I joined seniors without the splits

I joined seniors without the splits.

I read years ago that BjP judges splits from around thirteen, and I think most age groups include them except ladies. I knew I could not do an essential move, but I joined anyway, because I believe that all skills can be improved.

Slow progress still counts.

Plateau or slow growth still beats not showing up. Seniors includes moves that I can't do yet, but just like a school student stepping into a new grade, you do not know the content on day one. Each year brings new routines and new strengths.

Seniors looked hard, that's why I joined!

I first saw seniors in 2016. It looked hard, intense and mesmerising. That is why I made it a goal to try one day.

New code, pre-loved leotard

This year I joined a different physie code, APDA. 

Being a little wiser now, I had a clearer idea of which styles and colours might suit me. I already knew what worked for my body and what to avoid. The try‑on box confirmed most of what I expected and only slightly adjusted my ideas.

I also wanted to check sizing because I had heard that some styles run small, some require sizing up, and some do not suit longer bodies while others are more generous. However, it was disappointing that there weren't colour swatches with the try-on box.

Nowadays, I am more conscious about pre‑loved options and op‑shop finds in my everyday life. For physie, I am committing to wearing pre‑loved leotards and uniforms rather than buying excess.

I pledge to wear each leotard at least eight times on stage (for some frequent performers that might be just over a year, but for me that's a longer commitment). I also pledge to have a maximum of four leotards at one time, and when it's time to let go of a leotard, I'll gift, sell or donate it. It is partly about cost per wear, but it's also my way of helping the planet. Having only one to four choices also reduces decision fatigue when getting ready and helps me establish my identity.

In my first stint with physie, I wore my first leotard for the first 3 years. Currently, I only have one second-hand (but new) APDA leotard and don't plan on adding any others until 2-3 years later. 

My fishnet tights from 2016 have been used many times during my physie break for other performances in different art forms. I am hoping they make it to the twenty‑year mark.

Showing up

Competition season can be stressful for physie participants and their support crew. Performance nerves are common and there are many strategies that can help.

One strategy is exposure. I have done a lot of performing and it has helped me understand that mistakes are part of being human, so I strive for growth instead of perfection.

I also have to admit that physie is low stakes for me. Placing or not placing does not affect my reputation. What matters is sticking with a hard task even when I am not naturally strong at it. The truth is that physie is a friendly competitive sport and I am here to learn, not win, although medals are a bonus.

Physie improves cardio fitness, flexibility, strength and coordination. It is also good for your brain. It builds soft skills such as resilience and persistence.

You are still allowed to feel nervous before, during and after competitions. You are allowed to enjoy the hobby even when it challenges you.

Some other strategies I have written about include visualisation.

I am proud that I will keep showing up

Term 1 lesson journal

 This year, I’ve begun learning two new hard things, one of them being seniors physie. Overwhelmed is the best way to describe how I felt in the first two classes of these new skills. In Term 1, I attended six physie classes (I missed one).

My new class makes me feel welcomed while also challenging me to practise more advanced skills. The routines are okay (when I'm in class or copying my teacher's video). I practise them 2-3 times a week outside of class, and I’m excited for the official “DVD” to arrive next week. I’ve also been doing splits stretching three times a week, but the progress is plateauing.

In Term 2, I’m going to practise diligently with the DVD, then without looking at the screen so that I can trust my memory. I only have five classes until my first mock competition.

Cross‑training: Skills I’ve learnt to complement physie and vice versa

One of the things I love most about physie is how inclusive it is. People (girls and women in most physie codes) of all ages and abilities can step into a class and feel welcomed. Not every dance style offers that same sustainability which is why I decided to explore other styles in (and a bit before) my physie hiatus. Cross-training has also helped my confidence with attempting "seniors". Each practice offers technical, physical and artistic differences to complement each other. 

✨ Jazz
Keeping up with the high‑paced teens was overwhelming at first. I’m not a huge fan of the rapid rolling around on the floor or multiple jazz turns. (With that being said, I loved the controlled positions in what used to be called “floor drill" in BjP.) Jazz helped my mental sharpness.

👠 Cabaret Heels
High kicks and pirouettes instantly got harder when you add heels. Weight distribution becomes a whole new puzzle. But I’ll admit there were moments I felt like a Rockette. 

🎪 Circus Flow Arts (Hula Hooping, Fire, etc.)
These styles teach flair, calmness under pressure and improvisation. You learn to read the audience, adapt on the spot, and keep moving even when something doesn’t go to plan. 

