This weekend we had the pleasure of delivering a burlesque hen party for the lovely Laura, who had flown back to her home country of Scotland, and chosen to have her hen party celebrations with us in Glasgow.  The fabulous Daiquiri Dusk, one of our Glasgow instructors, put the group through their burlesque paces and told us, “Despite the somewhat dismal wintery weather in Glasgow, the ladies seemed like a fabulous bunch right from the start and they certainly warmed away any winter blues in their workshop!”

Daiquiri found the group to be burlesque starlets in the making, who were up to the task of being divas, pin-up cuties and expert tassel twirlers from the get-go.  Laura’s party embraced their alter-egos immediately with Luscious Lulu, Roxie and Violetta being stage names of choice for these lovely ladies.  Strutting their way through the burlesque essentials, Laura’s party posed with ease, and peeled with precision.  Laura’s favourite part of the class was putting all her new found skills to practise in the final routine – and we hope this won’t be the only time she’ll put these to use.

Daiquiri though the group were just gorgeous: “I had a fantastic time today, the ladies were such a laid-back, fun group and they seemed to really enjoy their Glasgow burlesque hen party. They definitely excelled when it came to twirling, so many naturals in the group! It was a super way to end a fabulous year of teaching with the Academy, thanks ladies!”

We wish Laura all the best for her wedding day and hope that she has a fantastic Christmas in Scotland with her family.

Contact us for your burlesque hen party in Glasgow!

Daiquiri Dusk / Academy of Burlesque & Cabaret

Edinburgh is the perfect hen party destination at any time of year, and in December, the city has plenty of old world Christmas cheer – and plenty of mulled wine to help keep out the winter chill! Kirsty’s party came from all over the world to join her in Edinburgh to celebrate her upcoming nuptials, with Kirsty flying in from the US back to her homeland of Scotland to celebrate with her friends.  On meeting the party I was pleasantly surprised that I had met two of the members before; one of the ladies, Summer  ’Peepshow’ Spunksalot (as she was rechristened) had booked an Academy of Burlesque & Cabaret burlesque hen party in Aberdeen for her sister back in 2010and I had delivered it.  Summer hadn’t been well during her sister’s hen party session, but she made up for it this time round posing like a burlesque starlet and snapping photos at a rate that would have put Mario Testino to shame. Busty Malone (not her real name) had also seen me before performing burlesque in Edinburgh at the National Museum of Scotland’s Museum Lates in the summer.  She also caught our professional cancan and showgirl troupe ‘French Fling’ performing the cancan at the same event and was blown away at how fantastic they were – we are so proud of our high-kicking ladies for doing such a cancan-tastic job!

It was such a pleasure to put Kirsty’s group through their burlesque paces, and after having a good old natter about burlesque and academia (like myself, most of the group were doing PhDs and post-docs,) they created some fantastic burlesque names at breakneck speed.  Kirsty was rechristened Petal de Pussie, and her troupe was named the Penn State Follies.  Petal was a natural, and her Follies complemented her perfectly – by the end of the posing routine, it very much looked like they were ready to take to the stage!  Summer, who was snapping away throughout the session making sure that every move, wink and bump was documented for posterity, was a natural poser as well, and started a discussion about posing in  photos, which ended with Summer telling me about posing in photos with Prince William. (We trust that our lesson in 2010 with Summer helped make these poses perfect).  Petal was, however, the star of the show.  A little nervous at first, with the backing of her group and the fabulous Daisy (the group’s organiser), Petal shone.  She struck beautiful poses, was the perfect pin-up cutie and twirled with distinction.

The group were a giggle and really put their everything into their Edinburgh burlesque hen party – so a huge thank you to Daisy for making us part of Petal’s hen party.  We would like to wish Petal all the best for her upcoming PhD viva and for her wedding in 2013.

Contact us for your burlesque hen party in Edinburgh!

Gypsy Charms/Academy of Burlesque & Cabaret

The group, who were largely from the Manchester and Preston area, had decided to give Sassy Sam, as she was re-christened, a hen weekend to remember in Newcastle, and we are delighted that they chose to have their burlesque party with us.  Starting as they meant to go on, the group created some fabulous burlesque names, and by all accounts they lived up to their alter-egos.   ‘Exotic Em’ was a class act at naming the party, creating and inspiring many of the names they selected.  The aptly named ‘Naughty Nic’ suggested they all called each other by name for the rest of their hen weekend, with a drink being the penalty for forgetting to do so. Ruby (and the rest of Academy of Burlesque & Cabaret) think that they should adopt these alter-egos whenever they see each other.

Ruby told me, “My favourite name was ‘Lady Ginge’ (which, the hen party decided, should always be pronounced with a French accent, to give it a certain  ‘je ne sais quoi’)” and that Sassy Sam’s group took to burlesque like naturals.  They acted, pouted, strutted and twirled with abandon with Sassy Sam being the star of the show.  On the subject of their tassel twirling ability, Ruby me told the group really committed to twirling their tassels: “My goodness, Lady Ginge could twirl her tassels! She was so fascinated by watching her own tassels she almost got a pain in her neck!”

