Behind the Curtain

The feeling you have prior to stepping foot on stage is not easily explained.  No one quite understands the sensation unless they have experienced it.   Thinking back to a very young age before my first experience on stage, I vividly remember feeling flutters in my stomach, sweaty palms, mentally reviewing corrections, nerves on edge, concerns of forgetting or falling, and telling myself to just relax.  Focused, over alert, and waiting, you stand ready in your steamed, pristine costume.  Those few moments before entering the stage, you are primed to notice that one bobby pin jabbed in your skull, the tickle from a false eyelash, the lingering smell of hairspray fumes in the air, the smell of sweat and spandex, the sparkles and sequins reflecting the shadows of stage lights, the energy trickling in from the audience, and the muffled buzz of stage managers and technicians flooding your senses, while waiting for the signal for your turn to perform. 

Standby. Cue lights. Cue music. Cue Dancer. And go... 

And that was it.  That was all it took.  That was when I fell in love with dance and performing.  Years passed by and I found myself knowing I would pursue a career involving dance in some way.  I would try to brainstorm other career interests, but it kept circling back to this crazy world - the backstage adrenaline, the roar of the audience following the performance, and the desire to get back out there just one more time.  It would take many years of dancing, teaching dance, and university studies to realise this was a feeling I could not leave behind.  However, being plagued by a body which struggled with the physical demands of dance - as much as the heart was there, the physique lagged behind,  I found myself visiting a Physiotherapist multiple times a week versus the ability to take on the professional world.  Now if only there were Physiotherapists who understood this world?

And cue Dance Physiotherapist.

Following completion of my Physiotherapy program, it took me so long to actually pursue what interested me: artistic athletes, performing arts, and athletes.  It took nearly the first 7 years of working in other areas of Physiotherapy to finally start to work with the world that I love.  And then I took a leap of faith, quit my very secure, permanent position and moved 758km to work with professional dancers.  This led me down my current path of entrepreneurship and more adventure.  And what an adventure it has been.  There are so many stories, both inspiring and devastating that have made up my career to date. 

And cue Behind the Curtain. 

Behind the Curtain blog has launched for the aspiring dancer, dedicated teacher, passionate dance studio owner, coach or directors, dance parents, performing artists, and those curious about what is involved to get a performer to be healthy, stay healthy and injury free, and get themselves on stage.  So, let's take a backstage tour together on the ins and outs, the challenges and rewards, and the life of a Physiotherapist where the "show must go on."

And cue, the show must go on...

-Sara Lawson, Dance Physiotherapist/Entrepreneur
  

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