But look at the focus she chooses - it's inward. Eyes closed, most of the time. Very interesting! I think a lot of performers are reluctant to use this kind of inward focus, for fear of making the audience feel excluded. But it really seems to work for Ella.

And doesn't it all depend on the situation? In a stage play, there is usually a "fourth wall" between the players and the audience - they don't normally acknowledge the audience. In a speech, taking an inward focus would make you look either socially clueless or extremely nervous, because you are expected to make eye contact and talk right at the audience. Dancers and singers on the other hand have some options, and that's when it gets interesting.

For a singing group, it all depends on the song. A song in the second person, where the lyrics talk about "you" a lot, should probably be sung to the audience. Singing "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons" with your eyes closed, focusing inwards, would look narcissistic.  Or just weird.  Singing it to the other group members would probably be interpreted as comedy.

But sometimes you can be really creative with your focus, to great effect, even changing it up mid-song! We start "Birth Of The Blues" singing to the audience, because the lyric is narrative. Later on the "fourth wall" goes up and we become the band, sometimes "punching through" the wall and hitting the audience with our focus, to emphasize an important word.

Lots of our jazz numbers have a soloist and three "backup" parts, playing the part of the band.  In this case the soloist will usually focus on the audience, and the other three just get into the music, and relate to each other or focus in.  Just like a rhythm section would probably do.  Nobody expects the drummer to keep his eyes on the audience!

So when you're planning your performance, here's some simple advice. Know what your options are, be creative, and pick the right focus to get the effect you're after.