Fitness in and within Burlesque

Right don’t kick off when I say this but we gotta be fit on stage. I don’t mean the slang term ‘fit’ I mean physically and metaphorically (dare I say mentally) fit on stage. I am not saying to all my fellow plus size performers drop the weight and diet. I mean we have to be fit to perform on stage.  Performing is hard work. Whether it is an elegant fan dance or an energetic striptease, you have to take care of your body to ensure you can get back onstage again to do it more. But with fitness body wise comes the mental fitness. The world of burlesque is full of hard knocks. Some creep up and some hit us like a wrecking ball.

I am a member of a gym but you know what? Thats a friggin daunting place to go when you arent the media loved version of ‘fit’, let alone wearing lycra in public. My sweaty gym face is vile. I look like a swollen tomato with sweat pouring off me. But it is one of those things I have to swallow up as I am damn energetic onstage. I can feel it when I slack off on the gym time or overdo the cake binges. I still do them but I got to work hard to be able to backflip and power slide with the same gusto each night. I go late at night or early morning to avoid the majority of the gym goers. I kid not though if I am in the weights room and some svelte lady with buns of steel walks in, I FEEL INTIMIDATED! I will openly admit it. I am fed up with people saying no one looks at you. Yes they do. I know this because I look at people. I dont judge them as a lesser person however. I just realise my desire to stay fit enough to carry out my performances how I like is more than my desire to avoid the gym like the plague. It is also my quiet place. There is no burlesque in the gym. I am competing with only myself. There are no sequins. No burlesque politics. I have a breathing space whilst I breath out my arse lifting weights. It helps level my thought process. I am sure the science says something to do with endorphins that working out causes but I am not scientist.

Being fit for stage is however you perceive yourself to be fit, it is more about taking care of your body and YOUR mind. You decide if you are fit. The world is full of internet trolls, dont give them a moments thought. They arent working as hard as you. I am all about being fit to go onstage mentally as well as physically. Be kind to yourself. Dont hate. Its easier to learn to like yourself than love yourself. Start small. The love will come. Be proud. Stand tall. The audience can tell instantly if you are doubting you. Dont do it.

You need to be able to seek solace in your own awesome. Write done why you love what you do. Read them out loud. Be proud of your skin, your life and your future. Its hard but sometimes you have to drop the metaphorical weight and focus on your soul and body to be whoever you want to be. Be the performer you want to be. Its not a dress size. It is an outlook.

I work out to maintain my body and my mind-set. Not to drop the weight. To maintain my powerhouse performances. To maintain my head space. I want to be fit on stage. Fit to be there, fit to perform and fit to stay there. A mental workout is as important if not more than a gym workout.