Thread: Greeetings all, EXTREME newbie here!

Hi all, I've been poking around these forums for a bit and thought I'd step up and introduce myself.

I'm really toying with the idea of dressing in something other than t-shirt and jeans (for the first time in my life), and burlesque costumes have really caught my fancy. Unfortunately, I have terrible self-esteem (yay for being enormous) and am not past the point where I could wear something other than my 'standard uniform' in public, much less perform! :S (I get stage fright like you wouldn't believe, have my entire life) Not to mention I essentially fail at dancing, et cetera, et cetera, whine whine whine whine.

But enough of my issues. Hello everyone!

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Burlesque is the one arena that made me comfortable with who I am...performers come in all shapes and sizes...and every single one is beautiful!

Take a class, get involved with a local troupe and you'll see that no one is perfect. Burlesque is all about flaunting what you've got! And I bet you've got it

And I've never taken a dance class at all...you can learn and you can excel!

Hello!

I am a newbie too, and a very curvy size 18!

I went and did burlesque dance classes and it did wonders for my self-esteem. The lady who teaches me is wonderful and does not charge much at all (she knocked the price down as I couldn't afford the whole fee). Where are you based? If you are up in the North East I could put you in touch with my teacher, otherwise someone on here could tell you how to contact a teacher in your area.

I would really really recommend giving it a go - I bought my first corset from the X Catalogue shop for less than £20 and I felt like a million bucks in it! Throw on some heels and it makes you stand taller and with your head held high!

You go girlie! You'll be fabulous!

Merri x

plus there are many ways to be interested or involved in the world of burly without ever setting foot on a stage.

I agree...I had a BLAST stage managing the shows and being in charge of all that is backstage.

I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

@Daisy - Well, I've got something all right, just don't know if 'it' is what I've got! :S I do recall attempting dance classes a while back, I just failed miserably at them; I'm mildly dyslexic, and tend to forget which way is right and left.

@Merri - I'm a size 26 - BWAHAHAHA I WIN! :P It's always been a pain for me to find anything that fits, especially in local clothing stores (which were all I had access to in my formative years), so clothes shopping is a generally frustrating and upsetting event that ends with me finding one or two things that fit and I don't hate and then giving up in annoyance. Shoe shopping is annoying too, as women's shoes in stores don't generally exist in my size.

Unfortunately I'm in the States, so I'm not sure that recommending teachers to me would be helpful, though I appreciate the thought. :S I'm not sure I could even bring myself to attend a dancing class at this point.

I *did* just order a cheapie corset though, just to see whether I like them or not. I've tried heels before though, it was....interesting. Not sure if it's a good interesting or a bad interesting, but I'm thinking of making them sparkly. >:3

@Andromada - The thought of propmaking kind of appeals to me. It's something I'll have to think about. (sigh, like I need ANOTHER project!)

don't worry dear I am very dyslexic and get left right etc wrong all the time... I just make it look like I intended to do it that way (in life generally not just about the burly world).....

also no you don't win sorry I'm a uk 24 and there are ladies on here that are larger than that and ones that are so tiny they also have issues finding nice things to ware. The internet is great for finding things especially if you can adapt.

corstes help to as they give a nice shape no matter the size underneath. The the best and most sexy thing to ware is...... confidence, this is me, I look good and I am sexy as hell!!!!!

there are people on MoB from the US so I am sure some of them may be able to guide you with ideas for things that are a bit closer to home.

keep at it love and remember to let us know how you get on.

You might consider ordering the MoB burlesque DVD to get your started. I learned to be more aware of my movement on stage because of that DVD. It's a region 2 so you'll have to reprogram your DVD to play it (I found a code online for my DVD player) but I really enjoyed the DVD even though I've been doing burlesque awhile.

Originally Posted by Ormspryde

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

@Daisy - Well, I've got something all right, just don't know if 'it' is what I've got! :S I do recall attempting dance classes a while back, I just failed miserably at them; I'm mildly dyslexic, and tend to forget which way is right and left.

@Merri - I'm a size 26 - BWAHAHAHA I WIN! :P It's always been a pain for me to find anything that fits, especially in local clothing stores (which were all I had access to in my formative years), so clothes shopping is a generally frustrating and upsetting event that ends with me finding one or two things that fit and I don't hate and then giving up in annoyance. Shoe shopping is annoying too, as women's shoes in stores don't generally exist in my size.

Unfortunately I'm in the States, so I'm not sure that recommending teachers to me would be helpful, though I appreciate the thought. :S I'm not sure I could even bring myself to attend a dancing class at this point.

I *did* just order a cheapie corset though, just to see whether I like them or not. I've tried heels before though, it was....interesting. Not sure if it's a good interesting or a bad interesting, but I'm thinking of making them sparkly. >:3

@Andromada - The thought of propmaking kind of appeals to me. It's something I'll have to think about. (sigh, like I need ANOTHER project!)

I know what you mean. I always run into trouble with choreography because I get confused between my rights and lefts. I tend to stick to body waves and hip circles, keeping my feet firmly on the ground. And I practice my routines a lot.

Good luck! x

Hi hunny,
don't forget as well that burlesque doesn't have to be dance based. Lots of really great acts don't rely heavily on dance and instead use mime, poetry, singing, playing an instrument or performance in character rather than the more usual set up of burlesque dance.
If you don't feel confident as a dancer and choose to take a different route your acts could end up standing out more as a result.

This brilliant act by Audacity Chutzpah is an example of burlesque that hardly uses any dance at all - definately worth a peek!

[ame="http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJCExsopRU&feature=related"]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJCExsopRU&feature=related[/ame]