The ladies had a blast, as did Ruby.  “It was a very saucy afternoon”, Ruby told us, “and all the girls really got into character. ‘Hot Heather’ was memorising the routines, as, being the only single girl, means she has her pick of classy Geordie blokes!”  We are sure that attached or single, those burlesque essentials will come in handy for every member of the Newcastle hen party.

We hope Sassy Sam and the ladies had a great time on their hen weekend in Newcastle, and we wish Sam all the best for her big day.

Oh, and lovely feedback from Sam herself the day after the party: “I just wanted to say how much we really enjoyed our class. Ruby Rox was absolutely fantastic and I’m so glad we chose to do this for my hen weekend.” – thanks Sam, we’re honoured to have been part of your hen weekend.

Fancy letting us take you on a whistestop tour of burlesque for your hen party, in Newcastle or across the UK? Contact us for your burlesque hen party!

Ruby Rox / Academy of Burlesque & Cabaret

A stone’s throw away from the University of Glasgow (Mou-Lynn’s and my alma mater), Glasgow’s West End was a fitting location to learn some burlesque essentials – as she’d originallymet her soon-to-be-husband while studying here.

Dressed to impress in burlesque-inspired attire, the ladies were absolute naturals from the start. Fully embracing the burlesque bump and grind, Mou-Lynn assured me that she would put her skills to good use not only on her hen night, but also at her wedding reception. And, after learning the showgirl pose (which they executed like professionals), Mou-Lynn has instructed her bridesmaids to put this into action at the wedding.

The group were natural actresses and performed all the routines with a wink and a smile, playing up beautifully to their group’s photographer, the aptly named Miss Peep-Show. Fully committed to her role as official photographer and audience she played along with aplomb!

We laughed and giggled through the session,and it was such a delight to teach Mou-Lynn’s hen party, who we re-christened the Glasgow Belles.

We wish her all the very best for the wedding and hope those burlesque essentials come in handy.

Contact us for your burlesque hen party Glasgow

Gypsy Charms

Bon Bon donned her fishnets and lycra to put the hen party through some classic 80s choreography courtesy of a selection of quintessential 80s dance movie moments, including everyone’s favourite scenes from Fame,  Flashdance, Footloose and Dirty Dancing. The hen party class was held at the group’s own accommodation near Cupar; a beautifully renovated castle in amazing grounds. Bon Bon was delighted to be treated some treats – cake, muffins and Cadbury’s Roses – on arrival, which we feel make a great warm-up for any hen party dance class.

The group were enthusiastic from the start, embracing everything about the 80s – from back-combed hair to luminous lycra, these ladies didn’t hold back.

Creating her 80s-tastic name, bride-to-be JJ owned up to her childhood crush on Ted Danson, and was renamed JJ Danson. From the very start, the girls channeled those power hands and the classic 80s cheese.  Bon Bon told us, “Footloose was a favourite of the group, with the hen showing off some of her prom moves. They were even better than the original movie!”

Bon Bon had a blast with JJ’s hen party and we are sure that those dance moves will come in useful at the reception!

Get in touch for your 80s hen party dance class!

Gypsy Charms / Bon Bon Fatale

Trixie had no idea what her hen party had planned for her in Dundee – but it didn’t her long to work it out! Dressed in burlesque-inspired outfits, Trixie’s party came ready for action – outgoing and utterly fabulous, they were naturals from the start.

Trixie assured me at the start of the lesson that she was not adept at posing, but we soon rectified that. During the lesson she was only permitted to drink her delicate glass of rosé if she did so in a showgirl pose, and naturally, by the end of the session the pose had become instinctive (not that we’re saying she drank a lot…). We’re certain this will lead to an even greater amount of rosé being bought for Trixie in the future.

Her Dundee hen party threw themselves into burlesque with abandon; they were born actresses and had a wicked sense if humour, making me giggle as much as I made them giggle!

And I had another party of fantastic twirlers – Trixie in particular got her tassels going in all sorts of directions, a skill that usually takes many years to master.  I am certain that will come in useful at social occasions when there is a lull in conversation.

We would like to wish Trixie all the best for her wedding in November and know that the rest of her hen weekend will have been a blast!

Contact us for your burlesque hen party Dundee!

Gypsy Charms

As temperatures start to drop, Glasgow’s saw a sudden rise as Trixie’s burlesque hen party in Glasgow learnt to bump, shimmy and pose to perfection in Sauchiehall Street.

Trixie’s 16-strong hen party were an absolute delight to teach. Hailing from the far north of Scotland, Trixie, like myself had studied at Glasgow University, where she met many of the ladies who attended her hen party. I am fairly certain there has never been a Glasgow University reunion with so many feathers or nipple tassels.

