Thread: How to start a burly group when none exists.

Hello, all - I'm up in Montana, in the US - and I've got bit by the burly bug bad.

I'm a director on the board for our local performing arts center and am giddy at the thought of creating a whole revue program - it would be a blast. Tons of work, yes, but I'm no stranger to large scale fundraising projects.

Anyway, this would be a first for our area, perhaps for the state (or at least the western third). I've googled and searched about for burlesque classes , or even hum-drum strip tease classes . Nothing has popped up. I've searched online for burlesque dancers, and the only result returned looked like a 'rent-an-escort' type operation geared to bachelor parties.

So, can anyone list out a how to get started resource? Maybe there's a title like "Burlesque Revue Development for Dummies." I havne't found it yet - at least not on Amazon...

What do you suggest for someone such as I, starting completely from scratch? Obviously, a group forms somehow...grows more or less organicallyk and performances flow from there. But is there a way to do such in an environment nearly devoid of dance outlets save for country western line dancing?

All suggestions are welcome, certainly!

many thanks -
ShimSham

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My circus director wanted to do circus 9 years ago but there wasn't one in her area. So what does she do? START ONE. Mind you, she hadn't done a lick of circus before this. Now the circus she started is pretty accomplished and she's just joined our circus (in another state) to be our Artistic Director. So it's possible.

Firstly - what sort of burlesque are you after? Vintage Dita von Teese glamour? Queer drag disco style? Quirky performance art? Political statement? Those are some of the many types of burlesque I've encountered and there's many more enclaves out there.

From there you can start thinking about who would be interested in similar things. For vintage style - look up people into rockabilly, hot rod, tattoos. Queer stuff's pretty straight(haha)forward - hit up LGBT sites. There is a lot of stuff out there that would be considered burlesque but doesn't tend to advertise itself as such. Look up cabaret, fringe art, performance art, dance , pole dance , belly dance , any sort of dance really, anything that looks weird and interesting. If they don't have something directly they can give you pointers.

Are you looking to create an *event*, with different performances, or are you looking to create a group that will collaborate on productions and pieces? See if there are any collectives in your are. Or better yet - put out a callout! You're probably not the only person in Montana looking for burlesque -related stuff. Do you haev street press in your city? They're great. Checkout the more subcultural ones as well. Or check out Meetup.com.

Also hit up the Yahoogroups for Teaseorama and NYBF - they can give you pointers and the people are pretty friendly and passionate. Missexoticworld's another one.

Good luck!

B*B, Tiara

If you can't find talented and experienced performers locally, spend the money and fly them in from NYC, Vegas, San Franciso, Minnesota, Chicago (main US hubs that spring to mind).

If you are just starting out you are about to take yourself on a huge learning curve - so make sure you learn from the best resources available.