5 Ways Burlesque Performance Can Positively Impact Every Area Of Your Life

5 Ways Burlesque Performance Can Positively Impact Every Area Of Your Life 1024 683 Vixen DeVille

5 Ways Burlesque Performance Can Positively Impact Every Area Of Your Life

“Burlesque is more than just flirtatious tease; it’s an attitude of confidence”

If you’re looking to improve your confidence and charisma, from the bedroom to the boardroom (and everywhere in between) look no further. Burlesque is more than just flirtatious tease; it’s an attitude of confidence that can positively impact every area of life.

1) ENHANCING YOUR “ENOUGHNESS”:

Working on your “enoughness” in the world of burlesque, trains this muscle for your everyday life.

There are several things my new Burlesque students worry about when they first come to me, but usually it boils down to TWO main points:

  • BODY IMAGE
  • SELF-DOUBT IN THEIR ABILITY

What I love about creating solo acts with my students is that…

…It’s all about pleasing YOU!

I’m not teaching group choreography where everyone compares themselves to everyone else. Instead, we create a solo act together which celebrates YOU in whichever way you see fit.

What do YOU want to express?

what fires YOU up?

YOU make the rules to suit YOUR needs and YOUR strengths!

YOU MAKE THE RULES about how much you show on stage. If there’s an area of your body you don’t feel comfortable with then feel free to keep that covered.

YOU MAKE THE RULES about the style of act, if you think you can’t dance, you don’t have to. There are so many styles of burlesque performance, together we will discover what it is that sets you apart.

Burlesque is about embracing your uniqueness, in life and onstage.

For anyone who experiences self-doubt throughout the day “I don’t belong here”, “I’m not good enough”, I would advise them to follow up that question with, “by whose standards?”.

By whose standards are you feeling that your body has flaws? Who says you shouldn’t proudly show off these areas of your body just because they haven’t been air brushed by Photoshop?

By whose standards are you judging your performance abilities? Your intelligence, your achievements..? Is the voice of judgment in your head created by a parent, a co-worker, a sibling, a supposed friend??? (Hint stop hanging out with these people wherever possible!!)

I advise all my students to AVOID the mentality of going on stage asking the audience,

“Is this doing it for you??…   

                                      … Is this sexy??

                                                       …Do you like what I’m doing??”

It’s not about asking the audience if you’re good enough and if you’re meeting their standards. It’s about saying, “look at me, I’m awesome – witness me in my height of glory!!”

Once you give yourself the permission to do this on stage you will find yourself instinctively walking into ALL rooms with the same confident attitude.

 

2) REMOVE ANY STIGMA ABOUT FLAUNTING YOUR SEXUALITY:

People feel so much guilt for wanting to look and feel sexy, especially in the world of business which can be so masculine orientated. Too often we shy away from embracing our feminine power and sexuality in order to be “taken seriously” (FTS!!)

Newcomers to Burlesque may worry about what everyone else will think of them. “Are my parents going to think less of me?”, “What if my co-workers find out?”. Again, these doubts are related to OTHER people’s standards! Remember – when people judge us or prevent us from doing something, it’s because it causes a fear in THEM. Your ACTION highlights their INACTION, their inability to do the very thing you have the confidence to be doing.

Burlesque is too often misinterpreted by those who have never experienced it. It is not solely about stripping and revealing flesh, in the voyeuristic sense.

Your act is about a peeling and revealing of layers and concepts. Rather than saying, ‘“I’m naked and vulnerable”, you’re actually rebelliously and joyously saying, ‘“I’m ripping off this mask that society has made me wear!”

You’re not doing this for anyone else! You’re not taking your clothes off to titillate ‘some guy’!

You’re celebrating yourself, peeling back the layers you’re wearing, in order to celebrate the beautiful human underneath.

 

3) FIND YOUR POLITICAL VOICE:

Yes, you can use your burlesque stage as a public soapbox.

If you feel you can’t voice your opinion at the dinner table or water cooler, whether that’s because other people shun your opinion or you don’t feel articulate enough to join the conversation, try the medium of Burlesque.

Be political! You’re making art. And for what other reason do people create art than to say something to the world? That is the essence of Burlesque. It’s therapeutic and cathartic for the performer, and the audience gets something out of it, as well.

4) RE-INVENT YOURSELF (IT’S NEVER TOO LATE):

You never have to settle for the ‘you’ that you are now. Just because you grew up a certain way, with specific experiences, doesn’t mean you have to keep that identity for the rest of your life.

If you’re stuck with something you don’t like, change it. Large or small, you can move, quit your job, break up with somebody, or just color your hair. Some changes may take longer than others but it’s better to slowly crawl in the direction you want, than to sprint the other way.

With this in mind – a huge life change and self-reinvention may seem overly daunting, so start with the Burlesque stage…

…allow this to be the arena for your new persona to come out to play.

Embrace your brazen alter-ego, give them a name, let THEM take the blame for your new found style and behavioural choices. Allow THEM the freedom of not having to ‘fit in’ or meet other’s expectations of you. You can gradually allow your new persona to filter into your everyday life and realise that…

…the people who matter will fall in love with the quirkiness and weirdness that truly is you.

 

5) DRAW ATTENTION TO YOUR ‘FLAWS’ AND MAKE THEM YOUR ‘USP’ (UNIQUE SELLING POINT):

Rather than hiding the areas of yourself you’ve been made to feel bad about in your everyday life, your burlesque act is the perfect opportunity to draw attention to, and CELEBRATE those qualities. Maybe these qualities aren’t accepted or celebrated at your place of work or around your family members, but those rules and regulations don’t exist when your burlesque persona hits the stage.

In the burlesque world, these qualities are no longer tainted as negative flaws, they are just a quality that makes you different from the person standing next to you,

These qualities are what make you uniquely YOU and you can start to embrace them as your USP.

As you gradually get used to confidently flaunting those areas you once learnt to consider flaws, you’ll find yourself allowing this to filter into your everyday life. The more confidence you have in EVERY element that is you, then the more you can start to surround yourself with those who value you for the person you truly are, rather than feeling the need to change for others.

For anyone craving more tips on self-confidence and celebrating yourself both on and off the stage check out my Intro to Burlesque class “Unleash Your Inner Vixen” with me in Los Angeles or for anyone out of town sign up for a free consultation with me online


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