| Empowering, energizing, quirky, tantalizing, seriously fun and bloody good exercise is what I now relate Burlesque with.
When I first came to know of Burlesque it got my curiosity aroused; no witticism intended…
I enjoyed the brief scenes that I had glimpsed. Meaning, I particularly enjoyed the costumes, the glamour, the styling, was rather entertained by the 'naughtiness', and was quite partial to the music that caught my ears awareness.
But, I really didn’t give it much further consideration and it was promptly forgotten about. This was quite a number of years ago and now I find myself being drawn to active participation in Burlesque for all of the above reasons and more!
My original thoughts of Burlesque were that an 'out-there' personality type was needed to be involved. I always thought that Burlesque was for those not of faint-heart and instead, for those that are ballsy and extremely open in flaunting their sexuality and femininity. I most certainly did not think of it as a legitimate exercise or dance form, or as an activity someone of a more demure nature might one day participate in. Reservations now overthrown, I find myself beginning to be governed by a different school of thought surrounding Burlesque.
It is too easily associated with 'stripping' and stripping it is definitely not. In fact it doesn't even come close to stripping. Vintage glamour, sophistication and little bit of fantasy are what you should associate with Burlesque. It is an art form that was used to entertain and 'tease' its audiences through dance and musicality. It advanced alongside cabaret and vaudeville and evolved into performance that contained comedy, theatrical elements and cheeky dance. It has a history, just like all other art forms do, making it an authentic and valid skill to learn.
What makes modern day Burlesque stand out is that it celebrates real women with real bodies, who want to celebrate their femininity no matter how close or far from a long-legged, towering, pristinely proportioned, size 8 they may be. Aside from all the celebrating, it is jolly good exercise and is a good jolly laugh! You can feel confident about doing Burlesque whether socially with friends or own your own, because you are sure to meet others who just like you and me, will find themselves empowered and liberated, which in turn stimulates common ground for establishing new, lasting or not, acquaintances and friends.
Then there are the added benefits of getting in some exercise. Not to turn yourself into afore mentioned super model shape, but to give your health a boost in an enjoyable way. Lets face it, there is just simply no escaping the fact that exercise is needed for ALL to maintain well-being both physically and mentally. Any information tid-bits on health in all its forms and sources, testify to regular exercise. So, I liken Burlesque to discovering a "delicious" chocolate tasting milkshake, without the "yet nutritious" part. You know instantly that the "yet nutritious" description will completely deny your taste buds the 'delicious' part. But, Burlesque is the delicious milk-shaking experience where the new tagline "AND nutritious" actually applies and does not negate the delicious! Burlesque gives your body a dynamic workout, for the voluptuous and lean alike, without even realizing it because of the immense amusement and vibrancy you will gain from it.
I sincerely hope that when you think of Burlesque you won't shy away from it as though it is a distasteful activity. It is absolutely, for anyone and everyone; I have very seriously been considering even taking my mother along to a class, to revitalise her social and physical lifestyle.
It's really not as hard as you think it is to shimmy, and Burlesque is a classy act of popular culture to get you shimmying and shaking and awakening the senses of fun, sensuality and fitness!
By Sareena Barnes
If you want to give Burlesque a go and know more about classes near you, I would recommend visiting our website
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