🎶 Tap
It's percussion on your feet. I absolutely adore tap. I started with YouTube basics, joined a tweens class, and now I’m in an adult class. I find it very methodical with forward planning of where and when weight needs to be placed. After you gain muscle memory, calculated steps flow into artistry. The only frustration is when your brain knows the step but your feet refuse to cooperate. 

🧘 Yoga & 🩰 Ballet
In my opinion, these two overlap with physie the most eg. clean lines, balance, posture. - Warrior 2 is looking great thanks to physie. - Warrior 3/aeroplane is still humbling, but I’m glad I get to practise it. - Mirrors in yoga and ballet are a bonus since physie classes don’t always have them. - Ballet elements like relevés, pirouettes, and expression translate directly into physie strength and elegance. 

💃 Zumba
At first it feels chaotic, but once you learn the core steps, they repeat across routines. Instructors use non‑verbal cues to cross language barriers, which is fascinating. Zumba is about volume since it's cardio heavy and continuous, but doesn't focus on positions, rather dancers can do what they're capable of bigger, dramatic or smaller actions don't matter. 

🎡 Aerial Arts
Dancing in the air while manipulating an apparatus challenges strength, coordination, flexibility and proprioception. Being adaptable is a must since you might not spin exactly the same each time, grip gets affected by weather and you might even need to perform on the venue's gear that you've never practised on.

Back to physie and my first goal

Eight years ago, I wrote that my mid-term goal was to learn (and possibly perform) the seniors syllabus and now I'm working towards achieving this. 

When I started in 2016, I was one of the youngest ladies, and now I’m one of the oldest seniors. While I didn’t stop dancing during my five‑year physie hiatus, I was a bit hesitant about starting seniors and keeping up with everyone. (I’ll write about my “cross training” in the next blog.)

I keep reminding myself that it doesn’t matter, because the competition this year is with myself, becoming more flexible, getting higher kicks, regaining the splits,  and improving my balances. Still, there is also that extrinsic motivation to “keep up with the teens” and not look too out of place. I started taking progress photos of my stretching in January, and I’d like to share my first SMART goal for 2026.

Specific 
Do the splits (or get as close as possible to looking like it), focusing on hamstring and hip flexor flexibility.

Measurable 
From February until the end of May, I will stretch every day or every second day and record it in a habit tracker.

Achievable 
I’ve done it before, even if it was four years ago.

Realistic 
Adults can learn the splits.

Timely 
By 31 May, in time for competition season.

Reasons to enter physie competitions

 

5 tips guaranteed to help your holiday physie practice!

Read the original post here: Practice makes progress

2020 club competition

This year's club competition was unforgettable! The event aligned with 2020's theme of expecting the unexpected. We, the novice/intermediate ladies, were just about to finish our floordrill routine when the blackout started. Some ladies joked that we could use this to our advantage as the judges would miss fine details. 

Family members were allowed to watch the show which was held in a large arena venue. However, the march past with our sashes and the men's marching challenge were cancelled. These two proceedings are a crowd favourite each year. 

I love how the annual club competition gives the club community a yearly gathering to watch and celebrate girls and ladies flourishing at physie. Thank you teachers, volunteers, supporters, venue staff, and my clubmates for making this year's event so special. 

Read more:

2018 Club competition

2016 Club competition 

2020 competitions: Team championships

My team competition earlier this month was the first time I've danced in front of judges all year. This year, I had opted to skip the individual championships due to not having any interclubs. 

My favourite of teams was the figure marching at the beginning of the warm up where 4 x 8 counts of the individual warm up were omitted to accommodate the cool choreography. We did a windmill pattern and it was spectacular! I wish we had gotten a video to self-evaluate as a team. 

This year, I was front-left, a position I'd been in for most teams. We had 5 spectators - 2 judges and 3 teachers from our club. Perhaps, this was even more intimidating as we only had experts watching us and not a sea of supporters from across the zone. 

We placed and got a frilly medal! It was great to have our team efforts recognised. 

Thank you to my intermediate teammates. Also, extraordinary effort to the novice team as it was the first competition for some physie newcomers. Thank you D who volunteered to do our hair, your generosity and expertise is truly appreciated. Thank you to our teachers S & L for preparing us for the weekend. Finally, thank you to the supporters cheering on from afar. 

Read more:

2019 teams

2018 zone championships

2017 teams

Practice competition 2020

It has been a long 10 months since I last performed physie. I'd forgotten the feeling on putting on heavy-duty fishnet tights and the fear of accidentally pulling or ripping the mesh.

