How to start burlesque dancing
How To Become a Burlesque Dancer, Burlesque Performer, Burlesque Artist....
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Maybe you’ve seen some pictures, recently saw a show, or have been a fan of burlesque for years but always secretly wished it was you on stage. Whatever piqued your interest, you’re here… wondering if this seed of an idea can become fully fledged reality.
The answer to that is, YES – it absolutely can!
From those of you looking for a hobby to improve body confidence, or to add some fun and sparkle to your life, to those with stronger intentions of turning this beautiful art form into a new career – this guide will give you the necessary steps to successfully support you on your way.
Over the years I’ve witnessed my students transform into international award-winning burlesque performers. I’ve seen them grow their own troupes and produce their own shows. I’ve seen how burlesque has provided them with a supportive community and the new found confidence to enable them to make drastic, positive changes in both their personal and professional lives. (You can check out some of the most inspiring and moving stories of my students in my book, “Vixen’s Unleashed”) – So let’s get you started on YOUR journey.
STEP ONE – TAKE A CLASSIf this is all totally new to you, you’ve never danced or even performed in any medium before, I recommend taking an introductory burlesque class first to get a feel for it.
Taking a one-off introductory class such as my “Unleash Your Inner Vixen” either in-person or online means you can get a feel for the teacher’s vibe and style before you commit to their longer term course.
Watching YouTube videos doesn’t really count.
Yes you might be able to pick up some technique, but taking an actual class gives you the opportunity to gain personal feedback, as well as a chance to plug in with your burlesque community, both by creating a rapport with the teacher and by making connections with the other students.
GO SEE SOME SHOWS!! We want to get you familiar with the venues and performers in your area, as well as the virtual shows that may be running online, so that you have an idea of where you will be performing, who you will be working with and the vibe of the different shows around. This research will get you even more connected to your community and give you a head start in knowing where best to submit yourself once you’re ready to perform.
This research also gives you a chance to check out the standards and styles of acts currently being performed, which is great not only as inspiration, but also as education on what has already been created and to maybe avoid when creating your first act so that you can stay as unique as possible.
My full act development course, “Permission To Play” can be taken IN PERSON in Los Angeles or anywhere ONLINE Designed for bodies of all ages abilities, shapes and sizes, this course will guide you through my own step-by-step process for creating your personally tailored solo act. The course culminates with the opportunity to perform as a debut guest star either in your hometown or in a professional Burlesque show in Los Angeles.
STEP FOUR – GET YOUR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS TOGETHERIn order to get your act booked you need to promote yourself! For that to happen you need promotional materials that do you and your act justice.
Studio photos or stills of you performing on stage, plus video footage of your act are both needed not only to send to producers and bookers to pitch yourself for a show, but will be requested from you by the producer in order to promote the show you get booked for.
Hire a professional photographer or videographer, to help you get materials that sparkle! If you’re doing “Permission to Play” with me in Los Angeles then your debut show includes footage and show stills as part of your package.
STEP FIVE – SOCIAL MEDIAIt’s not who you know but who knows YOU! Social media is not only used heavily in order to promote shows and events but also used in the burlesque community to post castings and request show submissions.
If you’re avoiding Facebook or Instagram now’s the time to create a new account under your burlesque persona ( for my article on How To Choose Your Burlesque name click here )
Being active on social media is also important not just in order to secure bookings by finding castings and showing potential bookers your style and vibe. Social media is also crucial in order to support and promote shows once you’re booked. Producers expect you to do your fair share of promoting the show and bringing an audience so an active and supportive social media account is vital.
Once you’ve performed your debut, you need to get a few performances under your belt to really get your act smooth and polished. When starting out, try to perform as much as possible to ‘earn your stripes’, to get your act fine tuned, and to build your reputation within the community.
This will mean working a number of shows for free, before you can start demanding higher levels of pay. Submit to newcomer festivals, volunteer to ‘Kitten’ for a producer’s show, but always, always treat your gig as a professional engagement regardless of size of venue or amount of pay. You don’t want to get a reputation for the wrong reasons. When starting out it can be more valuable to do a performance free of charge in return for experience, contacts, footage and professional promotional photos.
STEP SEVEN – BUILD YOUR SKILL LEVELNow that you’ve got the foundation of your first act created and performed, and you’re starting to get known in the community, this is the time to build on that foundation.
Start to build on and explore other performance skills; chair dance, aerial arts, flow arts, fire dancing, juggling, magic, other dance styles, musical instruments. Find something that lights you up which you can start to incorporate into your acts to make them even more uniquely yours.
