Dear Constant Reader,
It’s hard to imagine but today marks 19 years since The Boston Academy of Burlesque Education held its first class!
It was a three-hour workshop called “Instant Burlesque Queen”, held in a Pilates studio in the old fire house in Allston. We had eight students for that first class: one was a journalist, one was a stand-up comic, and one eventually joined the troupe for a little while. We also had a photographer, so it was all preserved for posterity.
I was so nervous. I mean, I was confident in my knowledge and I was confident in my teaching ability; I’d taught burlesque for a couple of years before this, but not to the general public and not under my own brand.
I crammed in as much as I knew about burlesque movement and striptease — probably too much. When I look at the list of garments now I laugh: gloves and a shirt and a skirt and shoes and stockings and a garter belt and a bra and a hat. I was kind of desperate to make sure I filled the time. I taught a short choreography to “Hey, Big Spender” (of course). I think Betty helped me with it because I had no idea how to choreograph at that time.
Every student took home a little kit with “The Guide to Being a Darling Diva”, a booklet of information like choosing a burlesque name and places to buy supplies, a pair of pasties, and a CD. Yes, CDs. It was 2006. I had a little yellow boombox so I could play music for the class, which was limited to either the “Take It Off” album or “Las Vegas Grind”.
Here’s Li’l Mina teaching a shoe remove.
I taught Instant Burlesque Queen every few months for a couple of years until we found a more permanent space and I created the four-week Introduction to Burlesque we’re still teaching. Eventually I was able to hire other instructors and offer more kinds of classes. B.A.B.E has taught literally hundreds of students and it all started nineteen years ago today!
These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 
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