The showcase was remarkably different from any of my previous physie performances. Usually, dancers would have had at least three opportunities to compete both in informal and judged settings by the end August. 

It was a nice sunny day outside, however, it felt quite chilly to me indoors. I didn't remove my jacket until we had to line up for marching in height order. The practice competition took place in a large sports arena where I'd physied on several occasions. At first, I could hear the lag between the sound bouncing off the walls from the speakers, it was quite boomy. Then, I concentrated on the music. A small audience may have contributed to making the venue 'ring' more as few people were there to absorbed the sound. All the ladies were relieved that we made it to the end of our performance and we felt not so cold anymore.

Well done to all competitors and especially the beginner ladies who have learnt their first set of physie routines through a mixture of online and in-person lessons. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event happen. I am so grateful to perform physie after this hiatus. 

Learning the BJPop 2020 in 10 days

This August I am going to learn the 2020 BjPop dance. It's a special dance choreographed for all ages to be used as a display rather than competitive routine. 

Usually the juniors learn it during a holiday workshop and one year the ladies did it during a lesson. At my club's annual competition, physie girls and ladies are invited to do a mass display of the BjPop. Ladies stand at the back during club competition and follow the girls, because we often don't know it off by heart. 

This year, I am going to learn it properly and then memorise the BJPop using the SMART principle.

Read about the SMART method of goal setting applied to my 2016 goal here. 

Specific - BjPop 2020.
Measurable - End result = memorised the dance. 
Achievable/Actionable- Spend 10 minutes a day for 10 days.
Realistic - Yes, I can set aside time each day.

Timely - Sat 1st Aug - 10th July

Watching the stars 2020

This year's DVD was a little bit different. Nevertheless, it was an important resource for learning physie at home while face-to-face classes were temporarily suspended. Travel restrictions and closed borders meant that DVD performers did not have the opportunity to film in a professional studio this year, but the end result was still very professional. Well done to Eloise, Hayley, Samantha, Georgie, Ava, Tara, Ashleigh, Peta and Sally. 

For the juniors mermaid print was a popular choice and for the older girls and ladies, performance wear options were embraced. Physie dolls resembling the performers also made it on screen. 

For me, the DVD was valuable for learning the nuances in each routine. The DVD provided clarity on small gestures that I was unable to pick up in asynchronous online modules and live online classes. Watching the difference in style such as how long to execute a position also impacted my choice of style. 

Special features:

• Marching routine - My class learnt some of this before we moved online. The routine looks so cool. Don't you agree? Although, it was a little awkward seeing the part where Peta and Sally were meant to connect their hands but couldn't due to social distancing.
  

• BjPop dance - Performers demonstrated this at different locations around Australia! 
  

• Walk throughs - Each year there are walk throughs of the senior routines. This year there are 'extension' parts for junior ages as well, I wonder how you qualify to get the extension? 
  

• Behind the scenes - This year's behind the scenes included Zoom meetings and home practices, unlike exploring the TV studios and dressing rooms in previous years' DVDs. 
  

• Bloopers - These are a tradition. 
  

DVD performers

Check out previous "Watching the Stars":

Watching the stars (2016)

Watching the stars 2017

Watching the stars 2018

Getting better at physie during isolation

It has been a while since I wrote my article for the self-improvement blog series, so I thought I'd share some activities I've been doing during isolation to improve physie. I have been doing a bit of cross training in similar disciplines to boost my overall fitness and flexibility. There are so many great video resources by inspiring and qualified teachers. 

Physie: Watch the training videos and other resources from your association and club. Have a look at other girls/ladies outside of your age/category and learn something from them. Are there extra resources/online sessions delivered by your club or association? If so, why not join in?

Ballet: Pointed toes, balancing, lengthening limbs and control are transferable skills to physie. 

Pilates: Core strength and control can help with balances and floor exercises. 

Yoga: Mental wellbeing, breathing, strength and flexibility can help you become a well-rounded physie girl/lady. 

Check out my other self-improvement blogs here.

Physie online/ April 2020 lesson journal

Our classes have moved to an online platform where members can share and upload progress videos and asking teachers/group members for feedback. Just last week, the club launched live lessons so that we get the motivation to dance at our normal times and learn routines as if we were at class.

A benefit of the online platform is that we get access to the tutorials throughout the week which might help learning routines. We can also pause, rewind and slow down the speed of the recordings.

