Meet our newest performer making a solo burlesque debut!
“Still, some parts stay the same, their peculiar and darkly funny way of storytelling and his preoccupation with purple.
Expect to be unexpectedly turned on by a myriad of creatures and their weird and wonderful stories.”
Get ready to catch up our latest performer making a burlesque debut at our end of year Burlesque Showcase!
Our latest performer is the Changeling (he/him and they/them pronouns thank you!)
You might have glimpsed them onstage at our past shows and been blown away by their stage presence.
I was curious how they first got interested in burlesque:
There are sometimes brief glimpses in movies of a feather or some rhinestones as a scantily clad performer breezes in, and then quickly out of frame, leaving the audience slack-jawed and not exactly sure of what they just witnessed.
I always wanted to know the performer, why they started dancing, and how they came up with the ideas for their acts. That’s when I realised that I wanted to be a performer. Every aspect of burlesque fascinates me, from the costuming to its particular brand of wit. I also wanted to know and love my body, like the performers that I saw seemed to know and love theirs.
It has been amazing to see their confidence develop and grow between performances, and to see and hear how that has impacted on their decision to take up a solo debut:
My confidence has grown over the last three years of taking burlesque classes and performing in student showcases, so that feeling of self-assuredness played a large part in deciding to perform solo.
I really love the Changeling’s feeling that you also need a drive of something to challenge yourself:
The other feeling that drove me was fear. Because often the things that really matter to us are the things we’re s#it scared of. I also love little goals in order to get to the bigger ones, so I decided once I could freestyle dance burlesque I was ready to create an act.
Interested in performing yourself? Let’s get the Changeling’s answer to some quick fire tips and ideas!
What advice would you give to anyone trying a solo or interested in starting burlesque?
The things I struggle with the most when trying to create or achieve things are motivation, procrastination, and perfectionism. So I would recommend creating smaller, achievable goals that move you gradually toward a larger dream.
If you’re a lists person, or even if you're not, a list with smaller goals that you can accomplish and cross off in the short term can help you feel a sense of achievement and momentum.
What are you most looking forward to about the performance?
I am looking forward to expressing my humour, creativity, storytelling, eroticism, aesthetic, characterisation, self-love, darkness, passion, and flexibility to a room full of strangers.
Photo: Neil Buonaccorsi