All hands to the rump

With a flourish, we finished our latest routine this week, just in time for the half term break. With many of our showgirls in their haunting Halloween gear, we brought the routine to a fittingly bewitching close.

There's a lovely move in this one where a showgirl will lean over. A beat later, the slinkster behind her also leans over and rests her outstretched hands on the first showgirl's behind. The third showgirl then follows suit. It looks great, but it does depend on being in exactly the right distance apart if one is to avoid crashing down like a sack of spuds.

Our beauties mastered it with aplomb.

It never ceases to amaze me how much fun it is to spend time with this daft, friendly and gently ribald group of women, all dressed up in our burlesque best and high-stepping it around our battered little hall. More than that, it genuinely takes my breath away sometimes to look at the beauty of what we have created together.  

We Burlicious Three may design it, showgirls, but you bring it to life.

Yours, bursting with ringmistress-y pride,

Burlicious x

Indelicate instructions for a filthy night

It may have been dark and rainy outside last night, but our troupe was toasty warm inside as we tackled the middle phase of our routine.

There's a glorious juxtaposition with this little number. The lyrics tempt me to trill in a Miss Jean Brodie, upmarket governess sort of way, e-nun-ci-ating every word clearly and plummily.

The actions....? Less so.

A deliciously bawdy, comic and slapstick "jiggle yer tits" move, has me grinning every time we do it. I do hope that the regular shouted instruction of: "TITS!" is keeping those in the bus queue outside entertained. Who knows, we may be responsible for revenues on that particular bus route peaking every Wednesday night?

Maybe it's time we approached the bus company for our share of the profits?

Yours, sharing our sophisticated delights with the world,

Burlicious x

Oooooh, Matron!

Treat after treat last night:

• A glamour of our core showgirls who have been with us for ages, dancing week after dancing week 
• A nostalgia of former showgirls, who have been absent for a little while but who came back to the mother ship last night
• An excitement of brand new showgirls along for their very first class, who left us telling the world that they want to do this stuff professionally.

Along with this, my lovelies, we had the creation of new terms of art. Explaining how to do the "flip the feather tail over the bum" move, I suggested that what we were looking for was just the right amount of "clumpy fluff". Ah, what a phrase to conjure with, although I do accept that it sounds like something you might take shamefacedly to a doctor for examination.

Showgirls, you were fabulous. We love the laughs, the missteps and the beauty of seeing it work. We love the warmth, the chatter and the clothes swapping. Most of all, we love the fact that you come out to play with us. You're what it's all about!

Yours, airing our clumpy fluff in the garden,

Burlicious x