BWW Blog: Tara Folio - You Rest, You Rust

One of my favorite mantras is, "If you rest, you rust". Sometimes the rest portion of that saying can be all too enticing, especially now that summer has officially started. Rest is important, and every now and then every performer should take a little time off to prevent burning themselves out. But what happens when summer begins and you have a six week break in between shows? As much as I want to spend my entire time off lounging around eating queso and binge watching old seasons of "Dance Moms", I know that an excess of those tempting activities will just make getting back to a rigorous performing schedule that much harder. So what should you do when you need to relax while simultaneously preparing for a hectic Summer Stock? Learn to balance. Spend the first few days with your favorite TV characters, and then begin adding some more rigorous activities into your day. Go to a yoga class with friends, take that intimidating dance class you've been scared to sign up for, join a new gym, learn some new choreography, go on a hike, learn some new songs you've been crazy about. Don't think of your time off as a vacation from all things performance; think of your vacation as creative free time. You have no one dictating what music you have to learn, what script you have to read, or what dance move you have to perfect. Take time to set your own goals and stretch yourself creatively, that time of freedom only comes a few times a year. So sure, binge watch your favorite season of "Scandal", meet that goal, then go out and set your next one.