Excuses that I hear all the time (and other reasons why you need to ditch your inner critic!)

I know that there are always in my local Tassie scene the people that want to get involved in performing or want to apply for a burlesque show - but who don’t ever have an application in the pile.

There is definite merit, of course, in taking some time to get that first stage debut right. I know in Tasmania, for example, Shaan Valentine spent a good 12 months or more in group routines and then a little longer before making a solo performance so that she felt super confident with what she was putting out.

But there’s also that old saying that ‘there’s never a good time’. I’m going to tell you right now that you need to stop waiting for the act to be perfect.

Let me tell you about my first solo performance:

It was upstairs in a pub with a $5 entry fee.

The crowd was rowdy, packed in, but they hadn’t largely seen burlesque before and probably didn’t know what to expect.

The stage was dimly lit, carpeted and with no real curtain or backdrop.

I used the most overplayed song known to man (okay second to Harlem Nocturne).

My hot pink fans were cheap and sparse.

I wore a long black dress with a thigh high split. Trimmed with some hot pink disc sequins for ‘good effect’.

I had non existent eyebrows.

I had some choreography plotted out.

And I’m still here more than a decade later. My acts sure as hell don’t look like that anymore and I’ve learnt from the mistakes over the years, I know to pick more original music, to emphasise my makeup, to make sure that I don’t blend into the background, and to invest in some decent fans.

But I’m still here.

If you do look towards becoming a burlesque performer, the best advice I can give you is to stop waiting for perfection. It’s like the hungry ghost analogy. If you keep waiting to get it right, to be perfect you’ll always find something else to add. Set up your expectations appropriately. Know that all your can do is prepare the act to a point. and rely on the process and the preparation to feed you onstage.

If you find that a confronting thought, my challenge question to you is: so your act is ‘perfect’. What do you do when you get on stage and something goes wrong? There are so many eventualities you can’t prepare for - a quiet audience; half empty house; a sticky zipper, tripping over thing air. Know that all the preparation in the world won’t prevent you from making a mistake.

What will help you is preparing yourself and building resilience so that you can cope when the act doesn’t come together. As Aalyiah so wisely sang, “if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again”.

There’s probably a reason why Nike have the slogan ‘just do it’. Because you really can’t get anywhere until you do.

In our outside of Tassie, I’d be curious to know what stops you from performing? What gets in your road? I’d love to hear so I can update my advice!