A Sultriness of Santas

...and please read that carefully. It was a "sultriness" and not a sluttiness"!

We had a lovely end of term class last night with Santa-themed outfits and tinsel galore. My, those bells were jingling as we shimmied our way through All That Jazz.



At one point I was thrilled with what felt like my suddenly-enhanced flexibility - I tell you, I was a bendy miracle in our floor routine!




And then it dawned on me... I was dancing in a daft little Santa frock with no structure to it whatsoever. I wasn't suddenly writhingly sinuous, I was just dancing without the firm restraint of a corset or a basque.

Oh.

Yours, preparing a delicious new routine for 2013. Have a glamorous Christmas!

Burlicious x

Treats and tribulations

So what's Santa bringing us and our showgirls? Well, we Burlicious three have started work on a new routine and we're bursting with sequinned pride over it. Can't wait to share it!

And the invitations to perform in 2013 are coming in already. Not that we love showing off, you understand, but it is nice to have a chance to beguile and bewitch an audience with our mouthwatering moves and our lovely lady curves every now and then.

It makes up for the odd attack of daftness, like the one I had this week - turning up for class minus my dancing heels. Like a trooper, I danced in what was available - the Sparkly Bra Pixie's little polka dot, flat and felty, house-slippers.

I doubt that this kind of slipper was what Cinderella's Fairy Godmother had in mind, though, as the finishing glamorous touch to her outfit.

Yours, grounded,

Burlicious x

Cheeky...in more ways than one

Back to All That Jazz last night for the first time since we performed it a year ago. It's a cheeky, sassy, sly wink of a number, and we love it to bits.

When our troupe turns around, I'm in the privileged position of seeing our showgirls from behind. At the risk of sounding as if I should be rustling in the bushes in a grubby mac, I must report that there are some seriously delectable rears swishing away under those boa tails.

What a rare treat it is to see woman-shaped women doing their thing!

Yours, embracing our curves,

Burlicious x

Cabaret carnage

Remember that childhood game where you run round and round a stick until you're dizzy, and then try to run in a straight line, to the hilarity of all spectators? Well, sometimes we dance a bit like that!

Having learnt the latest routine, we did as we normally do, which is to turn the whole class around and dance facing a different direction. As well as the disorientation that this produces, we had the challenge of a freestyle section, and the extra complication of parts of the routine where some of the troupe is dancing whilst others pose.

Result? Be-feathered and be-sequinned chaos - showgirls heading off in different directions; showgirls frozen to the spot having gone completely blank; gloves and boas all over the shop; and giggles and laughs aplenty. In short, an absolute tonic on a wet and windy night with the burly road-mending chaps working just outside our door.

Thanks, girls - you were brilliant!

Yours, still smiling,

Burlicious x

Fabulous freestyle

Some of our showgirls got their first taste of freestyle burlesque last night.

The old hands in the troupe have been here before and slipped easily into their "Pimps and Prostitutes" byplay. I'm delighted to report that our newer showgirls, after the first couple of startled, wide-eyed, Bambi faces, soon got the hang of it and made a delectable job of being working women selling their wares!

More challenging was the magical moment when the Burlicious team nearly became attached to each other at the hip while demonstrating a move. Sequinned leggings on the one married to fishnets on the other act as permanent sparkly velcro. I know we're close anyway, but we nearly had to dance together in a three-legged fashion for the rest of the night!

Yours, in sequinned bondage,

Burlicious x

Stamping our pretty little feet

Ooh, bad, brooding, and full of dark, dark promise...yes, we're back at class and dancing (El Tango de) Roxanne. It's a long time since we've done this one, but the sheer drama of it always makes us smile.

And that's a knowing, unrepentant, "bad girl" smile from under long, long lashes, natch.

What a treat it is to step into another persona every week and to strut about imperiously in high heels and a low corset.

We could get a taste for this dramatic swishing about. Work colleagues; loved ones; supermarket staff, bus conductors...be warned!