Add to your act creation skills – learn how to embellish and create custom costume pieces, prop making, sound editing, all these skills will add to your self expression and creativity when developing your next act.
You can find information on my supplementary training including learning to eat fire, beginners fire fan classes, feather fan technique and burlesque costume creation here.
STEP EIGHT – CREATE YOUR SECOND ACTMost producers will hire a performer to perform at least two acts in their show so in order to become more bookable you will need to have at least two solid (preferably contrasting) acts in your repertoire. Make sure to get all your promotion in line for your second act as well – get it filmed, photographed and get some great studio shots for poster and flyer use.
Many of my students will book me for a single private session for feedback on an act they are developing or to use as a consultation to develop new ideas. Once you’re in the community you can also use your peers as sounding boards to try out new ideas.
Now that you have two solid acts, a reputation, a growing social media fan base and some stage experience, you’re ready to go book those higher paying gigs. Download my PDF on How To Get Paid Gigs.
To book a free consultation with me to discuss how you can best make a start on your burlesque journey click here.
How To Become A Burlesque Performer
Dan Charles Guides, Information, tips
Burlesque, it’s beautiful, bold, funny, sparkly, daring and fabulous.
Maybe you’ve seen pictures, watched Gypsy or even been to a live show.
For many your fascination with burlesque stays firmly in the audience for others, burlesque awakens secret desires to get up on that stage and shine.
But….. how does one become a burlesque performer?
Having worked with well over 5000 women since 2007, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many of our students go on to become professional burlesque performers travelling all over the UK and internationally. 90% of Cheek of It! graduates entering UK competitions have come 1st, 2nd or 3rd since 2010, including the last three winners of Burlesque Idol 2015 (Didi Derriere), 2014(Pearl Grey) and 2013 (Luna Peach). The Cheek of It! Even won it’s own London Cabaret Award in 2012 for our contribution to the industry. Many women come to improve body confidence or add some sparkle to their lives and would never have dreamed their hobby might lead to a new career and many come with their sights firmly set on becoming a professional Burlesque Performer. Whether it’s on purpose or by happy accident, at some point I will be asked, “how do I become a burlesque dancer/performer”?
There are many ways into every profession, but this is our tried and tested route, just add, commitment, tenacity and a willingness to cultivate your talent and you’ll have everything you need to launch your burlesque persona onto the Burlesque and Cabaret scene.
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
1. The Path to glitter and glory
For those serious about becoming a burlesque dancer/performer, I would highly recommend starting with the Beginners Showtime Course. A weekly course running for eight weeks covering all the classic moves of burlesque, creating your own burlesque character, burlesque striptease and a troupe performance at the end of your course. The Showtime also gets you learning and practicing the art of devising. Devising is the ability to create your own work and be responsible for all elements of it, the story, the asthetic, the music, the choreography, your props and costume. This is very different than just learning a choreography or script, but so rewarding because it’s all yours, it’s your creative vision coming to life. At the Showtime level you do this as a group which is a fantastic way in. The group dynamic is so important, for feedback, support and community. And guess what, most of the work you get will come from your community, so get cultivating friendships and relationships with the people that inspire you, inspiration can only lead to fabulosity with lashings of feel good wonder.
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
2. Ready for your Spotlight?
Occasionally, if you’ve had a lot of performance experience or at least beginner level burlesque experience you can skip Showtime and go straight to Spotlight. And if you’ve just graduated from Showtime, The Spotlight Advanced Course is the next step. Why does the Spotlight course have such success? Because it’s 12 classes running over 12 weeks completely dedicated to you creating your solo act and not just a solo burlesque act but an act that reflects the uniqueness of you. Then add on a tonne of support from Master class teachers like award winning Aurora Galore and supremely talented striptease teacher Felicity Furore. Your peer group, your lead teacher and the cheekette community (find out more about them here) all leading you to your Spotlight debut at a well known Burlesque or Theatre Venue.
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
3. Lights Camera Action
So now you’ve created an act you love, you’ve finished the course and graduated with sparkle honours.
