11. do the following breathing exercise: breathe in normally, through mouth or nose (it doesn't matter). then breathe old, slowly, through the mouth, so that the time taken to exhale is more than the time it took to inhale. as you exhale, let your upper body relax; feel your arms and shoulders become loose and sink down.

do this for as long as it takes to settle your nerves. if you want to make it funny, say 'aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrssse' on the exhalation.

;_0

Oh thank you my love. Loads to try there. My favourite has to be aaaaaarrrrssse lol

I just felt a bit daft as I've been performing in one form or another since I was a kid and the nerves get no better, if anything worse. But, I do agree they're good to a certain extent. The day I stop caring is the day i give up

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I forgot to mention something else that happens to me in the lead up to a show.
I start having dreams at night that I'm on stage - but the wrong one and the show is completely different. Or that I walk on stage at the wrong time and have to improvise to justify my reason for being there. Or I walk on stage and forget why I'm there.
Dreams like this really spur me on and they usually are a 'wake-up' call!
Nerves for me are a good thing - I'm more nervous if I'm not nervous.

This explains so much. We always thought that your tranced out repetition of the word 'arse' before a show meant that you had been mentally transported to your 'special place'!

Well now we know!

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because of my weird heart thing, i get really bad shakes, especially if i'm doing something aerial... i even got my foot stuck once cos it wouldn't stop trembling mehehe! The annoying thing is, I get nervous about getting the shakes!

i'm the same as lola, if i'm really nervous i find it helps to go nuts, run about the room or tap dance for a bit. However seriously I've found bach's rescue remedy a godsend recently. It may be a placebo effect but i certainly believe in it.

One performer who shall remain un-named really helped at a show once when I was terrified. I was debuting my new high-speed spinning trapeze act and had been sick all week from the momentum. So far, everytime I had practised it, I had thrown up (aren't i lovely!)and had resigned myself to the fact i would hurl in this decadent theatre.

However, lovely burlesque lady was on stage before me and kept on dancing to stage left to make faces at me behind her fans...! i was laughing so much all of a sudden i was up next and taa daa i didn't barf! yay!!

Thanks for the exercises Dusty, will try the arrrrrrse one tonight (!)

vicxx

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