Burlesque Tutorials

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Burlesque tutorials. Burlesque Costume Tutorials. Burlesque Performer Tutorials. Burlesque Tips.

Video Tutorial: Burlesque Makeup for Brown Skin

Hi! My name is Red Tongued Raven. I’m so thrilled to partner with 21st Century Burlesque Magazine to bring you my burlesque makeup tutorial for brown skin. When I first started doing burlesque I couldn’t find makeup tutorials for brown skin, so I created this to help others like me. If you have brown skin…

A Technical Guide for Teaching On-Demand, LiveStream and Socially-Distanced At Same Time

After a year full of tiresome adaptations, I want to stop and share what I’ve learned teaching burlesque online at Arabesque Burlesque. Despite a ton of free resources online and a partner who works in tech, it took us more than six months of trial and error to get here. At the beginning of the…

How to Rhinestone a Burlesque Costume – and help Black Performers Shine On

As the global burlesque scene tries to survive and adapt in this unprecedented and uncertain time, one Black-owned business is keeping the sparkle and showbiz alive. Founded in 2015 by burlesque performer Nona Narcisse and her husband, Jason, rhinestone supplier Looking Glass Gems works closely with an exclusive, family-owned manufacturer which ensures exceptional quality, unique…

The Ultimate Burlesque Costume Lingerie Guide – In Intimate Detail

From Lydia Thompson’s scandalous hosiery and Tempest Storm’s net bras, to Dita and D’Lish unlacing corsets, and Michelle L’amour’s panther claw merkin, burlesque performers throughout history have played an important role in showcasing lingerie and its ability to celebrate an individual’s physicality, sexuality and personality. Cora Harrington is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Lingerie…

10 Burlesque Costume Tips for DIY Performers

Christina Manuge is one of the most in demand costume wizards in burlesque. So who better to deliver 10 DIY costume tips for burlesque performers? Read on for the full down-low.

Burlesque Festivals: A History

Burlesque Festivals! They are the structure behind our scene, the canvas against which we can most fully display our artistry. They give us stages big enough for our most elaborate props, our fanciest choreography and our biggest costumes. We are well lit, photographed and filmed, feted by the audience and noticed by our peers. This…

Burlesque Fan Dancing: Feathers and Fantasy

A history of burlesque fan dancing, from traditions and techniques to dazzling innovations.

Cultural Appropriation in Burlesque: What is Harmful, and Why?

Hello readers. My name is La Viola Vixen, an Australian burlesque performer based in Berlin. I am writing this from the perspective of an individual who represents the majority of the burlesque community because I am white, privileged, young, female and able-bodied. Those words and their truths reflect that we have a lot of work…

Burlesque Costume Storage Guide: How to Store and Care for your Burlesque Costumes

Behold! The Burlesque Costume Closet of your Dreams! Dinah Might is known for the immaculate condition of her high-end costumes. She acquired two of Catherine D’lish’s original, iconic costumes in an ebay auction in 2011, including ‘That Big Black Dress’ (Catherine and Dita Von Teese – who has a matching dress – even performed duos…

7 Ways to Compliment Burlesque Performers

If you’re a burlesque dancer, Lort knows you’ve encountered all sorts of feedback on your acts/self as a performer. From the gushing super fans, the ‘but-what-do-your-parents-thinkers’, to the compli-sulters (my word for when someone tries to compliment you but ends up insulting you – ‘You’re so brave to be that big of a slut onstage!’).…

11 Burlesque Commandments for 2017

In 2017, Burlesque TOP 50 big-hitter Bella Blue challenges you to swear on your pasties the following commitments to yourself:

Costume and Conversation with Burlesque Legend Bic Carrol

Electra Mourning recounts an unforgettable learning experience at the Austin Academy of Burlesque in August, where she attended Costuming Tips and Tricks with burlesque legend Bic Carrol.   I was extremely nervous about taking a costuming class with Bic Carrol. His reputation as a two-time recipient of the Las Vegas Costumer of the Year award…

10 Steps to Classic Burlesque Superstardom – The Ultimate Masterclass

Classic burlesque striptease, when done well, captivates and excites me as much as it did over ten years ago when I arrived on the scene. And yet a number of people approach me at shows and message me to complain about how boring and bland classic burlesque is now, rolling their eyes at the sea…

Burlesque Performers: Know When To Share Your Spotlight

As burlesque artists, we rarely do it all on our own. We still have photographers to make us look good, designers to make our shows stand out, costume designers to help us look fabulous on stage, or the plenty of other behind the scenes jobs that help us be the performers we are. I have…