How do you go about getting your first burlesque gig. The very first things you will need is a video of your act and photos. Which is why we offer the opportunity to have your act photographed and videod by some of the best in the business at a super discounted cheekette rate on your graduation night. Meaning you are ready to go. This is one of the best ways of promoting your act, plus you’ll be guaranteed good lighting and a great audience at a Cheek of It! Show. If you didn’t graduate with us then the very first thing you need to do is arrange a photoshoot and have your act filmed. Your video needs to look as professionally filmed and edited as possible to capture your work and help you stand out. These things can all add up, but without them you won’t get much further. Alongside performance shots, you will also need promotional shots. These can be in a studio or on location but they must be professional. Check our recommendations for videographers and photographers at the bottom of this blog.
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
4. Social Media Starlette
Now you’ve got your video and pictures, it’s time to set up your online presence, so much work and communication happens through social media you really can’t get by without it. The basics are Facebook and Twitter, set up a FB page and twitter handle for your burlesque persona. Set up a separate profile to connect with fellow performers and producers. Instagram is also wonderful capturing your creative costumes and new makeup styles. It’s important to be active daily, keep your content positive and inspiring and above all professional.
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
5. Getting Your Experience
It’s important to manage your expectations. For those of us who trained at drama or dance school, it’s a little known secret that you will do a lot of work for free, expenses or profit share when you first start. The same applies to burlesque. The more you are known and the more gigs you do, the sooner you are likely to start commanding a fee.
Here are a few places to get started. Very often Cheek of it graduates turned producers will come and watch your graduation show so you may get your first gig this way, but if not, consider entering a newcomers competition. The two most popular are Burlesque Idol and Infinitease. At the same time offer to stage kitten for other shows, Stage kitten is our name for a stage manager’s assistant. Normally you get to show off a bit of your character during your role and it’s a great way to meet producers and fellow performers. Enter Festivals, there are many across the UK, from the London Burlesque Festival every May to The North Wales Festival and one in Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. Connect with Cheekettes past and present, Big Sister/Brother Project, Burlesque jobs paid and unpaid on facebook and look out for opportunities to perform and get involved in productions and events
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
6. Cultivating Your skills and talent as a burlesque performer
As part of your on going development it’s important you develop your skills and cultivate your talent.
One of the biggest areas I’ve noticed that needs work is posture, poise and movement (unless you’ve spent years in ballet class or have a dance degree) it’s must, these skills make you look polished and help you compete alonsgside performers who have trained all their lives. it’s a great idea to go to a weekly, ballet, belly dance. jazz class or burlesque class, whatever style inspires you, but make it fun and maybe go with your fellow burly classmates. Alongside this, there are always master classes in Burlesque to help you cultivate your talent. From nipple tassel twirling to fan dance to fire breathing. And above all else, go and see as many shows as you can.
Credit: Tigz Rice Studios
7. Creating your burlesque brand
Once you’ve got a few gigs under your garter it’s a good idea to start thinking about your brand or what sets you apart. I see this very much as a process, rarely does a performer get this right straight away, finding out what you’re good at, what inspires you and what works for you is part of the adventure, don’t put pressure on yourself to be the complete package because over time it will become clear.
Keep note of what you like and don’t like, what lights you up and what doesn’t float your boat. Sooner or later your unique style, look and acts will make themselves known to you and the wider community.
8. Your Second Act
Most promoters will expect you to have two acts so you can appear twice in one show. This is why we created the Siren Course, The Siren runs for 6 weeks across the summer with a showcase aboard the famous Battersea Barge on the Thames. The point of this course is to give you the space, support and deadline to create your second act. Many students use this course to create their third or fourth act too. You can find out more about the Siren course here.
If you’re done with courses, there is nothing to stop you creating an act on your own and remember you still have the support of all the women you trained with to help you create something wonderful.
9. Don’t Make It About The Money
So when can you start getting paid? And what do you even charge? My general rule of thumb and what I was told, is start by making sure your fee covers your expenses, £50 for your travel, and any consumables.
After that £75-£150 is a pretty normal fee. Judge the style of the event you are asked to perform at. How much are the ticket prices, is it in a theatre or just above a pub. Often promoters and producers put on their own shows for the love of it and there just isn’t a lot of money to be made. Some shows however make a lot of money and you’re totally within your rights to be paid correctly. At a certain point like after a year you may decide you are no longer willing to work for free. This is a great decision to make but only if you’ve done all the above. Often after making such a decision you will start attracting better gigs and better money which is very satisfying. And if you can get some corporate or international gigs you can be charging anything for £150 to £500.
10. Behind the Glamour
At the Cheek of It! We create a warm and wonderful environment for you to experience burlesque and blossom into gorgeous performers. There are many events, nights, organisations, promoters, producers who will help and nurture you along your journey.
