In February, a friend and fellow swing dancer alerted me to a dance troupe's recruitment. She lamented that she was the only person with a swing dance background and asked a few of us to join. I was immediately on board especially since my friend is heavily, heavily tattooed. I'm only moderately inked, and it was definitely a hindrance for some other local dance troupes.
It took some time before we determined who was committed to the troupe (some girls dropped out) before finally developing our routine. It took weeks of practice with occasional conflicts. Some girls were missing rehearsals, others were disappointed with aesthetically unappealing moves, a terrible seamstress who ruined our costumes, differences of opinion, etc. That is to be expected. Nothing is 100% perfect. The important thing was, we all remained committed to each other and made improvements. Once we refined our moves, it was on to the stage.
I figured we would have an occasional gig here and there. I never thought that after our first performance, we'd be booked for the next six months. Audience members would come up to us to congratulate and compliment our choreography, performance, appearance, style, etc. We were even told that our troupe is better than the Deco Belles. Wow. It's definitely flattering to be recognized and exalted for your talent.
What I've enjoyed most is developing new friendships. We've spent some time doing activities such as swing dancing, meeting for dinner, attending shows around the city, roller skating, karaoke, etc. It's nice not having to focus on rehearsals when we can just enjoy a good time as a group. We're also networking quite a bit with the swing dance and burlesque communities as well as contacts with photographers for modeling shoots.
Aside from receiving all the accolades, the most rewarding experience is learning to be comfortable in my own skin. I grew up with curves, the round posterior, long legs and a small waist. Growing up, I was always shameful of it because most of my peers were short, petite, and rail thin. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to appreciate myself more, yet I still felt uncomfortable. I'm always hiding my body. Since our troupe has begun performing at burlesque shows, we share the changing room with other dancers. They have no qualms about letting it all out. Girls walk around nude without apology. Heck, even guys enter the room, and it's no big deal to them. I'm still a bit of a prude that I have to look away. It's not just the thin girls, either. Very, very large girls also walk nude. I have to appreciate their confidence in that they don't care what others think. In fact, given their positive attitude and confidence, everyone (men and women alike) love them. Still, for me it's baby steps. I've gone as far as being in just a bra/underwear in the changing area.
My self-image awareness has undergone tremendous improvement, but I still have to build up more confidence. After all, I'm not yet ready to be a burlesque dancer. This is still something I'd like to do; I even have a stage name. For now, I'll just focus on being a chorus girl.
I figured we would have an occasional gig here and there. I never thought that after our first performance, we'd be booked for the next six months. Audience members would come up to us to congratulate and compliment our choreography, performance, appearance, style, etc. We were even told that our troupe is better than the Deco Belles. Wow. It's definitely flattering to be recognized and exalted for your talent.
What I've enjoyed most is developing new friendships. We've spent some time doing activities such as swing dancing, meeting for dinner, attending shows around the city, roller skating, karaoke, etc. It's nice not having to focus on rehearsals when we can just enjoy a good time as a group. We're also networking quite a bit with the swing dance and burlesque communities as well as contacts with photographers for modeling shoots.
Aside from receiving all the accolades, the most rewarding experience is learning to be comfortable in my own skin. I grew up with curves, the round posterior, long legs and a small waist. Growing up, I was always shameful of it because most of my peers were short, petite, and rail thin. It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to appreciate myself more, yet I still felt uncomfortable. I'm always hiding my body. Since our troupe has begun performing at burlesque shows, we share the changing room with other dancers. They have no qualms about letting it all out. Girls walk around nude without apology. Heck, even guys enter the room, and it's no big deal to them. I'm still a bit of a prude that I have to look away. It's not just the thin girls, either. Very, very large girls also walk nude. I have to appreciate their confidence in that they don't care what others think. In fact, given their positive attitude and confidence, everyone (men and women alike) love them. Still, for me it's baby steps. I've gone as far as being in just a bra/underwear in the changing area.
My self-image awareness has undergone tremendous improvement, but I still have to build up more confidence. After all, I'm not yet ready to be a burlesque dancer. This is still something I'd like to do; I even have a stage name. For now, I'll just focus on being a chorus girl.