Booking Burlesque dancers our tips and tricks
04/01/2023
Burlesque dancers bring glamour and sparkle to every event. Their costumes alone are absolutely to die for, but what you think you know about Burlesque may only be the tip of the iceberg. Will it be too risqué for your guests? Can you ask Burlesque dancers to tone things down or even tone things up? Don’t worry, read on for our tips and tricks for booking Burlesque dancers of every kind to suit your event and you won’t come unstuck, we promise.
We only book the best Burlesque Dancers in London, Brighton, The Southeast and beyond
Our Burlesque dancers have a well-seasoned dance background. Many dancers have interesting costumes and may have a great stage presence but limited dance skills. Those that excel in filling the stage with stunning professional moves to really tell a story stand out from the rest. Combined with theatrical, colourful bejewelled costumes, huge headdresses, and bespoke costume jewellery they will really wow your audience. Many of our performers have aerialist, circus tricks, or fire skills that they combine with their choreography for incredible impact. We have singing dancers that perform sassy ‘sing and fling’ routines wearing head mics as they dance – a real showstopper act! Many of our artists perform all over the globe and hold titles from the most celebrated Burlesque festivals and competitions.
What is Burlesque?
Traditionally, Burlesque is very popular with a female audience. Originally from America, it is the vintage art of humorous teasing and captivating. Powerfully female, high glamour, beautiful and graceful striptease down to tassels. But don’t panic! Burlesque doesn’t have to involve nudity. If that’s not appropriate for your event or audience a ‘Burlesque inspired’ dance routine will be just as good. Read on for more info. If however, you’d like the Burlesque dancers to create an immersive retro super club feel, you can book dancers that leave the stage to perform right around your guests’ tables. Your Burlesque dancer can drape their sassily removed evening gloves over guests’ shoulders and humorously glide feather boas around their necks. We are experts at booking exactly the right style and level of performer for your event and are happy to give you a free consultation to help you get things exactly right.
What is Boylesque?
It’s modern times so the boys can join in too! These highly skilled dancers often bring acrobatic feats of strength to their routines with circus tricks like hand balance or acrobatic male pole dancing. They generally remove clothes down to glittering stage costume underwear. Their stage personas can be anything from comedy characters to elegant and stylish vintage gentlemen.
Booking Burlesque Dancers for Corporate Events and Family Events, London, Brighton and The South East
Where removing too many clothes just isn’t appropriate a ‘Burlesque-inspired’ routine will still work beautifully. Stunning showgirl dancers can perform retro chair dance routines, light-up giant Isis wings acts or super glamorous feather fan dances that all reference the sparkling age of Burlesque. Making the performances more about the choreography and referencing the glamorous past with extremely beautiful costumes works for any audience. Together with a smiling graceful demeanour from the dancers, this makes for a dazzling family-friendly show.
The Electric Cabaret Company recently arranged a Moulin Rouge-themed corporate event at the beautiful Renaissance St. Pancras, in London for an international company. Showgirls in full feather costumes and headdresses performed a stunning choreographed routine to ‘Lady Marmalade’ from the Moulin Rouge movie. There were Victorian sideshow performers and a hilarious and impressive, immersive Strongman act. Then later in the night, a high-energy, high-kicking Can Can show with a costume change for each Burlesque dancer to colourful frilled skirts and corset tops.
Cabaret singers and party performers for hire in London, Brighton and The South East
Don’t forget that to tie your event together perfectly you can book a singing host. A cabaret singer can warm up your audience, sing suitable songs that fit your theme and introduce each Burlesque dancer with a big, big build-up. If you have more of a budget, you may wish to book a big band or a band that plays a ‘post-modern jukebox’ style to back your cabaret singer. Post Modern Jukebox is well-known modern pop music played in a vintage electro-swing style. Just like the Great Gatsby movie. Other party performers to book into your event could be vintage magicians, retro circus performers and acrobats.
Décor and dressing up for your cabaret party
Draping and chandeliers, beaded table lights and feather table décor will all give a vintage feel to your party. A low-budget way to create the right feel and fill a big space is to project old black-and-white movie footage and glamorous images onto blank walls. You can request a dress code for your guests, but you can also provide a dressing-up box. Feather boas, beads and jewellery, long gloves, various hats, bow ties, retro wigs, and moustaches.
Modern Burlesque Dancers for hire in London, Brighton and The South East
Vintage glamour Burlesque is the most popular and well-known style of Burlesque but there are many modern Burlesque styles that you may want to consider.
Neo-Burlesque or New Burlesque still bases its roots in the traditional American discipline but involves bigger-scale choreography with modern dance, theatricality, and comedy elements. They are often delightful mini-dramas in their own right. It’s the promotion of female empowerment. For modern Burlesque dancers, the emphasis is much more on the theme of each dance than the tassel and tease.
Gorelesque is a fabulous style for Halloween party performers. Vampire kings and queens with fake blood pours. Devilishly dark undead characters and mistresses of the night. Macabre Victorian freakshow and sideshow acts will delight your guests with a deliciously dark show.
Nerdlesque is the most comedic of all styles. It’s Burlesque dancers for Nerds where striptease meets pop culture. Superheros, Comic Con faves and movies like Star Wars and Disney princesses all get the Nerdlesque treatment. Much more than just Cosplay dressing up. Performers must create a mini-drama with high-end choreography and theatrical drama within the space of one track of music.
Hopefully, you are now fully armed with our tips and tricks for booking both vintage and modern Burlesque dancers. We are the experts in perfectly matching any Burlesque performer, or indeed a whole troupe, to your audience and event.