Class Descriptions at GBE

Come, join us for happy hour at the barre!!  The dance barre that is!  Up your movement skills by focusing on leg, ankle, and foot strength and full-body alignment.  This class will include a gentle warm up and then focus on floor barre and standing barre exercises.  Wake up your body, stretch and strengthen your muscles, and connect your body from toe tip to the top of your head.  While prior dance experience will make this class easier, the class is suitable for all experience levels and many of the exercises can be modified to be completed sitting or lying on the floor. 

This class is one hour and 12 minutes.  We spend time on various floor barre movements, with a focus on body alignment and strengthening muscles in the legs, abs, and back.  Then we will come to standing and the rest of the class will focus on standing barre movements, including foot exercises, leg lifts, kicks, pleas and releves, and stretches. 

The class objective is to learn floor and standing barre exercises to strengthen and stretch various muscle groups.

The student should wear comfortable clothes suitable for movement.  No shoes are necessary. 

In this class designed for beginner crafters/pastie makers we will discuss different options for crafting your own pasties.  We will discuss glues, fabrics, and covering options.  We will also discuss pastie patterns and use of pattern templates.  We will also discuss the inclusion of tassels in your design, the benefits of using a removable tassel, different hardware options for removable tassels, and different types of tassels to make or purchase. 

Bring a notebook and pen or other method for taking notes and all of your questions!!

This all levels class is built around body appreciation, movement with intention, and energy placement. Students will learn how to awaken and reconnect with their erotic power through sensual movement, dance, gratitude, and music. This class incorporates Burlesque elements: slow burn, light floorwork, grindwork, and eye/body fuckery. Layered moveable clothing, socks, and hydration are a must.

Want rhinestones but feeling overhwelmed?  This class is for you!  We will talk about types of rhinestones, brands of rhinestones, and the pitfalls and benefits of various types of rhinestone application!  Beginner Level Class

"I'm not in burlesque for the money." That's fine, but, there is money involved, and we all need to keep track of it. Class topics will include opportunity costs, break even points, invoicing and what your accountant is looking for during tax season. Time permitting, advanced tax topics like depreciation and amortization will be covered. This class is a starting point, and does not replace the advice of a certified tax accountant.

A classic topic - what's a great act without some classic moves?  Pulling from Betty's 20 years of belly dance and Burlesque experience, we'll dig into the classics of Burlesque hip and chest moves.  Class will start with the basics of how to do these moves cleanly and how to situate them within a classic Burlesque number, and will move on to tips, tricks and ways to make it all more beautifully complicated depending on the comfort of the students.

Please wear clothes you can move in.  If your clothing is loose around your hips, please bring a scarf or something else to tie around your hips.  Dance friendly shoes or bare feet are welcome.

Overcome your fear and make friends with your sewing machine!

Learn how to:

• Wind a bobbin
• Thread a sewing machine
• Adjust tension (when and why)
• Select stitches
• Get sewing!
• Troubleshoot sewing problems
• And basic sewing machine maintenance

The FUNdamentals of Comic Burlesque

Workshop description An hour long adventure of shimmy, shaking and the fundamental… get it…FUNdamntal… basics of comic of building your own comic burlesque acts with Roxy Stardust. Explore storytelling, character building and the art of getting the audience to laugh along with you. Wear what you feel most comfortable in. All genders are welcome.

As performers and artists, how do we deal with criticism, critiques and rejection, in a productive way?

Burlesque is a deeply personal art for many practitioners.  With so much invested in our performance, how do we differentiate between commentary on our act and commentary on our selves? This course teaches effective communication techniques from tone to word choice for giving and receiving feedback in a positive light.  We’ll also discuss using negative experiences like festival rejections as springboards for creativity and reinvigoration, and explores a variety of solutions to common traps we fall into when receiving feedback.

It's time to get down - on the floor, that is! We'll be learning transitions to and from the ground, flexibility cheats, and floor moves to wow the crowd. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or trying to hone your skills, this class will add some more bump to your floor grind.

All levels, genders, and body types welcome.

Heels recommended but not required.

Students should wear clothes that they can move in.

