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Burlesque dancing 101
Indulge your wild side while getting fit with this risqué workout
By Dayna Boyer
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Burlesque dancing is like wearing fancy lingerie under your business clothes: it's a fabulous little secret just for you. What other workout lets you sport feathered fans, garter belts, or tassels (for the really brave) while you strengthen your core muscles? And, thanks to the momentum of The Pussycat Dolls and Dita Von Teese, the burlesque revival has hit the mainstream with classes offered across Canada at various dance studios.
Burlesque has a long, and fascinating history in Canada. In 1898 when gold was discovered in the Yukon, burlesque performers made their way north to perform in saloons with performance names like: Diamond Lil', Diamond-Toothed Gertie, and The Oregon Mare. And, in 1913 the first burlesque house, The Dominion Theatre (also known as Le Figaro), opened in (none other than) Montreal, Quebec.
So, whether you're performing for a crowd or just one lucky viewer, it's an incredibly empowering experience to hold a captive audience. Burlesque is more about concealing rather than revealing everything right away; a tantalizing performance is one of the key ingredients in good burlesque dancing.
"It's nice to have a little surprise for an audience of one at the end of the day when you might want to reveal a little tassle-twirl or a great bump-and-grind number. It's great to have these secrets; I think that these little delicious feminine mysteries often get lost along the way. Everybody needs to indulge their alter ego every once in awhile," says performer and burlesque teacher Nikola Steer (alter ego: Coco Framboise). Steer first started performing and teaching burlesque about four years ago when she saw a show in Toronto. After years of dance training she knew this would be her calling, and she started working elements of burlesque into dance routines.
Her burlesque classes offer an opportunity for people to indulge in the feathers, fans, sequins and glamour without a huge time or monetary investment. Steer teaches eight different classes (with more constantly being added as demand increases) in Toronto with scintillating names like: Bump N' Grind Bombshell, Burlesque for Boudoir (hat & tie), Golden Gams Chair Dance, and The Great Tassle Twirl. Each class is just one hour-long session focusing on staple burlesque moves using a prop (like a hat and tie, or a chair) for $20 a class. She teaches through both her own company, Boom Chika Boom and Superfly Dance Fitness, which both rent studio space in Toronto to facilitate classes.
She says the bump n' grind class is a great workout for your core muscles. The class focuses on some basic burlesque dance steps minus any props. However, don't be fooled, the class is a mean workout for your abs, buns, and thighs. It's an hour-long dance session performed on your toes that will have you shimmying (and sweating) all over the place. And a class that will give your triceps a run for their money is the fan class dance class. You will be provided with feathered fans for the class and learn either one dance routine or a few short routines, practicing revealing selective body parts and twirling the fans like a pro. And although those fans look light and dainty, your arm muscles really start to ache after waving them around for an hour.
Image of Dita von Teese at Fashion Cares 2007 in Toronto, courtesy of WireImage.com
Would you try Burlesque dancing? Chat about it in our forums!
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