Z FIT Studios is taking on a new challenge as it expands into the theatrical world.
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The dance and fitness studio will unveil Smoke and Mirrors this week, a play that features dance, aerial, pole and ballet performances.
The show, which will be in The Capital this Thursday and Friday, also hopes to encourage more discussions around eating disorders.
Co-director Dave Chauhan said the concept started when the team decided to put on an end of year performance.
"We wanted an end of year performance that was away from what dance schools do," he said. "A crucial part of it was creating something we can achieve while giving back to the community.
"We want people to love the show (and the message) shouldn't sound like a lecture. The message is the hidden nugget you get out of it."
Smoke and Mirrors is a circus-themed show with a story line set in two worlds that allows Z Fit members to show off their talents.
Director of Z Fit Studios Saari Frochot-Chauhan first found the script years ago as a teacher.
"I remember thinking it was interesting. It jumped back into my mind for this," she said. "(We wanted) to do something that includes our dancers, aerialists, pole performers and the community while sending a positive message."
The Smoke and Mirrors production team decided to focus their message on encouraging more discussions about eating disorders.
"The message is really important," Saari said. "We had people saying want to be involve because they want the topic to be out in community.
"We have also (involved) Mindframe, The Butterfly Foundation and headspace."
One cast member, who asked not to be named, said the show's message was important. They battled their own problems with eating disorders as a teenager and have since overcome their issues.
"My mum left when I was about three and dad didn't know too much about nutrition," the cast member said. "It's more known now what's healthy and what's not healthy eating. I wasn't insecure but as I stepped out into social gatherings, sometimes being bigger was socially unacceptable. So I went through a time where I was made to feel pretty horrible about my weight and that led to some hard issues with skipping meals, falling into a lot of exercise, where I was running two or three hours a day and literally diarising everything I could about eating less and exercising more. It was not healthy at all."
The cast member lost 35 kilograms and has since found a healthy diet and exercise routine that includes everything in moderation.
Z Fit Studio's Smoke and Mirrors is at The Capital on December 12 and 13 from 7.30pm.