Sunday, September 26, 2004
The Jig Gene
I attended my first burlesque dance class last night. I'd been so impressed with the Suicide Girls' performance a few months ago that I got inspired to learn how to shake my fanny with as much fervor as they do. This is what got me tempted into this particular class:
The teacher, Bombshell Betty wrote, "Grab your leopard bikini and light up the bonfire, because this session we will be exploring the exotic origins of the classic burlesque bump-and-grind. We’ll be shimmying and shaking our way through the Jungle Exotica, so get ready to go wild … because this stuff is hot!...
"DRESS CODE: For general costuming, I recommend that you wear a leotard or some sort of lingerie ensemble, like a bustier with frilly panties or hotpants or a cute nightie, along with black fishnets. (No corsets, but girdles or other cinchers that don't limit your movement would be appropriate.) Your outfit is really up to you and your comfort, and depends on what makes you feel sexy. As for shoes, I recommend ballroom or salsa type dance shoes, but if you have something sturdy with reasonable heels that you'll be comfortable dancing in, that will be fine. Also, bring as many "extras" as you'd like. Think leopard print, hula skirt, sarong, leis, feathers, wigs ... the more exotic you get, the better!"
Betty's prior students wrote:
"You get to wear your favorite cute lingerie, make pasties, and dance around to the best old-timey cheesy music EVER! What could be better?" -Mary G.
"I have been really happy that your classes have been open to all body types and experience levels and that you, and the other students, have been very supportive. That's been really cool!" -Tracy C.
"By the end of the class we are all sweating and laughing and being playfully sexy. So not only do you get exercise, but you get to wear fishnets and play. Have more fun!" -Stephanie S.
So, does that all sound like a blast or what? And it was. At the beginning of class, we did some warm ups. I looked around the room and watched as women of all shapes and sizes, geared up in their sexiest of clothes, were doing basic leg lifts. And I thought, "How fun that exercise can be sexy?" And then we practiced walking sexy. The "walking" got more and more complicated as we added in hip shakes and boob jiggles. But we all persisted. At the end of our first class, we learned a very fun and lively dance routine.
I've taken dance classes on and off since I was four years old. And feeling my heart fire up as my body moved to the music, I wondered... I wonder if there is a dancing gene? You see, my grandmother is a dancer. She was a showgirl in her twenties and even this weekend, in her nineties now, she is performing at a ballroom dancing competition. If such a gene exists, surely my grandmother passed her passion onto me.
That's my grandmother on the left.
The teacher, Bombshell Betty wrote, "Grab your leopard bikini and light up the bonfire, because this session we will be exploring the exotic origins of the classic burlesque bump-and-grind. We’ll be shimmying and shaking our way through the Jungle Exotica, so get ready to go wild … because this stuff is hot!...
"DRESS CODE: For general costuming, I recommend that you wear a leotard or some sort of lingerie ensemble, like a bustier with frilly panties or hotpants or a cute nightie, along with black fishnets. (No corsets, but girdles or other cinchers that don't limit your movement would be appropriate.) Your outfit is really up to you and your comfort, and depends on what makes you feel sexy. As for shoes, I recommend ballroom or salsa type dance shoes, but if you have something sturdy with reasonable heels that you'll be comfortable dancing in, that will be fine. Also, bring as many "extras" as you'd like. Think leopard print, hula skirt, sarong, leis, feathers, wigs ... the more exotic you get, the better!"
Betty's prior students wrote:
"You get to wear your favorite cute lingerie, make pasties, and dance around to the best old-timey cheesy music EVER! What could be better?" -Mary G.
"I have been really happy that your classes have been open to all body types and experience levels and that you, and the other students, have been very supportive. That's been really cool!" -Tracy C.
"By the end of the class we are all sweating and laughing and being playfully sexy. So not only do you get exercise, but you get to wear fishnets and play. Have more fun!" -Stephanie S.
So, does that all sound like a blast or what? And it was. At the beginning of class, we did some warm ups. I looked around the room and watched as women of all shapes and sizes, geared up in their sexiest of clothes, were doing basic leg lifts. And I thought, "How fun that exercise can be sexy?" And then we practiced walking sexy. The "walking" got more and more complicated as we added in hip shakes and boob jiggles. But we all persisted. At the end of our first class, we learned a very fun and lively dance routine.
I've taken dance classes on and off since I was four years old. And feeling my heart fire up as my body moved to the music, I wondered... I wonder if there is a dancing gene? You see, my grandmother is a dancer. She was a showgirl in her twenties and even this weekend, in her nineties now, she is performing at a ballroom dancing competition. If such a gene exists, surely my grandmother passed her passion onto me.
That's my grandmother on the left.
Comments:
Burlesque seems so you! Loved hearing about it! Again I so admire your ability to actually go out and do these things! You helped me pick out an "outfit" that might have been perfect for this class. In college we went to a thrift store and you suggested a black leotard with long sleeves covered in orange feathers! Somehow it opened me up to a new way of thinking, and I thank you for that :-)
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