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…
New to Burlesque
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Enjoy this New Year message from the heart and mind of Lola Frost… My greatest fear is holding back. The holding back of any expression possibly lost due to fear and the…
by Lola Frost. There is a danger to the word sexy. It’s like a preloaded gun that someone handed to you to use but you didn’t ask for it in the first…
When I was eight years old, I told my mother I wanted to be a stripper. She looked at me with her young and caring eyes, wise past her years, and simply…
A thought-provoking piece from UK performer Miss Glory Pearl. Please feel free to comment on this article in the comments section below… The Burlesque Community; it’s an odd phrase. There’s no denying…
by Penny Starr Jr. This post is coming, in part, from two articles written recently about burlesque. The first is the ‘State of the (Burlesque) Union Address’ from last year’s BurlyCon, as…
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…
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.
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…