Learn about the art of burlesque and gain body confidence while having fun, toning and exercising

What is Burlesque?
Burlesque can be loosely defined as 'suggestive (or provocative) performance art'. Recently, the word 'burlesque' has come to apply to various distinct forms of entertainment. From the sexy striptease antics of early 20th century America to bawdy British satire, the different forms of burlesque represent different cultural histories.

The definition of the word 'burlesque' is ‘to satirise, make mockery of or send up’. This is taken from the satirical, theatrical genre of burlesque. The theatrical genre is now known today as 'classical burlesque'. The form spread to the USA in the 1860s but in adapting to American humour it quickly lost its satire. Later, in the first half of the 20th century, a new form of ‘burlesque’ would be created that was peculiar to American culture. Back here, classical burlesque carried on and is still very much alive in Britain today. The American sexy burlesque represents striptease and the adult entertainment typical of the early part of the 20th century. Borrowing from the style of 19th century classical burlesquers, the strippers adopted the gimmicks which have come to characterize this sort of performance.

Eventually, the ‘Burlesque Striptease’ became a form in itself and it usually describes an act where humour is combined with the classic (non-nude) striptease. The term 'burlesque' is now generally accepted to refer to the sort of non-nude striptease and adult-style performance which emphasises glamour - with or without comedy/parody, It is simply used as an 'umbrella term' for classical, American and related styles. From performer to performer, you can expect to find a mix of satirical, bawdy, sensual, classical, avant-garde and curiosity style acts.

So what is Burlesque Mossley?
Burlesque Mossley is a way to learn the art of Burlesque in a fun way which tones, excercises and inproves self confidence. Our classes page gives more details