Last Sunday we went down to Johansen School of Ballet for our class with Miss Indigo Blue, headmistress of the Seattle Academy of Burlesque. The 90 minute introductory class was “The Art of the Tease”. We were to learn some glove and feather boa techniques, but we got so much more out of it. I want to take the 6 week class, Burlesque 101. I’m sure my life would never be the same.
See also this trailer for “A Wink and A Smile”
She started the class with introductions. There were twelve of us. I was the only man. Most of the women had found the class through another dance community either belly dancing or pole pilates. I’d found it because Puck (from the Mentor Carnival) had posted it on Olyblog.
Miss Blue then told us how she arrived in the world of burlesque. In high school she had been “the tease” which earned her a worse reputation than “the slut”. She had then spent four years stripping at the Lusty Lady.
In 2001 she went to New Orleans for the first Tease-O-Rama Burlesque convention. Although she was too late to sign up as a performer, she later considered it lucky that she was able to give her complete attention to watching all the other artists. She found that she had been part of a much larger community than she had realized.
As we got into the practical exercises I knew we would be learning from a great talent.
She started us with the major orifices: the EYES and the MOUTH.
We paired up and practiced alternating between an agressive gaze and a receptive gaze. Something like “I want you” and “Come hither”. It was very powerful stuff. We learned that confidence is sexy, and that burlesque is basically creating an illusion of intimacy.
We went on to practice removing gloves. I brought my own fraying fingerless clown gloves and worked on a gag of biting my finger, and gagging and getting the frayed end stuck in my teeth.
We also worked with feather boas. I thought I might try using my tie, but it was really too short for the job and not at all fluffy. Perhaps I could use the technique with a series of knotted silk scarves.
