Art of Burlesque Vol III

 

Tips

Choose heels that you can walk in.
If you intend on taking them off, stay away from buckles and lots of laces!
When choosing music, make it subtle and provocative.
A good strip is not about stripping.
Find a prop, a signature if you like, that will make your dance memorable! (i.e. Dita’s Martini Glass, Sally Rand’s Feather fans…)
Use all the space available to you.
Don’t just stand in one place, move around and make eyes follow you.
For choreography,remember your hands and arms! They can often swing around or look limp, always be aware of your fingers too.
I prefer to use ballet-style guidelines when it comes to hands and arms. The arms should be graceful! Remember the shape of your legs and where your feet go. Try to keep feet poised together, and never point a foot inwards. Keeping your legs together is classic burlesque!
Remember also to keep your posture.
Bad posture makes a dancer look awkward.
It’s all about being sexy and seductive with class and elegance so only show as much skin as you are comfortable with.

Look to ballet and jazz and ballroom dancing for inspiration. You can incorporate elements of classic dance such as jazz, ballet, the elegance of ballroom, belly dancing, and even the can can!
Go nuts with experimenting and making sure you can comfortably do it in your costume and shoes!