Burlesque Costume Tutorial: Tricks With Tights

In a new series on 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, fabulous costumer, blogger and performer Viv Clicquot shares valuable tips and tricks, continuing with Tricks With Tights!  (P.S. Looking for some stunning lingerie to go with those tights? There’s only one place to go…) The topic of today’s post is one of the very reasons I…

How to Make a Show-Stopper Costume for £3.49

Hula Hooper extraordinaire Helen Orford shares her beautiful bargain costume creation! For the past few months I’ve been getting lots of requests for a 1920’s/Great Gatsby themed act, and for the most part I forwarded on the details of other performers who have such acts as I didn’t want to fork out for a new…

Burlesque Costume Tutorial: Rhinestone Application Hints

  In a new series on 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, fabulous costumer, blogger and performer Viv Clicquot shares valuable tips and tricks, continuing with tackling those pesky rhinestones! So this is a post about the things I learned the hard way when it comes to using Gem-Tac to apply rhinestones.  In chatting with other performers,…

Burlesque Costume Tutorial: Stage Worthy Footwear

In a new series on 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, fabulous costumer blogger and performer Viv Clicquot shares valuable tips and tricks, starting today with showstopping shoes! Hiya!  So today’s post is about how to turn street shoes into super glam performance shoes.  If you have a pair of shoes that fit great, you can move…

Connecting The Dots: Making Smooth Transitions In Your Burlesque Dance

Princess Farhana, a guest of honour at BurlyCon 2014, has performed, taught, researched and written about belly dance and burlesque since 1990.  Now, 21st Century Burlesque Magazine can bring you the best of her guides and tutorials right here, continuing with a guide to making smooth transitions in your burlesque choreography… Transitions are the unsung hero in…

Tina Topago’s Guide to Burlesque Stage Kittening

Martina Naccari – aka Tina Topago – who has worked with Italian burlesque agency Voodoo De Luxe since 2013, shares her tips for becoming a sought after stage kitten… I wasn’t born a stage kitten and no one ever taught me how to do it, but in my experience of ‘kittening’ I’ve seen the weirdest things…

Special Feature: Supporting Recovery in the Burlesque Community

The burlesque community is driven and exuberant. We push ourselves to bring our fabulous visions to life. We entertain audiences well into the wee hours of the morning at bars, theatres and performance spaces around the world. We work hard and we’re known to party hard. Sometimes too hard. And sometimes, too often. And sometimes,…

The Top 20 Burlesque Articles of 2014 on 21st Century Burlesque Magazine

As we kick off a New Year – and wait for the Burlesque TOP 50 results – here is a chance to catch up on some essential burlesque reading. Here are your 20 most popular burlesque articles on 21st Century Burlesque Magazine in 2014 (all articles open in a new window)… 1. Burlesque Dancer Banned…

Jo Weldon: The Value of Burlesque

Following Dangrrr Doll’s piece earlier this week on The Cost of Burlesque, Jo Weldon presents The Value of Burlesque… Learning that you must GIVE value as well as HAVE value will help you to understand how to price your work in a way no amount of number crunching ever can. The past few weeks there…

12 Tips on Supporting Friends in Burlesque Competitions

12 Tips on Supporting Friends in Burlesque Competitions, by Jo Weldon. In the world of burlesque, ballyhoo is part of the fun. Taglines and titles pique the audience’s curiousity and make for vivid introductions by emcees. Pageants and competitions offer opportunities to make things up and then invent value for them. It should always be…

Bella Blue’s Top 10 Guide to Best Burlesque Behaviour

I have been doing burlesque for almost eight years now. That, by no means, makes me some sort of expert. I feel like I am always learning something with every corner I turn. However, it has allowed for a lot of experience in the last eight years. I have travelled all over the United States…

Breaking Bad: Getting Rid of Pesky Performance Habits

Princess Farhana, a guest of honour at BurlyCon 2014, has performed, taught, researched and written about belly dance and burlesque since 1990.  Now, 21st Century Burlesque Magazine can bring you the best of her guides and tutorials right here, starting with a guide to tackling bad performance habits… We all love to watch a dancer…

Burlesque 101: Costume Fastenings

In a new series on 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, Burly Baker Jenni Fleur Silver guides you through burlesque essentials, reaching out to some of our brightest burlesque stars for their expertise and opinion. First up is a highly informative discussion about costume fastenings…   Since I’ve dipped my toe back into the burlesque water, I’ve…

Between the Sheets: 7 Ways to Seduce Your Audience

Burlesque songstress Miss Polly Rae, star of West End hit The Hurly Burly Show and Between the Sheets, shares her tips for keeping an audience tantalised and titillated. You can watch Polly Rae, Kitty Bang Bang and cast in action at London Wonderground next month; see below for details… Create A Welcoming Environment Entice your…

