3 reasons to try burlesque this New Year!

Have you ever thought of trying burlesque ? Maybe it’s been on your ‘to do’ list for a while? Or you saw something pop up on social media and thought “that sounds fun!”

I’m here to convince you with three great reasons why you won’t regret giving it a go!

Reason #1 - You get to learn something new

It’s always good to challenge yourself and try new things.

It’s easy as adults to get into a rut and focus on doing the same thing all the time. While I’m biased and think burlesque is great fun, this could apply to any hobby that you have wanted to try.

Worse case scenario? You don’t enjoy it and don’t enrol again for another course. Best case scenario is that you find a new hobby or passion that can bring some joy into your life. And you get to make some new friends or build your friendship circle - which can be great if you have moved cities, changed jobs or have just lost a lot of those adult friends as you have gotten older.

Burlesque students in our Moonah studio (circa 2018)

Reason #2 - Most classes are inclusive and will build body acceptance

I’m always really loathe to say that burlesque = body confidence. There’s no guarantee that you will magically become more satisfied or body confident from turning up to a class. Undoing that little voice in your head that says “I’m not enough” is a constant work in progress. I often wonder if it the work will ever be complete to be honest!

BUT. Having said that, you will find most classes are inclusive and will have students from so many backgrounds, ages, genders, shapes and sizes. I find something really inspiring and beautiful about the mix of people we have in our burlesque school. It definitely encourages you to remind yourself that beauty and sexiness are in everyone, and you get to see first-hand people enjoying themselves and enjoying discovering that sexy alter ego or inner superstar.

Reason #3 - You can rediscover some creativity

I find it really strange that we are always so quick to encourage kids and young people to pursue creative interests - be it music lessons, dance classes, singing, painting. Then something seems to happen when we turn 18 and we become ‘adults’. It’s like if you don’t pursue that hobby professionally or become the best at it, that the artistic side of our lives slip away.

I can say from experience that I was a dancer growing up. But while I was a hard worker, I wasn’t ever the BEST at it. But I really enjoyed it. However, once I left year 12 a lot of the dancers I grew up with kind of moved on to other things - be it university, jobs, relationships. So it seemed kind of natural that I didn’t keep going. Something I do really regret. It wasn’t until I discovered burlesque in my mid-twenties, that I realised how much I missed this part of my life. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way.

Burlesque can be an amazing creative outlet. You can have fun with your own choreography. Explore an alter ego or character as much as you want. And then there’s the costuming! Even if you don’t want to perform or get on stage, there’s nothing stopping you adding a bit of sparkle to your dance shoes or wearing some fancy tights. And of course dressing up to attend a burlesque show can be super fun!

Burlesque friends, Tiger Lilly and Scarlett Jezebel

Photo: Neil Buonaccorsi

Convinced?

Make sure you go and explore classes in your area. Or check out mine here!