Corsets are one of those classic burlesque costume elements, but they can be baffling. Overbust, waist training, spiral, busks... What does it all mean? Let Miss Mina, an award-winning costumer and long-time corset-wearer, guide you through all aspects of corsetry. You'll learn how to buy a corset that's right for you and essential information for making your own. We'll also discuss how to properly wear a corset and, most importantly, how to remove it!

Do you want to make your own costume pieces, but have no idea where to begin? Has it been many years since you've sewn something and you'd like a refresher? Join Ava and go back to the basics!

We will cover:

• Taking measurements and choosing a pattern size
• Reading a pattern
• Seam allowances
• Fabric Grain
• Seam finishes
• And more!

In this workshop Stormy Divine will lead you through active listening and dance exercises to help diversify your movement and choreography. Students will work on ear training to gain a deeper awareness of song layers and how to move between them naturally and intentionally in their acts. By learning more about musicality, performers can provide more impactful reveals, powerful accents and surprising moments in their performances. A portion of the class will be seated and a portion will be active with movement and choreography. Please wear a comfortable outfit and bring a shirt that opens in the front for a reveal. You do not need a background in music to take this workshop and it is open to all levels. Stormy Divine holds a Bachelor's Degree in Popular Music Studies and is an Ottawa based burlesque performer, choreographer and producer who can't wait to dance with you!

Sketch and create your own harness design.
Learn how to:

• Choose your elastic
• Develop a design
• Connect elastics in multiple ways
• Install sliders to provide a better fit

Fee includes elastic in various colors, rings, sliders, and closures.

No matter how punctual, experienced, or skilled you are , if you don't get paid you are by definition an amateur. This 60-minute class covers the secrets of marketing yourself, setting your rates, contract negotiation, how to get booked, and the all-important art of getting the re-booking. An essential class for anyone who wants to earn money performing burlesque! Please bring any sales collateral (business cards, advertising fliers, branded give-aways, etc.) which you may have.

This workshop focuses on finishing full lines of movement, body awareness, and holding space. Students will participate in polishing drills as well as learning controlled movement to help with muscle memory to enlarge your presence on stage. This class incorporates Burlesque elements of parade and pose. Heels and hydration are highly recommended.

Getting more “work on your face” feedback than you want? Having a hard time evoking emotion on stage? Acting is a part of performance and yes too, Burlesque. This is a movement and acting class that teaches each student to learn and connect facial expressions and body movement through emotion with the help of our animal friends persona’s. Get ready to get out of your comfort zones and out into the wild.

In burlesque we need our costume to stay securely on until the moment it has to effortlessly come off. There are so many kinds of closures, from the simple to the esoteric. Master costumer Miss Mina Murray will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of costume closures, from adhesive to zippers. Hand-on examples will be provided!

Producing, like so many things, is both a blessing and a curse. This class intends to help you navigate the curses so you can enjoy the blessings. Topics will include budgeting, timelines, communications, differnet styles of show adn structures, and a discussion about marketing in different markets. Handouts will be available in person or electronically. 

“Put Some Funk On It” will help level up your performances by taking commonly used dance moves and “putting YOUR funk” on them to make them your own! You will be taken through a choreographed routine using “basic” dance steps as we explore how to individualize them by infusing your personality into the steps so that you stand out, tell the story and have your audiences melting at your feet!

You have the Charisma, you have the act idea- now let’s put some Funk on those moves!

• all levels Class!
• Participants can wear clothes and footwear they feel comfortable moving in.

Do you have a makeup bag full of products, and you don't even use half of them? Are you still hoarding that one lipstick you bought when you first started in burlesque and you refuse to give it up (even though it's probably down to a nub at this point)? Do you have the nasty habit of overpacking all of your makeup for the gig?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, don't fret! Susie Dahl is here to help you pair down your makeup kit and help keep it show ready in her "Makeup Bag Rehab - For Show Folk" lecture. She'll be sharing tips on how to pack minimal products for maximum impact, as well as some of her favorite products.  

Have you ever been preparing for a show and had someone ask you - what kind of lighting do you want? And you didn't know how to answer them? Then this class is for you! 

In this class I will give a quick and dirty introduction to the world of stage lighting, including teaching you how to converse with designers and techies so you can help them help you and make your performance shine!

This hands-on workshop will help participants to hone their acting skills and improve their visual storytelling in burlesque! By utilizing acting exercises and exploring character work through the lens of theatre, we will help you serve your best face!