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Tuesday Tease: Teaching the Tease

610-250It’s been a couple months since we featured some of the great burlesque schools we work with. Since many of our readers are burlesque dancers themselves or, at the very least, have an active interest in burlesque, we thought it’d be worthwhile to feature some of the great classes coming up in the next week or two. Even if you have no intention of ever hitting the stage, burlesque classes are a great way to get some exercise, to learn more about the business side of being a burlesque performer, learn some makeup tricks and/or potentially spice things up in the bedroom with your partner.

The three schools featured are amongst the top burlesque schools in the country so if you’re in Seattle, Phoenix, Austin or Minneapolis, why not learn the tease from the best in the business?

Sure it’s hot out, but why not get a little hotter?

Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of BurlesqueSeattle, Washington

Starting Thursday, July 11 I Bump & Grind Summer 8 week session with Ruby Mimosa Seattle’s Academy of Burlesque instructor Ruby Mimosa teaches this fun and foxy workout to learn the basics of the bump & grind, shimmy & shake! This class is designed for all levels and includes a warm-up, steps that are put together in a small combination, and lots of practice!  With fun vintage burlesque music and high-energy instructors!
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Tuesday Tease: Back to School

indigo+blueSummer’s quickly approaching and school will be getting out soon but that doesn’t mean you should stop studying. This is the perfect time to get out and learn something new! Burlesque classes are available all over, year round, for a variety of skill levels and interests.

I recently took a little time to track down and question two graduates of Seattle’s Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque about their experiences and where their burlesque education has taken them.

Carlotta Shakin completed The Art of the Tease, How to Strip for your Lover, and Burlesque 101 just a few weeks ago and had some useful advise for anyone thinking about getting involved with burlesque. “I think everyone should take at least a class or two.” She says, “The burlesque community is so welcoming and accepting and the classes are so empowering.” Although Carlotta doesn’t have any shows scheduled for the near future she is “currently brainstorming ideas for new acts and looking to become more involved in the burlesque world.”

Angelina Allure, who completed Burlesque 101 course in 2011 and will be attending the Academy’s Fan Dancing course next month has a similar recommendation. “DO IT! There are classes that do not require a performance at the end of it, and those are a great way to get your feet wet and start the glitter obsession.” Outside of class, Angelina can be found in the upcoming show Minxes of Middle Earth, presented by Midnight Menagerie Productions, on Thursday, May 9th and Friday, May 10th.

If you would like to jump into the world of glitter and pasties yourself We’ve compiled a list of classes and schools across the country where you can develop and hone your bumping and grinding skills.
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Tuesday Tease: 3 Hidden Gems for Producers and Ticket Buyers

graphicI’d like to take a few moments to pull back the curtain and expose some of the inner workings of Brown Paper Tickets in order to help ticket buyers and event producers meet up more easily. I spend a lot of time reviewing burlesque shows and there are a ton of great overlooked tools on the site that producers and ticket buyers can use to find shows and sell tickets.

After consulting with several producers about what features of Brown Paper Tickets they use most, I have compiled a list of the top 3 “hidden gems” on Brown Paper Tickets’ site that producer’s and customers can use to sell tickets and find shows. This being Tuesday Tease, I am going to be highlighting features used by burlesque producers but everything listed here will apply to almost every kind of event.
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Tuesday Tease: Happy Birthday to Burlesque Legend, Satan’s Angel

Every once in a while on the Tuesday Tease, we take time to recognize legends and trailblazers from burlesque history. Today, we really focus on the “blaze” part of trailblazer as we celebrate the 68th birthday of the “Queen of the Fire Tassels,” Satan’s Angel. Satan’s Angel is a living link to the glory days of burlesque and the current neo-burlesque scene. She worked for Gypsy Rose Lee, the original burlesque legend from the 30s and 40s and she continues to inspire up-and-coming burlesque performers. In a 2010 interview with Pin Curl Magazine, she said, “I got balls from Gypsy Rose Lee, the glitz and glamour from Mae West, the class from Lili St. Cyr.”

Satan’s Angel was born Angel Cecelia Helene Walker on September 18, 1944 in San Francisco, California. She began dancing burlesque after winning an amateur strip contest at the North Beach nightclub Moulin Rouge in 1961. Her signature move was setting her tassels on fire, “then extinguishing the flames by means of strenuous mammary rotation.” She performed in San Francisco throughout the 60s at clubs like the Esquire and the Condor Club and even played bass in The Hummingbirds, an all-girl topless cover band that performed at Tipsy’s nightclub in North Beach. From the 1970s and into the 80s, she performed in Vegas, working with legendary burlesque promoters Barry Ashton and Harold Minsky and performing at clubs like the Palomino Club, the Silver Slipper and the Minsky.
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