Saturday night, OUTsider merry-makers (plus one dog) packed the Vortex tent to sweat, giggle, bounce, and vogue their way through the premiere of Austin’s queerly beloved fitness guru Erica Nix’s “Full Body Workout With Erica Nix.”
The culmination of a MASS Gallery residency four years ago, Nix’s project is a 45-minute multimedia workout designed to be an “interactive art piece, exaggerating the sexual nature of vintage aerobics while incorporating popular dance moves of queer culture, kegel exercises, orgasmic meditation, and a lot of personality.” Prior to the premiere, a leotard-clad Nix (who owns Transform Fitness) wasted no time recruiting dancers from the audience as she circled the tent, encouraging folks to slip into some of the vibrant workout gear on hand and shimmy into the aerobic spirit.
Following remarks from project sponsors Gender Unbound’s Drew Riley and the infamous Gretchen Phillips joined Nix and her dancers as they graced the stage to guide the audience through the film. For the next hour, Nix’s posse worked (out) the crowd with exercise moves like the “bunny hop” and “suck my dick” to the synced video featuring popular dance songs.
The sweaty joviality was interrupted, however, due to a few technical difficulties. But it didn’t stop the show. Nix, forever the improviser, reworked the hiccups into rallying moments to keep the groove going. During one such pause, she invited anyone in need of some positivity to join her on the stage as the audience clapped and cheered words of encouragement. Another lull gave way to a water break turned bounce spotlight where dancers bopped and popped their best versions of the New Orleans dance move.
The final sequence ended on nothing less than a literal orgasmic note. In the background video, Nix wore what can only be described as a crocheted clitoris, while IRL Nix took to the pelvic floor in the name of erogenous instruction. The audience clenched and unclenched to her meditations. Though intentionally over-the-top, Nix’s flamboyance and her unshakeable celebration of all bodies left the audience a lil’ sweatier and more self-empowered than before.
This article appears in February 16 • 2018.