How to Perform Burlesque
Burlesque is back, big-time. See if you have what it takes to pull off the centerpiece of these irreverent musical and comedy revues -- the striptease.
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You Will Need
- Stage name
- Striptease song
- Costume
- Choreography
- Confidence
- Trademark prop
Steps
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Step 1
Get a name
Adopt a campy stage name. Some performers create a name that's a twist on a famous person; others use one that's a play on words. Some just pick a name that sounds sexy.
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Step 2
Pick a song
Pick a song specifically made for stripping along to. Or just use a blues or jazz tune you like.
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Step 3
Get the right clothes
Put together a costume. Think '50's pin-up girl: garter belt, stockings, corset, high heels, and elbow-length gloves.
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Step 4
Choreograph your moves
Put on your burlesque outfit, start the music, and practice your sexy stripping moves until you have a routine that marches to the beat of your song. Put a heavy dose of attitude in your performance: tease, flirt, preen, strut. Above all, have confidence.
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Be sure to work in The Shimmy -- throw back your shoulders and shake your boobs so the tassels on your pasties spin in circles.
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Step 5
Have a trademark prop
Have a trademark prop. Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese has a giant martini glass filled with water that she climbs into at the end of her act.
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Step 6
Don't take it all off
Leave something to the imagination. You should end your striptease with your G-string, pasties -- and pride -- intact.
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The term G-string reportedly comes from the American frontier, where it referred to the loincloth worn by American Indians.