GLITTER CRASH: Burlesque Festivals and how to Survive Post Art-um Depression

The fabulous Penny Starr Jr. is back with a piece on why you should go to burlesque festivals, and how to survive the post-fest glitter crash… If you haven’t been to a burlesque festival, what are you waiting for? Being in one should always be an honour, but even if you are not in one,…

What to Expect at a Typical Burlesque Show

What to Expect at a Typical Burlesque Show, By Dr. Lucky. I’ve been deeply ensconced in burlesque for a while, and I’m constantly reminded that not everyone is privy to my insular world.  So I wrote this as an introduction to those who may be curious or interested or concerned.  This list is in no…

Lolo Brow’s Guide to Deranged Disrobing.

I am a neo-burlesque artist, drag king and freakshow artist. I am sometimes known for my frantic antics on stage, but mostly for my love for distorting myself. I am often asked by audience members: ‘You are not bad looking. Why don’t you do classic?’  Firstly, I love classic; it’s graceful, elegant, sexy, but most…

Ivy Wilde: Facebook and Burlesque – Is It Bad for Business?

Ivy Wilde examines the effect of social media on the profile of burlesque and asks if Facebook and Burlesque are always compatible and used appropriately… Social media has been a huge contributing factor to the rise of the burlesque scene in the UK, but is it bad for burlesque business? It has just as many…

Booty Beauty Tips from Viral Video Vixen Michelle L’amour

Miss Exotic World 2005 and viral video sensation Michelle L’amour delivers her booty beauty tips, and you can now order Booty Lab, her fabulous new instructional DVD, below. As my tagline says, I am ‘The Ass that goes POW!’  What does that mean?  I suppose you just don’t see it coming.  Sweet smile and a…

Ivy Wilde: Burlesque Fees If You Please

Ah, the F word. There’s a lot of mystery around the amount performers charge for their services. It is often a taboo subject; I have had people whisper to me how much they are getting paid and feel incredibly guilty about it, like they’re telling me their deepest darkest secret. So here are some things…

Nasty Canasta: End of Year Burlesque Self-Assessment

Nasty Canasta invites you to undertake an End of Year Burlesque Self-Assessment… 2013 Year-End Performance Review: Self-Evaluation (With thanks to the several naff business-form-online sites that provided inspiration and/or wording.) This Self Evaluation form is an opportunity for you to provide input into your Performance Review Process.*  The form assists you in focusing on specific…

Dangrrr Doll: 10 Thoughts on Burlesque Festivals

New York burlesque performer Dangrrr Doll shares her thoughts on burlesque festivals and how to make them enjoyable and worthwhile for performers… Over the course of the past year or two, I’ve been pretty critical of myself and my art and have been doing everything I can to improve (painful rewatchings of filmed rehearsals, gluing…

Burlesque Beauty: Melody Sweets

In my new Burlesque Beauty series, performers discuss their favourite beauty products, beauty regimes, indulgences and philosophy. Kitten De Ville opened the series, and next up is Absinthe burlesque star Melody Sweets… I discovered makeup at an early age. When I was a toddler of only 2-3 years old, my mother entered me in beauty…

Nasty Canasta: Dollar Store Showgirl

Is there any part of the USA yet left untouched by the magic of the dollar store? Be it the national Dollar Tree chain, the Crazy Dollar Daze! aisle of your local Legitimate Shopping Concern, or (my personal favourite) the random-mix-of-objects-involving-a-stunning-variety-of-languages-on-the-labels emporia that make up fully 89% of all retail establishments here in Brooklyn, these…

7 Toxic and Troublesome Burlesque Types and the Tips to Cope With Them.

The burlesque scene is bigger than ever and during your time performing you’re likely to come across lots of different types of people. Many performers find they make lifelong friendships backstage but you can also meet some toxic and troublesome types on your journey through the burly world. This post identifies seven of the most…

Jo Weldon: 10 of My Favourite Things About Tassel Twirling

Ten of My Favourite Things About Tassel Twirling: A Thought for Every Year I’ve Been Teaching it. 1. It’s fun to watch. It says, “Look at me! I’m having fun with my body!” And having fun is not just sexy, it’s the sexiest. 2. It reframes the meaning of mammaries. It provides a function in…

Folly Mixtures: 10 Things That Keep A Burlesque Troupe Together.