The Burlesque and Cabaret community is on the whole filled with amazing people dedicated to making great stuff happen and even greater friends along the way. However it would be naive to assume everybody has your best interests at heart. You must follow your gut, if you are asked to do something you are not comfortable with don’t do it, if you feel unsafe tell someone or leave, pay attention to your health and safety and check in with yourself whether a promoter/producer/venue feels trustworthy and like somewhere you want to perform with. And…..don’t give up your day job, burlesque is an art form and just like theatre or dance or singing or painting, very few actually make a full paying career out of it. Costumes, makeup, lessons etc all cost money, so for many burlesque starts and continues as a glamorous, hobby or part time job which pretty much pays for itself and for a few it can turn into a wonderful full time career but even those performers will take on costume making or teaching to help pay for the glitter.
11. That said…It’s totally worth it
It’s so worth it, I’ve seen this wonderful scene change so many women’s lives. Finding a creative outlet and bringing your dreams to life is priceless. Plus you will make a gazillion friends and have so much fun!! From confidence building to career changing, you will get so much out of your burlesque adventure.
An overview of how to become a burlesque performer
Ok, let’s sum up, take a class or as many as you need to create your first act. Get it photographed and filmed, add on some promotional shots. Set up your social media presence, enter a competition or three, offer to stage kitten or help out at shows. Chat, Chat, Chat with those who inspire you. When you can, create your second act, work on your brand and before you know it you’ll be gigging like a pro.
Myself and The Cheekette Girls wish you so much glitter and good times, we are proud of you and delighted for you for being brave enough to step up to your Spotlight, and regardless of whether you trained with us or not we are always at the end of the phone or email, happy to answer all your questions or point you towards the sparkle.
12. Recommended Links
For courses we recommend
Beginners Showtime
Advanced Spotlight
Super Advanced Sirens
For photographers we recommend
Tigz Rice tigzrice.com
Sin Bozkurt sinbozkurt.com
V’s Anchor Studio vastudio.co.uk
Grace Gelder gracegelder.co.uk
Cherry Bomb Rock cherrybombrock.com
Doll House Photography dollhousephotography.co.uk
For Video we recommend
Triple A Films tripleafilms.co.uk
Competitions
Burlesque Idol houseofburlesque.co.uk/burlesque-idol
Infinitease behindburlesque.co.uk
Festivals
London Burlesque Festival londonburlesquefest.com
Hebden Bridge Festival hebdenbridgeburlesquefestival.co.uk
North Wales Burlesque Festival northwalesburlesque.com
Begin Your Burlesque Journey Here
Our burlesque classes are all about feeling sexy and beautiful in yourself and letting that shine through. Want to know more?
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burlesque performanceburlesque tipsWhat it's like to be a burlesque artist – DIVOCHE.
MEDIA She usually leaves the stage wearing a feather crown and hardly any clothes, but this is not a striptease. Burlesque artist Anya Pavlova tells how it is to undress on stage in the name of art and what does feminism have to do with it.
I have always been a flirtatious girl. As a child, I wanted to be either a princess or a ballerina, sewing dresses for dolls and building eyes in the mirror. As a teenager, she became interested in retroculture, wore grandmother's dresses, so as not to be like everyone else. At the university I got into swing dancing, started listening to jazz and fell in love, it seems, for life. What interested me most in retroculture was the live entertainment of the early 20th century – vaudeville, cabaret and, of course, burlesque. This show is about women and their natural, imperfect beauty.
When I started, there were no burlesque classes in Moscow. I ordered instructional DVDs, watched endless hours of festival videos, traveled to see teachers, performed everywhere I could get my way.
And suddenly, a couple of years later, I discovered that now I myself am a burlesque artist and conduct classes myself. Of course, no career is built at the snap of a finger, but everything comes a little easier when your job is also your favorite hobby.
I remember that at first I didn't really want to undress, but then I decided why not. I was already good and smart, I received a diploma from the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, it's time to be beautiful and happy.
No, I don't fully undress. There are always small panties and stickers on the chest - pestis. That's how it happened historically, and I like it that way.
The most notable part of my work is performing in public shows and master classes. But, like any freelancer, a burlesque artist should not have free time, and if she does, then she is simply lazy.
When I'm not rehearsing or doing costumes, I write endless emails, compose texts for the website, listen to music for future numbers, plan publications on social networks, run around shops in search of rhinestones of the right shade or feathers of the right length .
