Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival Workshop
Student requirements for class: Feel free to bring any costuming supplies you’d like to work with and note-taking materials.
Note: No street shoes or high heels; only dance shoes, socks, or bare feet permitted in the dance studio.
Instructor Bio
Bebe Bardeaux (she/her) is the award-winning shake-dancing Doll of D.C.! This bite-sized bibliophile is a librarian, blogger, and published historian with a research focus on classic burlesque and shake dancers. A self-taught sewist, Bebe has mastered the basics of burlesque costuming and loves to share her passion far and wide. She won the top prize in the 2018 DC Burlypicks, was nominated for the New York Burlesque Festival’s 2018 Hottest Freshman Award, and won the 2019 Golden Smile Award at the Golden Legends Champion Challenge. Bebe has been featured in several pinup magazines including Delicious Dolls, Pinup Life, and Black Pinups. She’s the shake dancer of your wildest retro dreams, with history and glamour infused into every bump and grind!
Burlesque is many things. It is sexy. It is sly. It is seductive. It shines a light on the morals and foibles of modern life and mocks them openly. In Baltimore, burlesque is all of those things, and it is also unabashedly weird, strange, dark, funny, and a little bit twisted. Baltimore’s burlesque and variety stages have always welcomed the different and the avant-garde. Baltimore marvels in the filthy, the strange, the strangely beautiful, and the sometimes questionable, and it makes it its own. The Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival celebrates all.
The festival kicks off with a celebration of the weird and twisted side of Baltimore area’s burlesque and variety scene. Expect to be both titillated and uncomfortable at the same time, in the most delicious way possible.
Headliner: GiGi Holliday
Hosted by: Delilah Dentata & Jim Dandy
Masquerade with us through the eerie ambiance on Saturday night. Don your finest attire and join the sinister mischief makers and the dreamers as we take you on a journey into all that is dark and whimsy. Stick around after the show for a dance party with DJ Villainess as she spins dark beats and hypnotic rhythms.
Headliner: Audrey Love
Hosted by: Eden
10AM | Shimmy & Strut w/ Naimah
This fun and sassy workshop is for burlesque performers who want to explore belly dance movement. Spice up your act with thunderous shimmies, ooey gooey undulations, eye-popping isolations, and more.
11AM | Hosting Diverse Audiences w/ Mx. Eden
Burlesque audiences are just as diverse as the world we live in. And it’s a host’s job to make every attendee of every race, gender, and body size feel welcome. In this workshop, we’ll discuss gender-neutral greetings and other inclusive language every host should have in their vocabulary.
12PM | Dance Like a Diva w/ GiGi Holliday
In this class, you’ll be guided through a 2-4 minute routine that covers aspects of a burlesque star performance. From learning choreography that complements your style to mastering the art of costume removal with flair, you’ll acquire the skills and stage presence to captivate any audience.
1PM | Makeup Tips & Tutorial w/ Kit Valentine
Drag Queen Kit Valentine, the current reigning Miss Western Maryland, shows you the art of contouring, brow definition, achieving a dramatic look for the eyes, and more!
2PM | Beyond the Basics: Burlesque Costuming for All Levels w/ Bebe Bardeaux
Learn the art of creating stage-ready costumes that enhance your performance and captivate your audience! From corsets and feathers to rhinestones and appliques, discover how to craft costume “regalia” that tells a story and elevates your burlesque, drag, and other performance art to new heights.
Location: The Creativity Center
Location: The Creativity Center
Location: The Marquee Lounge
Location: The Creativity Center