Yours, tossing our head in disdain,

Burlicious x

In the darkroom

Shhh! Just a whisper of a post this week, gorgeous readers. We don't want to disturb our very own Davida Bailey as she toils over the magnificent shots she took last night of us in our Halloween finest.

As soon as we have them, little snippets of feminine fabulousness will appear here on the blog...anonymised, of course, so you're not all pursued down the street by rapturous fans. We'll also pop them up on a web album and invite all our showgirls to view them.

Now you can show the Significant Other in your life photographic evidence that, when you creep out of the house looking gorgeous in your undies, you're actually coming to play with us!

Yours, purring over pictures,

Burlicious x

Stardom beckons!

A few practical things, showgirls, as we romp towards half term.

Weds 24 Oct - we'll start class with some Temptation - purely because it makes me want to clap my hands to see you dance it so beautifully. And as for our starfish finish....oh my! What a triumph!

Then we'll start Roxanne, so get ready to be dark, dangerous, delicious and just a little dirty.

After class we'll retire to the dressing room to glam up for our photo shoot. Bring accessories! Remember, ladies, this is purely optional so do feel free to skip off home if this doesn't appeal.

Weds 31 Oct - a nonentity of a day - no class.

Weds 7 Nov - gorgeousness returns. If you have been unlucky enough to miss a class or several, this will be a perfect date to return. We'll be dancing Roxanne and will take it back to the very beginning.

Yours, brisk and business-like in boas,

Burlicious x

Taking our medicine

To regain feelings of gorgeousness, sexiness and overall scrumptiousness, Burlicious prescribes a weekly dose of  Diana Krall's luscious version of "Temptation", enhanced by the slinky, seductive dance routine that we designed to go with it.

Taking the temperature of some of our showgirls on Wednesday, we are happy to report that the treatment is working. Our patients report that they love the routine and that it makes them feel gloriously sexy and sultry when they dance it.

Keep taking the medicine, girls - you know it does you good!

Yours, clipboard and stethoscope at the ready,

Burlicious x 

The beauty of individuality

Our dance class is a place where every woman expresses her gorgeousness in her own unique way.

We're not the Folies Bergere, chosen for our conformity to strict body shape criteria.

Nor are we dressed by one wardrobe mistress in line with a clear, unifying theme. 

Each woman arrives at class wearing exactly what she fancies wearing that week.  And each woman brings her own personal sparkle and style to the dance moves that make up our routines.

Watching 15 women dance the same moves, to the same time, in subtly different ways is a privileged insight into how many, many different ways we have of being beautiful and lovely, despite what the fashion industry might try to tell us.

I declare, watching our girls dance is as uplifting as some of our bras!

Recipe for gorgeousness

Take a scruffy hall with municipal plastic chairs.

Add a bevy of beautiful burlesque dancers, back from the summer break and raring to go.

Sprinkle lavishly with satins and sequins, high heels and long gloves, glamorous corsets, cheeky little shorts and perky pants.

Stir with a slow, smoky, slinky new showgirl routine laced with tango moves.

Heat carefully.

Result: Hot women, cool dance, smouldering looks and plenty of giggles about the "t*ts" prompt!

Good girls get new routines

Back to class for our three extra sessions of summer delight.

Showgirls, you aced our dreamy little routine. I had the advantage of being behind you when you did that little finger curl into the upturned palm - you all looked simply scrummy!

This morning the three of us were hard at work on our new routine for September. In amongst the roars of laughter, the missteps, and the comments of "nope, that makes you look really weird", is the growing belief that we are shaping a little gem.

Well, it makes us feel good to dance it, anyway. We think our beauties will like it too....and that's what's important.

Yours,  looking forward to the unveiling,

Burlicious x

Sunshine scrumptiousness

You may have thought that last Friday's celebrations were for the Olympics. We're pretty sure that that cauldron was lit for us and our newly-launched summer classes.