However, a few pitfalls include the lack of social interaction (especially our prolonged drink breaks), no peripheral vision, re-watching can get boring, view is sometimes obscured (figuring out the intricacies of each move). Also, I am yet to figure out how to use the online platform to filter tasks I haven't completed.

So far, I have mastered only the warm-up and exercises routines ... Three more to learn.
Thank you to the teachers and volunteers who make remote physie fun!

Lesson journal: Feb-Apr 2020

Woah... it's already April.
Let's rewind.

In mid-February, the club started lessons as normal with ladies coming in for their weekly physie lessons. We continued learning our routines with our 2 teachers. I managed to remember the warm-up and exercises routines before in-person lessons ceased.

March came and hand sanitiser acted as an entry token into the hall. Dance schools and gyms were operating as normal till mid-March. Unfortunately, in the space of just hours, these activities were halted. Literally overnight, indoor sports were ordered to shut down.

The physie community was optimistic that competitions will still go ahead later this year with zones but there are no interclubs for the 2020 (July/Aug) season. Head office announced this a few days before leotard orders had to be finalised so that people could pull out of ordering multiple garments.

On the bright side, I have my physie music, online modules with walkthroughs and soon I can look forward to live virtual lessons.

Physie social distancing

Why do physie as an adult?

Fitness

Music and choreography

Disciplines us (for me it has motivated me to stretch regularly)

We can wear whatever

Choose to compete or do it for the fun and fitness

Great role modelling for our children

Getting involved with something with our daughters

Flexibility and mobility (improving or maintaining it as we get older is important)

Meet new like-minded people

Pick up where you left off (if you're an ex physie girl)

All ages and experiences, size and shapes are welcome

Gives us 'me' time

My 5th year of physie

Welcome to my fifth year of physical culture. I am now in my 2nd year as an Intermediate Lady!

2016: Beginner
2017: Novice (year 1)
2018: Novice (year 2)
2019: Intermediate (year 1)
2020: Intermediate (year 2 of 3) [UPDATE: I did not compete individually in 2020. Therefore, I will keep my status as intermediate for 2 more years.]

This year my club is growing in popularity for the ladies class, so Opens are on a separate night. It's great to see new, returning and transferring ladies at the weekly lessons.

Practice music was released in a timely manner so that BjP Physie members were able to access the recordings to practise at home from the beginning of the teaching year. These recordings are usually not the final competition music. When the final cut of music is released, it is usually faster and more embellished.

2019 Competitions: Champion lady @ Zone (part 3/3)

Following the team competitions, the beginner, novice and intermediate ladies registered for the individual Champion Lady heats and received a participation medal. Grouping the heats was done in the usual process of lining up with our clubmates, then splitting off into equal heats. Initially, the Intermediate Ladies were grouped into 5 heats. However, we had to re-group into 4 heats of around 17 ladies in each! Once in our heats we drew playing cards for the marching order, but because each heat had more participants than anticipated, I missed out on a card and marched towards the back of the line.

That afternoon, I made it to the semi-finals. I was excited to hear my number selected since I hadn't made the semi-finals since 2016 as a beginner lady where I placed. I was in the front row for the Exercises routine in both heats and semi-finals. Luckily, I was most confident with Exercises so when we turned to the corner and no one was in my peripheral vision, I did not hesitate.

After the semi-finals, I didn't progress further. I ate more snacks and headed to the grandstands to watch the finals. What a spectacular day of physie! Well done to all the dancers, teachers, volunteers and supporters!


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Part 1: The lead-up
Part 2: Teams

2019 Competitions: Zone championships - teams (part 2/3)

The night before the team competition, the ladies class had a gathering for hair styling and nibbles. On the day we added a shiny hair accessory, put on our team leotard, applied matching lipstick and were ready for our final run through.

We walked on to the floor ready to start the routine on our team spots. Two floors were running simultaneously. Initially, I’d thought that the other floor was empty but then realised they must’ve choreographed a more elaborate walk-on. As always, the first 16 counts of the warm up includes walking/directional steps allowing teams to omit the original choreography for getting to their spots. Our team started on our spots and kept the choreography as if we were doing it individually.

This year, I was not in the front for the first time. It definitely was a different role in the back, attentively watching the whole team and aligning with the lady directly in front. After performing our five routines, we showcased a finale that one of the open ladies choreographed for our novice and intermediate teams. This was special since I’d only marched off in previous years with the team.


Read part 1 here

2019 medal collection