No class tomorrow

Showgirls, our little hall will be out of action tomorrow. Next class will therefore be Weds 4th March when we will launch a fresh routine.

Yours, tapping our stilettos in frustration :-) ,


Burlicious x

Time off for bad behaviour

Yes, another half term holiday beckons, ushered in by the completion last night of our last class dancing this particular routine.

And, my, how good the finished article looks!

We began last night in comfy jumpers; snuggly PJs (or, at least, snuggly home slouching trousers) and fuelled by a feisty catch up about which third parties had conspired against some of us to generally b*gger up our day. Those raw ingredients quickly turned into a rather lovely Busby Berkeley-esque swishing about of showgirls, as we completed the routine and then had fun messing around with the staging.

We had some showgirls (intentionally) dancing the routine in mirror image, threading carefully between others who were dancing it in the original direction at the same time. We started showgirls off at different times, weaving them in as the dance developed. And we danced the whole thing facing each other in a circle, so that each of us could see what it looks like.

Yes, there was a small pile up when there was a different interpretation as to the direction in which that circle should be spinning, but it genuinely would not be us if we didn't have at least one cobweb-removing; face-aching; delighted sharing of laughter as the routine gently unravels around us.

No class next week, Showgirls. Next class is 26th Feb when we will start a fresh routine. Those of you who want to start from scratch with us, that's your best chance!

Yours, properly perked up now for the second half of the week,

Burlicious x

The "two soups?" troupe

Sometimes when we're dancing, the brain gets a tad overloaded, the message fails to reach the feet in time, and it all goes a bit awry.

The current routine is a thing of relative simplicity. There's a lot of walking about nicely, and each of the moves is straightforward by itself. However, there is a fair bit of changing direction. And, if you don't set off on the correct foot each time that that happens, it all goes very pear-shaped.

Witness the glorious, juddering, uncertain steps taken by some of the troupe this week. The right foot sets off in a certain direction. A split second later, the brain shrieks: "No! LEFT!!" The right foot snaps back and the left starts to set off instead, sometimes to be swiftly recalled for another go on the right.

Now, those of you who loved Acorn Antiques by Wood and Walters will have seen something very similar to this before in the tottering, uncertain, off balance, progress that Mrs Overall makes across the room with her tray loaded with spillables and her body feinting first in this direction and then the other. When our showgirls unintentionally do much the same mid-routine, it's comedy gold. We bloomin' well love it.

So, here's to Mrs Overall burlesque, showgirls - we shall positively shine at this.

Yours, wondering about the pinny and the lisle stockings,

Burlicious x