Yes, we have three extra classes in August (8th, 15th and 29th) to keep your feathers fluffed, your corsets cute and your stockings slinky before we meet again in September.

Hurrah - on with the sparkly lippy and we're good to go!

Yours, champing at the evening glove,

Burlicious x

Lingerie laundress, scrubber of scanties...

It's end of term and time to sprinkle fairy dust over the contents of our wardrobe.

We have easily the most desirable washing line in the district - all satins and sparkles, gloves and corsets.

When I was a child, the husband of the woman next door used to make her hang her knickers on the line INSIDE a pillow case, so the neighbours couldn't look at her drawers. Hilarious! What he would think if he could see our yummy little showgirl undies brazenly fluttering in the breeze, we chuckle to think!

Yours, with summer breezes in our furbelows,

Burlicious x

Champagne cooldown

My, that was hot work dancing last night! We can see why Dita von Teese likes to finish off her act with a cooldown in a huge glass of champagne. Sadly, we think it will be a while before our props budget runs to that!

Last night's small but perfectly-formed troupe of showgirls made light work of Love Potion then strutted sassily into Big Bad Handsome Man.

Ladies, those boa tails look simply adorable!

Yours, simply bursting with anticipation about our new routine for next term,

Burlicious x

Deliciously demure

After a raucous conversation in the street about the many ways in which a Victoria's Secret "make you look two cup sizes bigger" bra could be used for its life-saving properties (honest, these bras are big enough to require their own postcode! And they are NOT being modeled below!), we repaired inside our lovely little hall to dance to Love Potion. This is a demure and classy routine, and is just the thing for a hot June evening.

How it gladdens the heart to turn around mid-routine to see a whole room of beautiful bottoms reversing towards you! Yea, verily, ladies, we are creating a thing of beauty.

Yours, smiling like the cat that got the cream,

Burlicious x

Burlesque for the bride-to-be

We Burlicious babes upped boas and took ourselves off to a hen party on Saturday. What a treat to perform for a roomful of gorgeous girls and then get them up on their lovely legs to learn a routine with us.

What the neighbours made of us as we spilled out of the car in our undies clutching chairs, canes and feathers, we have no idea.

Flushed with triumph, we repaired home, showgirl style, for a photo shoot and a little glass or two of something restorative. A fabulous night was had by all!

Yours, open for bookings,

Burlicious x

Hot, hot, hot

If we say so ourselves, we had a triumphant close to our latest routine, Turn Back, O Man, in class last week. False modesty aside girls, let's be honest - we were all gorgeous!

We start a new routine this week. Instead of sitting in the sunshine sipping chilled wine this afternoon, the three of us will be slaving over a hot boa, getting ready to take our showgirls through their new paces.

And, as an extra treat, we'll also be practising for a hen night that we'll be doing soon. So, be warned, neighbours - your soundtrack for an afternoon in the garden is likely to be "one and two and three and four...." together with howls of laughter and the clipping of showgirl heels.

Gotta suffer for our art,

Burlicious x

Bubbling under with ideas

Just because we've been quiet, doesn't mean we've been taking it easy! We've been plotting and planning for our next gorgeous routine...and for how to take the magic of Burlicious forward from here.

It must be said that you couldn't have a nicer research job than ours. It's demanding, I know, but we've been to yet another burlesque show. We've been to a tango extravaganza. We've listened tirelessly to potential music tracks. We've thought long and hard about new props. We've bought new clothes and increased the sequin count on old ones.

We really work at this stuff.

All we'll tell you now is that we're not going to be stripping to nipple tassels and then setting fire to them (seriously - we've seen this done). Nor are we going to be dragged along the floor tango-style in our nice corsets.

But we do have some fabulous ideas in production!

Shhh, Secret Squirrel!  Burlicious x

Jump for joy!

Hurrah! A new dance term and a routine that we love - a gloriously cheeky little number with some sassy moves.