The highly efficient organiser, another Glasgow Uni graduate (I am proud to say) had organised boas and wigs for the party as well as a burlesque-tastic outfit for Trixie to wear during the session. Looking hot to trot, the temperature in the room just kept rising as the ladies mastered the burlesque style moves.

As well as being polished posers by the end of the session, they were professional standard tassel-twirlers. Our hen, Trixie, was particularly outstanding – and I have no doubt it will come in useful!

We were delighted to receive an email from the organiser the week after the session: “Just to say thank you so much for organising our Burlesque class for my friend’s hen party. Gypsy Charms was absolutely fantastic – she was hilarious, had loads of fun and interesting chat, and was great at breaking down the moves. Everyone was raving about it afterwards, saying what a great idea it was to do that class, and how good Gypsy was. Even the older ladies who were a bit nervous about doing it were up for it once they were put at ease by Gypsy. Thanks again to you and Gypsy for a great afternoon!!” (see more on our burlesque hen party reviews and testimonials page)

We would like to wish the ladies all the best and know that Trixie will have an amazing wedding. Thanks for having us be part of your fabulous Glasgow hen party.

Contact us for your burlesque hen party in Glasgow.

Gypsy Charms

Wearing matching hen party tops, our nervous but excited group of 12 ladies headed to a stylish city centre club venue last Saturday for a burlesque hen party session led by the gorgeous Ruby Rox, our burlesque teacher in Newcastle.  Under the expert instruction of Ruby, their nerves left them in no time at all as they realised their burlesque alter-egos and uncovered their inner divas during the whistlestop two-hour session.

The group’s organiser, the vivacious Miss Brown Sugar’s energy and enthusiasm was infectious. “She was on fire!” Ruby told me “When the girls created their alter-egos, she made sure everyone felt the part supplying the group with spanking tools, boas, feathers and more!”  Soon Racey RaRa, Madam Coco, Amy Amore and the rest of the group were perfecting their struts, striking perfect poses and shimmying with abandon.

Again we had another group of natural actresses who came into their own when their inner good girl and bad girl were put to the test in our glove striptease routine.  Ruby told us, “These ladies were definitely used to getting their own way, as they were professional tantrum-throwers in our glove striptease!” – and we say, “Quite right too ladies!”. Our bride-to-be Mademoiselle Wardlaw stole the show in the tassel twirling, when she twirled so vigorously that her tassels flew off. Very Carry on Camping!

“They were such a fabulous group,” Ruby told us, “and I know that they will put those burlesque skills to use”.

We wish Mademoiselle Wardlaw and her group all the best for the big day!

Contact us for your burlesque hen party in Newcastle

Ruby Rox / Gypsy Charms

With both Miss Venus’s family and her husband-to-be’s family along for the burlesque experience, the party were a force to be reckoned with. A giggle from the off, these ladies knew how to strut their stuff!

Natural posers in the best possible way, they sashayed their way through the posing routines like professionals. The impromptu photoshoot put their poses to the test, which they passed with flying colours.  When it came to the glove striptease, the inner vamps of this group really shone.

Yet again we had a group of natural twirlers – the Blonde Venus, her mum and sister were experts within minutes. Definitely a family talent.

I had such a giggle with the ladies and we hope the bump ‘n’ grinding they learnt on their Edinburgh burlesque hen party will be put to good use.

Have a great wedding day, Ms Venus.

Gypsy Charms

Saturday saw our delectable teacher Miss Coco Cleopatra put a group of eight ladies through their burlesque-style paces in central London. Opting for an early afternoon party slot, the ladies arrived after lunch in the sleek black-and-white themed VIP lounge at our favourite Piccadilly Circus venue. Wearing matching hen party T-shirts to mark the special occasion, and only ever so slightly worse for wear from their previous evening’s escapades (as they rightly should be on a hen weekend), the group were nonetheless excited and ready to rise to the burlesque challenge.  After procuring a ladylike hair-of-the-dog to perk them up, the ladies got into the burlesque hen party spirit creating their burlesque alter-egos.

Successfully navigating slinking and strutting when hungover in heels, the aptly re-christened West End Dollies danced their way through the session with ease. Coco told us, “The girls favoured the sexy girl-band style posing routine as it suited their confident, no-holds-barrred attitude – they definitely gave the Pussycat Dolls a run for their money!” Showing the West End how they burlesqued, our London burlesque hen party group excelled at the tassel twirling. According to Coco, Steph, the party organiser was absolutely amazing and a ‘natural’; we hope her new found skill will come in useful at some point.

The session finished with Coco and the ladies having a mini photo-shoot, where they put Britain’s Next Top Model contestants to shame, as they pouted and posed to perfection.  “The ladies were just fantastic,” Coco told us, “I had a blast – fact!” We hope the ladies used their newly honed burlesque skills to paint London red that night, and wish the Dollies all the best for the Big Day.

Gypsy Charms / Coco Cleopatra