As many of you may know the 26th April was the anniversary of arguably the world’s most famous burlesque legend and my absolute favourite star, Gypsy Rose Lee. Immortalised forever by Sondheim in the musical Gypsy, Gypsy Rose Lee was a mystery to most. Part sex-kitten, part shrewd business women, part intellectual and art lover and part political activist Gypsy was a queen of reinvention and spin, always shrouding the truth and never letting it get in the way of a good story.

I love Gypsy for many reasons. First and foremost is her refusal to be silent in an industry and era where woman were not meant to have opinions let alone express them. Her banter with the audience while she stripped was her signature and she often used it to joke and tease the audience with her incredible self taught knowledge of literature, art and politics. Even nowadays burlesque artists are preferred to be silent and those of us who do speak are immediately offered up to the world of compering, Gypsy’s work would have been as unique today as it was back then.

Secondly I love Gypsy for having the drive and vision to take her career from the stage and into writing, film and television being a true entrepreneur and businesswomen.

As well as being very modern in her career Gypsy was totally modern in her attitude to childbearing and determined when she gave birth to her son Eric without being shackled to the kitchen sink and giving up her career. 

There are many other reasons to love Gypsy - her support of unions, her tireless performances for serving soldiers abroad, her charity work and her political ideals but there is no doubt she was a troubled woman. Year of mental abuse and manipulation at the hands of her now infamous mother left their mark and whilst it is true to say she is an amirable woman, whether she is likeable is a different question. Nonetheless Gypsy Rose Lee will always be an artist who has inspired me to want to do better in my career and to not be afraid to speak up to an audience!

For some beautiful rare photos of Gypsy Rose Lee and more about her life you will love this: http://life.time.com/culture/gypsy-rose-lee-rare-photos-of-a-burlesque-legend/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#3

My favourite Biography of her life is Stripping Gypsy by Noralee Frankel which I highly recommend

Lat week I had the pleasure of helping a friend who was a contestant on the much-loved Come Dine With Me. With each host trying to impress their guests in new and unique ways I was drafted in by Channel 4 to do a fan dance and then teach the guests some signature burlesque moves, fun with boas and tassel-twirling! I can’t give a way too much before the show airs but I did manage to swipe few sneak shots on my camera phone for you!…Show out in June stay tuned to find out when…

Glam life of TV…waiting in the loo before surprising the guests!

Who is that man with nipple tassels on his head???

Come Dine with Me is on Channel 4

Learning Burlesque can be a really fun thing to do, whether you want to learn for fun, to increase your confidence or because you want to train to be a performer. With classes springing up left, right and centre it can be hard to know who to choose or what to look for in a teacher or school. Burlesque at present has no governing body or defined syllabus so essentially anyone can set up classes and advertise them regardless of whether they have any experience or training. To help the many of you who email me wanting to learn burlesque here are some Do’s and Don’ts for you to make sure you get the most for your money….

Do Know Why You Want to Learn

There are many reasons to learn burlesque and some times it will be obvious why you are booking i.e. to organise a friends Hen Party. But other times you may have to consider your motivations - do you actually want to perform burlesque as a professional, try it out once for fun, increase your confidence, fitness or just take time to express your femininity. Once you know why it is much easier for you to choose the right teacher who will introduce you to the aspects of burlesque you are interested in.

Do Find Out What Experience Your Teacher Has

One of the most important things to look at in a teacher is how much experience they have in actually performing. Burlesque is a live art and is something that must be experience on stage unlike subjects like ballet where the techniques can be studied in and of themselves. Find out if your teacher has performed professionally in any of the established burlesque circuits - not just once but regularly. They cannot teach you something they have not experienced!

Have a look also to see whether your teacher has any professional training in any traditional disciplines - dance, acting, etc. Bare in mind not all successful burlesque artists have been trained in these fields and have learnt over time through hard-work and experience. You may be happy with that if they achieved a good deal in their career without theatrical training, or you may wish to learn from someone who has had an all round training in performance.

Don’t Just Go for the Cheapest Option

This is especially important if you want to look at burlesque professionally. If some thing looks too good to be true the chances are it probably is! Burlesque can take years to fully master and no experienced professional is going to give their knowledge away for a few pounds per session. The exception to this is the few drop in classes that run which are probably priced at approx £6/7 per hour class which is the standard charge for a drop in dance class. Classes like this are usually dance based and done for fun and fitness.

Do Feel that You Can Call the Teacher Before Hand to get a Feel For Their Personality

This is especially important if you are looking at learning burlesque to help you with confidence in your day to day life. Even the very best teachers have their own style with their students that isn’t compatible with everyone - this is the same in any discipline. Take the time to find out if you feel comfortable with them before you invest your self-confidence and money.

Don’t Expect Your Teacher to Make You into a Star After 3 Classes

You wouldn’t go to a couple of ballet classes then expect to dance for The Royal Ballet - burlesque is the same! Yes, all performers start some where and it maybe that this is the first step to a career for you but contrary to popular belief these things do not happen over night and take a lot of time, hard work and perseverance.

Don’t Expect Your Teacher To Give You The Keys To The Kingdom

This is important for those looking at professional burlesque training. Burlesque like any art is a passage of self discovery where your individuality and personality are your most important tools. Your teacher should equip you with the techniques you need, tell you the theories behind what you are studying and guide and help inspire you to find your own unique style. Great art teachers will tell you about colour, form, light and shade, they do not draw you a picture and ask you to colour between the lines. 

Do Go With a Positive Mental Attitude to try Some Thing New

Burlesque requires confidence and fun! The more you relax and have fun the more you will surprise yourself with how you feel, what you can achieve and create.

The Hen Party

Burlesque is a really popular hen party choice and a good fun one and booking one is a little different to finding a burlesque tutor. I’m guessing your priority for this day is to make sure everyone in the group feels included, to do something sexy, to make your hen feel special etc. For these its not absolutely necessary for you to learn from a top pro (unless you want to!) so if your purely interested in having a bit of sexy fun make sure you go for a company who have experience in providing quality hen parties. They should be able to suggest a good venue for you, probably with a bar and have teachers that are fun and fully trained to make sure your party is conducted safely.

Good luck on your journey and don’t forget to check out our Academy page!

Hurrah! For those of you who come to our regular Madame Jojo’s shows you may be pleased to hear we have moved all of our ticket sales over to Ticketweb. We have been listening to your feedback and hope that you will find this way more user friendly, quicker and easier to understand! All tickets booked through our old system are still valid…so have a browse and see you soon! 

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=xxx&query=schedule&promoter=houseofburles

DANCE CASTING: HOB are looking to expand our Pirate Girl role for the Shipwrecked tour & want to hear from professional, trained female dancers with a strong interest in Burlesque. Role will include dance choreography and stage management and applicants must be comfortable with both. Dates already booked for 2012.  To apply for an audition please email your PROFESSIONAL dance CV to tempest@houseofburlesque.co.uk. Good luck!