The job of a burlesque artist has only become profitable for me in the last couple of years. Prior to that, I had invested in myself for a long time, costumes, props, photography and trips to festivals.
The main income is corporate parties and private events. It is these shows that feed the artists, and not performances in theaters and experimental productions. Of all the things I do, this is probably the most like a job, because almost every corporate event is preceded by long and painful negotiations. The organizer usually has his own vision of burlesque, so I regularly fan dance to the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby or Moulin Rouge. I also dance to Ivan Dorn, if the fee is decent.
Burlesque for me began with the realization that now I can invent costumes, dress up, make up like a princess, and even get paid for it. Therefore, the costumes are my favorite part of the behind-the-scenes work.
A burlesque costume is not just a stage attire, it is layers that complement each other, each of which should be interesting to the viewer while I take them off one by one.
I like to play with shape or color, when an oriental embroidered ensemble emerges from under a straight 20s-style dress, accentuating the curves of the body, or when a bright green shimmery dress is revealed under an all-black suit.
I would love to make a new suit a month, but then I would only be working for them. Decided to stay at two a year. So it turns out to pay for them, put them into rotation and not get tired of them.
I travel a lot with shows. She has performed in most European countries from big cities to small provincial towns, from Moscow to San Francisco and from Stockholm to Beirut. It's actually amazing how burlesque has a lot of fans among completely different people.
Best received by the audience, already familiar with the genre, in the capitals and big cities. On the other hand, I recently went on tour to Lebanon, where people have never seen anything like it, and we were received just amazing.
Different countries have different show etiquette.
Where Americans will shout, whistle and applaud, the post-Soviet audience, brought up by the theater and the conservatory, will hold their applause until the very end of the program, because for us to scream when something is happening on the stage is indecent.
As an artist, it was very difficult for me to accept that I will never be liked by everyone and everyone. There will always be those who consider me mediocre, ugly or unpleasant. Or considers my work something immoral.
For example, sometimes unfamiliar men come up to me and say that if I were their girlfriend or wife, they would definitely “not let me do this”. Maybe five years ago I would have been upset, but now I only realize better that I am on the right track. I show women that we can do whatever we want with ourselves.
Another funny comment: “But burlesque is not striptease, right?” And they add: “It’s better!” I know quite a lot of women who work in striptease, and I don’t feel at all that they are any better than them.
In many ways, the opposite is true - they work at a permanent place with a constant income and keep themselves in amazing shape. The only difference between them and me is that they interview me for magazines and print photos on posters. There is no moral superiority - both they and I undress in front of other people and get paid for it.
The most reserved audience is in Russia. Sometimes the audience comes up to me after the show and says they would be embarrassed to dance in front of other people and think it's vulgar to strip. I'm just surprised: these people paid money, came to the show and watched it to the end. Too bad they didn't like it, but it's great that they tried something new.
I was told that if I dance naked, no one will marry me. The statistics say the opposite: most of my colleagues are married, many with children. Being a burlesque artist is no stranger than being a jazz singer or performing in a circus.
My family are my biggest fans.
Mom always comes to the show when I perform in Moscow, my aunt and grandmother carefully read my instagram and are always happy to criticize in a friendly, but severe way. Of course, it took them several years to understand that burlesque is not just another strange hobby of mine, but a career that brings not only satisfaction and self-realization, but also money and some kind of fame.
I actually met my boyfriend when he came to a concert in Switzerland, where he lived then. He travels with me with pleasure when work permits, helps me choose the music for the numbers and supports me in every possible way.
I am gradually moving from Moscow to Berlin, where I have much more opportunities to grow and develop. The burlesque scene has existed there long enough to evolve from a subculture into an industry. They are waiting for me there, because, as it turned out, there is no one in Germany who would do what I do - burlesque in the style of the 1920s. If everything works out with this, I will finally be able to make numbers with large props, start producing my own show, maybe open a school and finally turn from a bohemian traveler into a real socialite.
Burlesque has a lower age limit of 18 because no show today will hire an underage artist. But the upper age threshold is something that each artist determines for herself.
The legendary Tempest Storm appeared on American television at the age of 53. Now almost 90, she looks stunning and travels to festivals as a guest star. There are those who decide at 35 that they want to devote themselves to their family, and those who are just starting their careers at 37. At almost 30, I am still one of the younger generation of European artists, where the average age is 35-37 years old.