What's more, the introduction of our hand-crafted black and silver canes into the routine has been handled with panache. No inadvertent black eyes; no bishing of showgirls; no visits to A&E - a positive triumph!

As well as all this, we have some new joiners who are right up our street and who are having a ball.

Add to that a night out tomorrow to see a burlesque show, and it's been a superb start to the term.

Yours,  quivering in audience anticipation,

Burlicious x

Aye-aye, Sir!

New boas ordered and received? Check

A pile of evening gloves freshly laundered? Check

Charity shops scoured for walking canes to use as props? Check

New dance routine polished until it glistens? Check

Showgirls into corsets, please, and prepare to take off for a whole new new term!

Hurrah!

Burlicious x

Glamour takes a break

It seems like no time at all since this dance term started, and yet here we are packing away our feathers and fripperies for the Easter break. For a couple of weeks the week will lose its rhythm, with no Wednesday dose of glamour and giggles to spice things up.

Still, it does give us a chance to polish up our next routine; scour the shops for props; and dream up dazzling new outfits.

A showgirl's work is (thankfully) never done!

Yours, making the most of a short intermission,

Burlicious x

Fabulous Fever

Apologies for the long silence, my lovelies – work and other unglamorous activities have rather got in the way of our little chats recently. However, you’ll be delighted to know that, despite this, the show is still going on.

Last night’s class was a delight. Our gorgeous troupe is now dancing “Fever” with aplomb…and they’ve all got the trademark bruised right shin to prove it! 

From our dramatic and imperious Christina, to our cheekily wiggling Sandra, our showgirls are at that happy stage when they know what they’re doing with this dance and what step comes next. They're now dancing it in their own style, and what a lovely job they’re making of it! 

Girls, you’re doing us proud!

On a practical note, next Wednesday is the last class before we break for Easter. We’ll then be back with something sassy for you all on 18^th April. 

Time for a wee chat with the Props Manager before then, methinks…

Yours, excited already about next term,

Burlicious x

Coveting our neighbour's fripperies...

Away to The Ballroom in Canterbury last week for a night of burlesque. And what a celebration of the female body it was! 

We were treated to some beautiful dances with huge feather fans; gorgeous costumes; and a brilliantly dark and dramatic burlesque routine to an excerpt from Swan Lake. Best of all, every woman who danced – from the petite to the very generously built – clearly loved what she was doing and danced with confidence and aplomb. 

We were on our best behaviour and, when various performers used music that we use, we resisted the temptation to get up and do OUR version of All That Jazz, Fever and Tainted Love…but, oh, those stage lights were calling! 

Yours, green with feather fan envy,

Burlicious x

Now you see it...

There was no class last week because of half term. Fearing withdrawal symptoms, we took ourselves off to glamorous Whitstable to run a burlesque session as part of a half day “girls’ afternoon in” workshop. 

What a riot!  About 30 women entirely new to burlesque joined us for an hour’s session, which was fantastic. To top it all, the Sparkly Bra Pixie’s corset suddenly burst its zip while we were demonstrating the routine and made a determined slither towards the floor. Ah, that put a twinkle in the handyman’s eye when he came into the room! 

We do like to delight our audience, you know.

Yours, dithering deliciously over which of our fabulous dance routines to teach next,

Burlicious x

And, oh, our cups runneth over!

What a class with which to end the half term!

The Cupcake Queen brought us beautiful, homemade cupcakes to celebrate her birthday. They were almost too pretty to eat…but we managed it bravely. Well, a Showgirl builds up an appetite shimmying and grinding, you know!

And one of our glamorous girls stalked in in her spike heels with armloads of gorgeous garments for all of us to add to our existing wardrobe of sparkles and spangles. 

I tell you, an hour dancing to Lady Marmalade and Little Spender, then a rootle through some fabulous clothes – cupcake in hand – choosing fripperies to wear for the next half term of classes, well, it doesn’t get much more perfect than that! Bliss!

Yours, simply loving what we do,

Burlicious x