The Gazette, October 5 2006

Born Again Burlesque
SUSAN KELLY, Freelance
In a St. Laurent Blvd. loft, women learning the sultry way to take off their clothes say they're finding self-empowerment underneath

It could be any dance class. Seven women stand arm's length apart, eyes forward, intent on copying every move and every nuance of the expert before them. It's just that their uniform is feathers, above-the-elbow black gloves, and some very, very high heels.

One ... two ...

Each dancer snakes a plumy black boa across her shoulders to the strains of Peggy Lee's sultry Fever. The instructor, her jet hair raked back in a ponytail, watches their progress through retro cat's-eye glasses. The students aim for the perfect saucy sway.

Three ... four ...

The feathers descend to caress the hips for the next four beats, before slithering to the floor in sync with a seductive over-the-shoulder look at an imaginary audience.

"Oh yeah!" exclaims the leader, obviously pleased, as all master the sequence of moves in one take.

In a St. Laurent Blvd. loft in the heart of the Plateau, this is Class 3 of six weekly hour-long sessions devoted to learning the basics of burlesque.

The instructor is a self-taught artist of the seductive peel, who goes by the impish stage name of Mlle Oui Oui Encore. This is the second year of teaching this craft for the former swing dancer and aficionado of all things mid-20th-century-ish.

"Last year, some of my students actually gave an end-of-term performance on stage," she said. "But most are here for more personal reasons."

Claudia Gagnon, for one, a UQAM student majoring in linguistics, has no desire to become the next Lili St. Cyr, the famous Montreal burlesque dancer of the 1940s.

This is the first time Gagnon has ever taken a dance class. She expects the course to make her feel more comfortable with her own body, and to improve her overall self-confidence.

"It's a personal challenge for me," she said. "I'm not even really sure I can move like a burlesque dancer."

Still, she's having no difficulty picking up the sinuous steps and is beginning to shop for class-worthy lingerie.

As is Marie-Helene Veretta, a fellow UQAM undergraduate. Studying to be a teacher, she has developed a penchant for long gloves and boas.

Veretta did have to step outside her comfort zone to attend the first class. "I'm really shy by nature," she explained. "But already I feel more bold, and definitely more attractive and feminine."

The modern burlesque craze was born many decades after Montreal heyday as a burlesque capital.

"New Burlesque" continues to attract a steady following among the young and hip around the world. Five of the seven members of Gagnon's Tuesday night class are under 30.

Mlle Oui Oui Encore is a co-founder of Blue Light Burlesque, a local troupe that mounted a show last month at La Tulipe on Papineau Ave.

Freelance stylist Melanie Garcia caught the fever after taking in a previous Blue Light show. She has also seen some more avant-garde burlesque at events such as the 2006 Montreal Fringe Festival.

"I've peeked at a strip-club show out of curiosity, and found it numbingly dull," she said.

"Burlesque performers are so different. They radiate really positive, empowering and sexy energy. And burlesque is playful; some performances are absolutely hilarious."

Once Garcia has mastered the basics, she's really looking forward to recreating some of that energy - and making her own costumes from a burgeoning stockpile of retro hats, slinky long gloves and other accessories picked up in second-hand stores.

Fellow student Isabelle Lapierre finds the course has met her personal goals, but has been hazardous to her romantic life. A busy writer for television and radio, she spends a lot of time at the computer. She thought a little bump-and-grind would provide relief from that daily grind.

It has. The problem is that her new hobby has knocked her husband of 12 years for a loop.

"He's very suspicious now," she said. "He really can't understand why I'm suddenly so interested in lingerie and have this urgent appointment once a week. But it's really just about doing something for me."

Lisa Mercier commutes from Ste. Adele every Monday just to attend. "This course really gets us into another world," she said.

A translator working in the automotive industry, she finds the class is helping her to be more demonstrative with the sensual side of her nature.

"I'm really coming to know an unexplored side of myself," she said. It has already had a fringe benefit, in that her boyfriend of four months avidly follows her progress in the class. The build-up to graduation day is keeping the relationship spicy, with Mercier planning a for-his-eyes-only recital in a local hotel room to mark the occasion.

Back in the studio, the class has moved on to finish their routine. It involves some sexy strutting, posing with a chair to reveal stocking-clad gams, and the art of taking one's sweet, sensual time to peel off a long glove.

In later sessions, students will work on coquettish ways of slipping out of a skirt and unbuttoning a blouse. Those who sign up for Burlesque II will learn more complex routines and about elaborating costumes and characters, perhaps even an alternate burlesque persona. In both courses, only the most bold need reveal more than the lingerie.

"Burlesque is not just about stripping," Mlle Oui Oui said. "It's more important to tease and suggest.

"You'd be amazed what you can imply while still keeping your bra on."

For information on classes, email info@ blue lightburlesque.com
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006

 

Mlle Oui Oui Encore(foreground) instructs Marie-Helene (left) and Melissa in the seductive art of peeling off a long silky glove.
Photograph by : DAVE SIDAWAY, THE GAZETTE