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Classes

Dance Like a Diva w/ GiGi Holliday

Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival Workshop

Sat, Sep 28th 12:00 pm in the Creativity Center Dance Studio

$25
General Admission
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$22
Members
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Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival Workshop

Step into the spotlight and unleash your inner burlesque star as you learn the art of commanding the stage and owning it like a true diva. This class is designed to teach you the essential elements that elevate a burlesque performance, combining charisma, confidence, and attitude to leave a lasting impression on your audience. 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.

Student requirement for class: Comfortable clothing for movement, bare feet
Note: No street shoes or high heels; only dance shoes, socks, or bare feet permitted in the dance studio.

Instructor Bio
GiGi Holliday (she/her) is D.C. brewed and NY infused. Armed with eyelashes and an arsenal of glitter, she has enticed audiences with her clever blend of sass and wit since 2010. In 2020, GiGi became a member of The House of Knyle. She has made 21st Century Burlesque Magazine’s Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Figures List several times: #13 (2023), #11 (2022), #10 (2021), #40 (2020) and is winner of Hottest Freshman of 2021 at the NY Burlesque Festival and the Keep it Reel award in 2022. She is also the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Burlycon and, co-host of Yes, A Stripper and Assorted Chocolates Podcasts. GiGi Holliday is a D.C. Legend and NY’s rising star. The Current Princess of Viva Las Vegas, “D.C.’s Legitimate Love Child” enjoys the spotlight heating her up and showing you some “Chocolate City Tittie.”

Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival

The second annual Charm City Burlesque and Variety Festival runs Friday, September 27 through Saturday, September 28 at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance, home to some of Baltimore’s best burlesque and variety shows.

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.

Events

FRI SEP 27 | 8PM | Filthy Gorgeous Variety

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

SAT SEP 28 | 8PM | The Tell-Tale Masquerade

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

SAT SEP 28 | Workshops 

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.

The Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival runs September 27-28 and is produced by performers Maria Bella and Tapitha Kix. The event includes performances and classes celebrating the wonderful, weird, and diverse art of burlesque and variety. The festival is inclusive, respectful, and cognizant of the people and places who have helped make Baltimore burlesque and variety what it is today – this especially includes the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ performers, vendors, and partners who have been an important part in both the planning and execution of all events associated with the festival. The Charm City Burlesque & Variety Festival includes a committee that provides a forum for burlesque & variety community members to advise, inform, and offer critique to the festival producers.

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