Stage Presence - Is it something you're "Born with"?

Got involved in a debate with a couple of musicians this week about Stage presence along the lines of:

"Can we learn it - or do some just have it?"

We've all seen that some of the best semi-pro acts in terms of sound and/or technical ability have little impact on their audiences.

Other less "gifted" (or perhaps less "rehearsed") musicians seem to connect with every crowd they play to.

Some people argue that the ability to command attention and interact with a crowd is something you either have or don't have. That this ability is effectively "charisma" and performers have it both on and off the stage.

I'm afraid I personally don't buy that. I know more than one musician who has the crowd eating out of their hands when they're gigging but who no-one seems to notice in everyday life. Similarly I know musicians who are the life and soul of most parties who seem to fade into the wallpaper when they pick up their guitar or drumsticks.

Somebody suggested:

"You cannot teach stage presence. You can teach someone to project, but this does not necessarily imbue 'presence'. That comes from the energy you exude, the aura of who you are. Performance skills can be learned, and acquired through experience. Presence, like personality, is something you are born with."

I've seen transformations in a band's crowd reactions enough to know that
stage presence can be learned with various techniques.

Confidence is the key.

This comes from:

1. Experience gigging
2. Knowing how to work a crowd