Liberty Sweet, a founding member of British burlesque troupe The Folly Mixtures, shares her tips for maintaining harmony on the road, in rehearsals, in business, and on stage. 1. Democracy If you’re running the troupe equally, introducing a majority vote system will save you all a shedload of time and strife. Pre-voting, it had been…

Coping With Burlesque Rejection

Burlesque festival season is upon us, and the sheer number of events happening across the globe these days is staggering — check out this fantastic resource of international festivals compiled by Ri Ri SynCyr. Thousands of performers are huddling over laptops filling out applications, and will wait with bated breath to see if they’re accepted…

Sydni Deveraux BQ Fit Tips #2: “Re-inflating a once juicy caboose”

Hi Sydni, I lost thirty pounds in the last year and a half or so, and went from a size 12 to a size 8. Unfortunately, a lot of it came from my T and A.  Do you have any workout tips for re-inflating a once juicy caboose?  I’m hoping to lose another twenty pounds…

Sydni Deveraux BQ Fit Tips: A QUICK AND DIRTY GUIDE TO GETTING AROUND IN A WEIGHT ROOM AND MAKING YOUR FITNESS STICK!

After getting so much positive response from my #BQfitTips that I post Monday-Friday mornings on my Twitter (@SydniDeveraux) and Facebook, I’ve been asked to do a more comprehensive bit on what I’ve been up to for the last year to get into the shape I have. I think it’s important to mention that I’ve been…

BURLESQUE-INOMICS: THE FINANCES OF BURLESQUE, by Penny Starr Jr.

Being in a tight economy can really take a hit on a budget showgirl or boy. Below are some money saving tips and some harsh economic truths. REPERTOIRE If you have a dozen acts but you’ve only been performing a year, that means one of two things:  1) you have the money and time to…

Penny Starr Jr: Navigating the Collaboration with a Costume Designer

As we all know, burlesque is very much a DIY community.  Part of what draws some of us to burlesque as an art form is the ability to play dress up; to make a costume more than the once a year Halloween party or Ren-Faire or Zombie Prom.  I firmly believe that all dancers should…

Burlesque Performer Vs. Stripper

You know the joke, right?  Q:  What’s the difference between a burlesque dancer and a stripper?  A: A stripper makes money. Of all the things in the world, why do Burlesque?  Sometimes, I’ll get an idea of some historic or cultural icon I’d like to see on stage.  Other times a song really makes me…

Burlesque Masterclass with Cabaret New Burlesque

Full details below… Covering everything from music selection, onstage persona and presence, to dancing in heels and some good old bump ‘n’ grind, this is a rare opportunity not to be missed! Price: £45 Workshop Location 39 – 51 Highgate Road, London, NW5 1RT By Tube: The nearest tube station is Kentish Town which is…

10 Things You Can do to be a Better Burlesque Dancer

Burlesque dancers all fall into ruts. We get booked consistently, put on a good local show, but we don’t get challenged. And then we see that out of town burlesque dancer, or go to a festival and see the next level. And I don’t know about you guys, but there are a handful of burlesque dancers that have…

BVB: Doing Your Research (Part Two)

There’s so much information out there that it’s impossible to ever reach a point where you’ve read, seen and heard everything there is to know about burlesque. By keeping engaged with your art, you keep your ideas moving, you keep your inspiration fresh and you keep your passion alive. By sharing your research you also help to inspire others to do the same, to keep learning, growing and becoming a better performer.

BVB: Sequins and Rhinestones

I’ve been creating burlesque costumes by customising off-the-rack pieces for approximately four years. The hot-fix rhinestone applicator was one of the first tools of the trade I discovered via the burlesque community. I must say, my relationship with this dangerous wand has been turbulent. Since discovering hot-fix rhinestones, I’ve also experimented with regular rhinestones (fixed…

BVB: How to Make a Fan Dance Your Own…

Many performers find that during their burlesque career, they are specifically asked to perform a fan dance. With the proliferation of fan dances on the circuit, it’s common to feel a pressure to make such an act your own by adding your own mark to it. But as often happens, one runs the risk of…

BVB: So You Want to be A Headline Performer…?

I recently received the following question from a performer based in the Midlands, UK: “How do you make the jump from middle of the bill to top of the bill, it seems like an impossible glass ceiling?! I know myself and a few performers in the same position have pondered this a lot, be great…

BVB: How NOT to Apply for a Burlesque Job…

The combination of the popularity of burlesque, the financial crisis and the growing popularity of variety events means that the competition for burlesque jobs is tougher than ever. Emailing event promoters to ask for work is a popular way to get yourself known as a performer, but it’s also a tricky task to get just…

BVB: Doing your Research…

Introducing our Burlesque Correspondent, Beatrix von Bourbon, with the first in a series of guides and articles… Although that niggling voice in the back of your mind tells you that you really ought to research in order to develop your new act or general performance style, it can often be hard to know what to…