Take it from a professional -- Velcro is just not hot. "It catches on everything," admonishes Kitty Victorian, burlesque dancer extraordinaire, with a wink. "It will snag and destroy bits of your costume like your fishnets and satin gloves. And while it makes taking your costume off a little easier, the noise is just not sexy."
A well-known local performer, Kitty is on a mission to bring the saucy, seductive world of burlesque dancing to D.C., one bump and grind at a time. So on this chilly afternoon in February, the ten women present had sloshed through the snow to spend two hours under her befeathered tutelage. Near the end of the workshop, there we were: half-dressed, arms lifted -- while wearing bright sequined pasties. We'd graduated to twirling the tassels after taking turns slowly peeling off elbow-length satin gloves to the thumping beat of "The Stripper." Over to the right, I heard: "Ohhhh! It tickles!" as the whole class broke into laughter. It came with the territory: Bawdy, tongue-in-cheek humor is an important part of burlesque. You can have a slow, classic striptease or choreograph a fast and furious dance.
When tapping into your inner sexpot, just remember this: It's all about choosing the right ribbon belt.
(Nate Lankford For The Washington Post)
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What to Expect: No stripper's pole here -- this isn't a dance-centered class where you'll learn specific moves. Burlesque is all about the tease and emphasizes humorous elements in the routines. Attitude and confidence make it sexy -- no matter what your body type is. The atmosphere at Kitty's class is playful, encouraging and fun. Much of the time is spent sitting and talking about everything from the history of striptease to trade secrets, in the form of spirited maxims like "You can never have too much glitter!" Kitty covers all the aspects of uncovering: how to develop your own signature act (naughty schoolgirl, anyone?); the importance of the right song -- "Less than three minutes is too fast, and more than five loses the audience's attention." And even though most of it is supposed to come off, Kitty explains how picking the right costume is essential. (Avoid matching your background or you'll look like a floating head on stage.) Finally, you'll learn the time-honored craft of applying pasties -- and making them stay on. (Too much sweat, lotion and glitter can make those babies slide right off.)
What to Bring: Wear a button-down shirt you can easily doff when it's time to put on the pasties. Slipping into high heels and fishnets will also help you tap into your inner sexpot.
The Cost: From $15 for Kitty's class to $75 per hour for a deluxe personal tutorial. Kelly DiNardo
Where to Shimmy
Club Chaos. 17th and Q St., NW; 202-232-4141; www.chaosdc.com. Want to check out some burlesque dancing before signing on to learn it? Beginning Feb. 16, Chaos nightclub will feature Kitty Victorian and other performers on the third Wednesday of every month at 10:30 p.m.
Kitty Victorian's Burlesque Workshop. E-mail: KittyVictorian@yahoo.com. The next two-hour workshop ($15) is March 5 at 2 p.m. Drop a line to RSVP and get the workshop location.
Trixie Little and the Tap-Dancing Hate Monkey. 410-732-2571. This Baltimore-based burlesque super-duo often sweep by D.C. with the raunchy, vaudeville-like Lobster Boy Revue. They also teach one-on-one tutorials ($50 per hour for one instructor; $75 for both), concentrating on bringing comedy and acrobatics to your act whether private or public. Small groups are welcome; prices vary according to size.
