Catch up with Ash the Queen of Sass - Creating a burlesque solo
“Ash THE QUEEN OF SASS is the party you have been waiting for”
This is kind of my ongoing series of exceptionally sporadic posts - catching up with performers who have been involved in the Act Development Course.
This year, I’ve been able to offer it in two parts of the year, with performers having about 3-4 months to workshop an act from start to stage!
Not a newbie to the stage by any means, Ash (THE QUEEN OF SASS) stuck her hand up to be involved.
This was pretty exciting.
I can tell that Ash is someone that really jumps in with a passion (evidenced in her bio!). Within a week of sending a message to my Facebook page, she was booked in for our Wednesday night classes, Chair Dancinc course and had signed up to do her first solo. Phew!
“Seeing a burlesque show for the first time many years ago and being in absolute awe of the performers and costumes. At the stage in my life, I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it but I knew that one day I would.
I then saw Miss Kitty Meow through social media and thought to myself I’d love nothing more to join her classes and embrace my passion for dance and my love off taking my clothes off! “
Definitely the right attitude to have, and Ash is definitely someone in her own words that knows she loves performing, with “ the stage (her) favourite place in the world”
(Photo: Ash the Queen of Sass)
Be kind to yourself and if you have movements of doubt, back yourself and remember that as humans we shine when pushed out of our comfort zones- Ash the Queen of Sass
No stranger to performing, with a bunch of dancing experience doing a solo definitely has it’s challenges.
I think it’s definitely a misconception that you have to be a great dancer or have a dance background to perform burlesque. As Ash says,
“ I was always taught to keep your eyes on the judge and audience engagement was non-existent. I had to remove this thinking and when choreographing think about how I would provoke and engage with the audience.”
And of course pretty easy for old self doubts to creep in - even with experienced performers.
“I’ve had to be strong and positive in my thinking and remind myself that I have every right to embrace my body and my sassy traits and to let these shine through in my solo.”
“Through our workshops I’ve really appreciated learning how to prep on performance day and knowing what you need so that mentally your in the best place possible to perform.”
Ongoing practice and a few more workshops in the pipeline, and Ash will be ready to debut her solo at our mid year Burlesque Showcase. I can’t wait for you to celebrate her journey!