Burlesque 101
Six weeks, in person, for people with no stage experience. You arrive knowing nothing and leave with one finished act, a persona with a name, and a costume you built yourself.
$100 for all six weeks
10 spots, cohort 01 starts The Loft | Adult Dance Studio
How each week works
Several ways in, depending on where you’re standing.
IN THE ROOM
One class a week, on your feet
Technique, drilling and act building with the whole cohort. Every week ends with something you can practice before the next one. Classes run two hours.
IN THE PORTAL
Everything else, between classes
Your resources lives here, along with move breakdowns to rewatch, costume sources and more.
03
Burlesque 201
Already performing, want more?
The advanced course. Where 101 introduces props, 201 lives in them: chairs, fans and boas properly, plus longer and more ambitious act work.
01
Workshops
Curious about burlesque?
A single class, no course to finish. Come alone or bring people. You will leave having actually done something, not just watched.
02
Burlesque 101
Ready to build a real act?
Six weeks, in person. Technique, act structure, costuming and stage presence, ending in a full dress rehearsal.
03
Burlesque 201
Already performing?
Where 101 introduces props, 201 lives in them: chairs, fans and boas properly, plus longer and more ambitious act work.
Six weeks, in order
1
Foundations
What burlesque is and where it came from, which style suits you, and the first movement vocabulary in your body.
2
Musicality & Movement
The classic peels, taught as a method rather than a trick, and how to move with a song instead of ahead of it.
3
Act Development
Turning moves into an act that holds a room, reading the room you are in, and setting boundaries before anyone tests them.
4
Props, Costumes & Character
The craft week. Props surveyed, costuming and rhinestone work demystified, stage makeup, and the small gestures that make a character.
5
Polishing
The difference between doing the moves and owning the room, what to do when something goes wrong, and finding a mentor.
6
Dress Rehearsal
Your act start to finish, in complete costume, with your music. Headshots are taken the same night.
HOW WE TEACH
It ends with you on a stage.
Week six is a full dress rehearsal: complete costume, real lights, your music, start to finish.
One act, fully your own: music, costume, persona, name
Headshots taken at the dress rehearsal
A route into the local scene, and people in it who know your name
What you’ll need, and when
Week 1
Water, clothes you can move in and shoes you can pivot in. Heels are welcome but never required.
Over the next weeks
A costume you assemble as you go. We tell you what to buy, when, and where. Nothing before you need it.
Rough costume budget
Your costume budget can be whatever you want it to be. Thrifting and reusing what you own are encouraged, loudly.
STARTS
January 10, 2027
MEETS
Sundays, 3:30-5:30 pm
WHERE
The Loft | Adult Dance Studio
TUITION
$100
FAQs
Is this the same as stripping?
Related, but not the same. Burlesque is a stage act. You build a character, pick your music, choreograph the whole thing and perform it once for a room that came specifically to watch a show. It's closer to cabaret. That said, we've got real respect for strippers, and plenty of performers have done both.
How fit or flexible do I need to be?
Less than you'd think. There's no floor work you have to do, no splits, nothing acrobatic. Heels are optional and plenty of people learn the whole thing flat. If you've got an injury or anything that limits you, tell us before the first class and we'll give you another way to do the move.
Do I need dance experience?
No, and most people arrive with none. Dance training helps a little with picking up choreography, but burlesque rewards timing, character and nerve far more than technique, and all three we teach from scratch.