Your Stories

Leeds Burlesque was started in 2006 by Dalia Hawley, growing out of her interest in retro fashions, music and culture. Up until that point if you were interested in burlesque then you basically had to head for London, Birmingham or Manchester.

Dalia took lessons from renowned burlesque artiste, Bella Besame - who runs events and workshops in Manchester - and decided that what Leeds was missing was a return to the curvaceous glamour of the 1950s.

"It took a while to find a venue who was prepared to take us on, as many were labouring under the misunderstanding that burlesque was purely about stripping and that their establishment would suddenly be overrun by 'the dirty mac brigade'!"

"Shake it!"

"Burlesque is about so much more. It comes out of the vaudeville and variety traditions - back to the old music hall days, when there were strict rules on the amount of flesh you could show and acts had to be inventive enough to be entertaining and titillating but still stay on the right side of the theatre management and the law! Hence you have the introduction of things like nipple tassles!"

"Performers like Gypsy Rose Lee helped popularise the form and became a well-known face in Hollywood films. Later on in the 50s, women like Blaze Starr became notorious - especially after her affair with the Governor of Louisiana, Earl Long.

"The liberalisation of the 1960s and 70s meant that burlesque was seen as a tired medium and it's only recently that there's been a revival of interest. I think that's partially down to a backlash against the idea of women having to be a certain shape - i.e all skin and bone. In burlesque, the fuller figure is seen as preferable and that gives a lot of confidence to modern women who are fed up with trying to adhere to a fantasy of what women should look like."

'Cecilia Rouge'

"Indeed, we appeal more to women than men, which many may fine curious but our audience is usually 60/40 in favour of women - and they're certainly rowdier than the fellas! I think they come for the outfits - which are fabulous, and give everyone an excuse to dress up - but also they connect with it because they admire the bravery required to perform a routine. Also, they can see we're real women - wobbly bits 'n' all!"    

"It's not just about the striptease, we have a compere and DJ, and sometimes a live band for more atmosphere - it's all about the recreation of an era with a cabaret or speakeasy feel to it. It's interactive and gives people a different night out than what they're used to. I dance under the name Cecilia Rouge all over the UK, so it's gaining popularity and for those who want to give it a go, we do workshops and we put on a night for first-timers called DD Tease - hopefully empowering women to stop fretting about their bodies and just shake what you've got!"