Burlesque is its own world entirely – a world full of glamour and glitz! It is full of high heels, corsets, garters, stockings, leather, lace, fringing… and teasing. At the very heart of burlesque is movement and dance, combined with amazing costumes, stage confidence and characterisation! I love burlesque for so many different reasons, the way it makes me feel, the way I can inspire an audience, and the way that other burlesque performers inspire me.

My favorite part of burlesque is when I take to the stage… I can hear the music and feel the energy running through my body, and my audience is enraptured by the beauty and the grace of my dance moves! I love having the audience gasp, laugh, and cry along with me as I twirl in front of them. They have no idea how hard I have worked for this short routine! They have no idea how many hours I’ve spent in classes, choreographing, costuming, and of course practising. Thankfully, my dance training comes in very handy in the wonderful world of burlesque!

I have been a trained in ballet since a very young age, as well as studying jazz, hip hop, acrobatics, cheerleading, contemporary, lyrical and pole dancing. I find that my dance education is so useful and crosses over really easily to burlesque. I can combine my ballet training by prancing across the stage in beautiful pointe shoes, ever the epitome of grace and elegance. I can use my jazz training by spinning around and around, by kicking my long legs right up to the roof, with so much energy and attitude. I can incorporate my acrobatics and cheerleading training by tumbling through the audience, upside down for half of a routine, my body in crazy positions for the other half. Burlesque is the most exciting, glittery, amazing, sexy style!
Whenever I watch a burlesque performer, I am always so in awe of their confidence! Most burlesque routines build to the final ‘reveal’, and in order to win the audience over, you have to believe in yourself, and be confident in your act. Performing burlesque is such an empowering feeling, you are in complete control – I can choose how I look, what I wear, how I have my hair, what layer of clothing I take off first, what I’m going to do at this point in the music, what my ending pose will be… the list of freedoms is so endless and exciting!

I find that the audience of burlesque shows are predominantly women and are always very respectful and appreciative of the performer and their amazing art. The burlesque community as a whole is so inviting and friendly, to people of all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t matter what you look like, as long as you shake what you’ve got and give it your all on stage! It doesn’t matter if you’ve had any dance training before, or if you’re completely new to performing… Burlesque is for everyone!

Burlesque has brought so many things to my life… the most important one being a sense of acceptance and inner confidence which I’ve never had before! It really emphasises just how powerful a woman who is sexually confident can be! We can be soft and feminine, whilst at the same time, maintaining the strength and confidence that it takes to dance in front of so many people. We can be silly, smart, sexy, confident, beautiful, funny, strong and sensual all at once!

Make sure you try burlesque at least once in your life. You will be hooked straight away… just like I was!

xox Bambi