Welcome My Fine Feathered Friends!

I’ve been using that phrase for years and now it’s seemingly appropriate, Hooray!

I debated sharing my experiences for a long time and have finally come to a place where I think they’ll be much more interesting. You see dear friends, I’ve enrolled in the New York School of Burlesque!! OW OW! (virtual cat calling)  I will be taking the Essential Burlesque Dance Series. It is 4 Sundays,  2 hours each class, and I am ecstatic. I’ve been itching to take dance classes and equally refusing to spend the little money I make on them but I’ve reached my boiling point. I have faith it will be worth every penny and the beginning of a really exciting year…fingers crossed!

I am feeling refreshed at 27 and falling in love with myself all over again. Since moving to NYC over two years ago, I’m steadily regaining a confidence I’m pretty sure I lost in college. Being a girl is hard enough, being a plus size girl in a frat house makes it even harder. I’ve always loved my curves but grew up in a world that thought them diseased so I struggled with this dichotomy for years on end. I’m not here to complain about that though, I’m here to celebrate being a happy, confident, big hipped girl who just wants to dance!

You n00bs asking “what is burlesque?” I’ll explain it the way I did to my mother: Like a stripping showgirl.  It celebrates being funny and sexy at the same time. I mean hellooo I’m funny AND sexy! (note: she thinks I’m officially nuts.)

First Taste: On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, I dragged my friend LM (whose blog you can read here) to go see the SOB‘s  (School of Burlesque) Student Showcase. I had never been to a live burlesque show and could not take it anymore; I would have gone alone. Long story short, I was the reluctant audience volunteer at intermission. Jo “Boobs“ Weldon (headmistress at SOB, read her blog here) asked me onstage after my friends had been yelling my name. Oh god, I thought. After a few introductory questions I had my back to the audience and was unbuttoning my top. Before I knew it I was bra free and had tasseled pasties hanging from my boobs. At this point I was told to face the audience. “My poor mother,” I said. I learned a little bumpin and grindin then within seconds my hands were in the air, I was bouncing up and down, and the tassels were twirling. Holy cow!
I got a standing ovation (because Burlesque audiences rock!), my first pair of pasties (yum!), and I was hooked...

I’ll try and keep my entries short, sweet, and fun but I make no promises! I wanna have a video each week in addition to a write up but we’ll see how that goes. My first class is next Sunday, Nov 7, and I hope you check back to hear all about it!

Ciao for now,
TT

PS: Happy Halloween! I celebrated last night and do not see myself leaving the house today. ouch.