Today's burlesque is an industry created by women for women. There are male artists, but they make up less than 20% of the scene. In the auditoriums in the West, too, there are always more women than men. Producers, photographers, costume designers, all predominantly women. In none of my jobs have I met such respect for the personal space of others, such support and such professionalism without unnecessary show-off.
Burlesque gave me confidence that “smart” and “beautiful” are not mutually exclusive qualities, that it is possible to combine the career of an artist and the important and wonderful work of a mother, that it is possible to be sexy in a chicken costume, that a woman’s life after 35 the years don't end.
Burlesque puts femininity at the forefront, but it's femininity on our own terms, and it's amazing to realize that.
Unfortunately, in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus there has not historically been a burlesque scene, just as there has not been (at least in the last 90 years) cabaret accessible to the general public. Therefore, the scene is only being formed, it is happening before our eyes. In Russia at the moment there are no more than 12 artists for the whole country, in Ukraine, as far as I know, there are none at all. But it’s too early to be upset, there is definitely an interest, and girls from different parts of Ukraine and Russia regularly write to me, telling me how they are interested in burlesque and hope to start performing soon.
It took 12 years for burlesque to become a popular pastime in Finland. And for some reason it seems to me that burlesque will definitely take root in Ukraine. I lived in Kyiv for a while and, together with my friend, came up with the Kyiv Burlesque Academy project, so now I visit Ukraine from time to time with master classes.
I would very much like to bring a real big show from Europe to show real burlesque to the surprisingly open Kyiv public. It's up to you to finally find a sponsor.
Germans discovered Burleske - DW - 07/12/2013
Photo: Leon Neak/AFP/Getty Images
Catherine Erdman, Natalia KorolevaJuly 12, 2013
The once popular burles in Germany. "He helps us feel like women," - this is how the German woman explains her passion for this erotic dance.
https://p.dw.com/p/18xep
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Summer evening. Ten dazzling women gathered in the hall of a small dance school, located on one of the streets of the Hamburg entertainment center - the famous St.
Pauli district. Bright spicy dresses with corsets and revealing necklines, stockings with garters, shoes with high heels - well, just like cabaret artists!
In fact, they don’t dress up like that for ordinary classes: everything is limited to tops, jeans and flat shoes. But today is a showcase. In addition, burlesque is to be danced, and is it possible to imagine it without glamor!
Provocation dance
On a table in the corner are two bottles of champagne and several dishes of homemade cakes. "It's for the mood," a charming trainer who calls herself Miss Goldfish explains with a smile, and then initiates us into the history of burlesque.
The word "burlesque" comes from the Italian "burlesco" - "joking", "parodic". Actually, the dance called "burlesque" is a show reminiscent of the genre of cabaret or vaudeville. You need to dance it sensually, erotically, coquettishly, playfully, invitingly - to tease the viewer. With its features, burlesque is similar to a striptease, but the dancer performing it is not naked, but only, as it were, makes fun of the viewer - exaggeratedly flaps her eyelashes, deliberately wags her hips.
Among those gathered at the Hamburg dance school are representatives of various professions, from nursing home nurses to business consultants. Why did they get into burlesque? As it turned out, everything is simple: in this dance you can fully reveal your emotions, femininity, sexuality, throw out the accumulated energy, which is completely out of place at work. In the service, you need to behave with restraint, correctly, but here - please, come off to the fullest, no one will give you a puzzled look.
With all features
However, learning how to dance this 1930s and 40s style comedy dance is by no means easy. First you need to work on your image, the teacher emphasizes.
According to her, a burlesque dancer should look catchy: a defiant outfit, bright makeup, a high hairstyle styled with waves and curls and emphasizing the beauty of the neck and shoulders.
An integral part of a burlesque performer's wardrobe is a cone bodice with pointed cups.
It is important that with each movement the chest bounces amusingly: this will cause laughter in the hall and emphasize the comedy of the performance, emphasize its conventionality, the coach explains.
half joking half serious
But it's time to start. However, before starting the dance, the teacher works out with the wards the elements characteristic of him - first of all, the "shameless" swaying of the hips and chest.
She also teaches dancers the art of taking off long black gloves correctly - carefully, slowly, erotically pulling each finger in turn and at the same time flapping long "doll" eyelashes.
Photo: Golden Treasure At the end of this short workout, the teacher presses the button of the CD player - and the sound of perky music instantly fills the hall. The trainer sets the tone: a slow turn of the head, a half-toned, half-sly look from under fluffy eyelashes, the straps of the bodice seem to fall by chance, the legs start dancing.
