burlesque
Burlesque 101
Saturday, September 5th, 2009 | Classes | No Comments
We are head over heels for Burlesque dance!
Aradia Fitness is excited to have a new workshop added to our schedule – Introduction to Burlesque. Our instructor Fauna is a vivacious dancer & performer from Greensboro, NC – you can check out her company, Soulflower Dance, by clicking HERE.
When most people think of Burlesque, they immediately think “stripping”.
I however imagine brightly colored outfits, tight corsets, big feathers and a little “risque” behavior. Burlesque is not, and has never been, simply a strip show.
Origins of modern-day Burlesque dance can actually be traced back to the Shakespearean era of theater, when writers such as Miguel Cervantes (think Don Quixote) and Geoffrey Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales) began to poke fun at traditional literature/theater and medieval society.
The term “burlesque” itself is rooted in the Spanish verb “to joke”. The key to this form of dance is that it is FUN! Modern-day Burlesque emerged in the late 19th & early 20th century in music halls featuring elaborate, over-the-top sets and actresses. Known for turning social norms head-over-heels, Burlesque shows employed parody and wit to entertain its audiences.
British (or “classical Burlesque”) focused mainly on parodies of popular opera & theater often poking fun at upper class society. The entertainment of American Burleqsue, however, tended to focus more on bawdy humor and low society.
Striptease had its part in American Burlesque as it was incorporated into the comedy routines. Often people confuse the role of striptease in Burlesque and automatically associate it with the performances seen in modern-day strip clubs. The role of striptease and risque clothing in Burlesque dance was that it defied societal norms at the time; remember, the term “burlesque” itself means “to joke” and “to turn upside down”. If society turned its nose up at something, Burlesque troupes were sure to incorporate it into their acts!
The confusion between Burlesque and striptease arose in the mid-20th century as Burlesque shows began to feature less satirical entertainment. The 1930s was considered the birth of striptease as Burlesque performances ceased to feature elaborate comedies and instead hosted rather simple strip shows.
Burlesque dance became dormant for some years until the late 1990s when a revival began to take place. Presently you can find Burlesque troupes and shows at local theaters and even find elements of Burlesque incorporated into the increasingly popular Roller Derby circuit.
Now that you understand a simple history of Burlesque, isn’t it time for you to give it a try yourself? Check out the upcoming workshop at Aradia Fitness on Saturday September 12 2009 and get a taste of the fun and bawdy Burlesque style of dance!
Can’t make it in September? Keep an eye on the Aradia Fitness schedule for upcoming classes or add yourself to our mailing list to be notified of new classes.
(Interested in learning more on Burlesque? Information for this article is credited to Wikipedia.com; you can learn more by clicking HERE.)
March has flown by!
Friday, April 10th, 2009 | News | No Comments
March 2009 was an exhilarating month at Aradia Fitness!
Not only have we introduced several new workouts and events… but we’ve been delighted to meet all the new ladies who have come to us to “Meet Their Sexy Side”!
WORKOUTS
This past month we introduced our new “Beyond the Pole” workouts to the delight of our instructors and clients. The four classes on the schedule at this time (Booty Box, Bunny Bootcamp, Candlelight Stretch, and Sexy Butt & Abs) are each fun ways to strengthen, tone, and increase flexibility…. all with a sexy twist of course! Staying fit and healthy should never be a chore and our goal is keep you having fun while doing so!
EVENTS
On March 26 Aradia Fitness co-hosted a free “Naughty Girls’ Night In” event with Adam & Eve adult stores. Nearly 50 clients and friends visited our studio for an evening of naughty games, sexy demos from the Aradia Instructors, raffles and of course a little pole play time!
We were also excited that Raleigh’s own Naughty & Iced provided a delicious and fabulous looking Bustiere cake to keep theme with the evening’s festivities!
The Aradia Instructors also demonstrated a fun & flirty Chair Dance routine… be sure to check out the April Chair Dance workshop to learn a fun routine like this one for home!
Visit our MySpace page to view some of the photos from this fun event!!
The month of March also kicked off our fabulous Meetup.com events! This group of amazing women in the Triangle area visit our studio for special events at drastically reduced rates. We’ve hosted two great events in March and already have several more on the calendar for April and May!
This is the perfect way to check out pole dancing for fitness as well as meet other like-minded women in the area! If you haven’t already, join our MEETUP.COM POLE DANCING GROUP and come out to one of our monthly events… we’d love to have you.
MORE TO COME!
April is already shaping up to be another busy month for us! New pole dancing & sensual movement sessions began last week and we are looking forward to our Teaser classes & chair dancing workshop later in the month.
Be sure to look for Aradia Fitness at the April 19 bridal expo in Raleigh! We always have a great time at this event visitng with other wonderful vendors and meeting the beautiful brides-to-be!
We are also looking at opening a few new studios this year, particularly in the Wilmington and Greensboro area. We already love what we do and we can’t wait to bring this exhilarating form of fitness to a whole new community of women!
Stick with us ladies! We have a ton of new things in store for the spring and summer (including Striptease, Burlesque and Belly Dancing!)… and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Are you ready to Meet Your Sexy Side?!