When you think of burlesque, what do you see? You may picture Christina Aguilera – blonde, beautiful, and perfect in the 2010 film “Burlesque.” Sexy, skinny girls stripping and teasing the audience in a seedy basement club. Historically, burlesque is rooted in minstrel culture. But the sensual performance style we know today – a combination of satire and striptease- emerged in the early 1900s.
On any given night in Los Angeles, you could choose from dozens of dazzling yet stereotypical burlesque shows. But two Los Angeles-based artists are changing the narrative of what burlesque is and who can captivate a stage. One of them is Cat.
CAT LACAHOIE: I’m Cat LaCohie, I perform as Vixen DeVille, which is my burlesque persona.
Cat is a tall, animated burlesque performer and private coach. she used to have a certain image in her mind of what it means to be a burlesque dancer and for a while, didn’t feel like she fit into that mold.
LACAHOIE: I remember seeing the dancing, I remember seeing singing, and I remember seeing like the stripping element and I thought, “Oh no, I can’t, because my body doesn’t look good. I’m not a good enough dancer.“
But she gathered up the courage and auditioned for a burlesque troupe. That was when she realized, she actually can.
LACAHOIE: As a burlesque performer, you are creating your act, you’re writing it, you’re costuming, you’re producing it, you’re performing it. And for those three, five minutes, it’s about you and the audience is looking at you and seeing you in your height of glory.
AMBI: Music from Alyssa’s burlesque showcase
ALYSSA MARQUEZ: The other aspect of burlesque that really interested me, was the aspect that anyone could do burlesque.
That’s Alyssa Marquez, another burlesque teacher in LA, who dons bright green hair and long, colorful nails.
MARQUEZ: Most people know me as Miss Marquez and I am the creator and teacher of Empowerment in Heels.
Alyssa is a classically trained dancer who was looking for a less rigid and more creative style of dance. She began performing at burlesque clubs in 2011 and was shocked when audience members of all sizes, genders, and backgrounds approached her afterward asking how they could do that too.
MARQUEZ: A lot of people only associate burlesque with the female form. I really wanted to provide an opportunity for people to explore no matter how they associate themselves.
AMBI: Cat’s beginners burlesque class
LACAHOIE: I always sort of say to my students that you’re not creating your character, you’re excavating it.
We are currently sitting in on Cat’s beginner burlesque class in a studio in North Hollywood. Cat pulled the black curtains in front of the wall-length mirrors so the students can’t watch themselves. Some are in leggings, some are in skirts but all are wondering how Cat, in 6-inch heels, will teach them to perform like her.
LACAHOIE: We all put on these sorts of ways of behaving and these filters in everyday life because that’s what we’re expected to do. Vixen was sort of the opposite of me, but the core of me inside underneath all those filtered layers.
During the class, Cat doesn’t spend much time demonstrating specific moves. Instead, she prefers to help her students find their inner Vixens.
LACAHOIE: So, I start with what is the thing you like about yourself and what is the thing you don’t like about yourself? I want to look at you’re allowed to bring attention to the things you like about yourself and also start reframing the thing you don’t like about yourself.
Terrifyingly, Cat has her students stand in a circle and watch each start to explore their new confidence and burlesque characters.
AMBI: Cat’s class naming some characters.
LACAHOIE: And it’s just to get down to that absolute basic of can you stand in front of other humans and not care what angle they’re looking at? And look that person in the eye and demand their attention and say, ‘You look at me. I’m pretty fucking amazing. Look at me.
AMBI: Alyssa’s burlesque showcase
MARQUEZ: For me, it’s really important for people to connect with their own body vocabulary.
Alyssa also starts her empowerment in heels’ all levels class by allowing students to connect with their body and their capability. She knows that once they can discover comfort and acceptance within their own bodies, it translates into a positive outlook on themselves and their lives – both on and off stage.
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MARQUEZ: By introducing this exercise of simply walking across the dance studio, it forced people to drop into their movements and then from there it was so much easier to start improvising.
Alyssa wanted to help her students show off their newfound confidence and skills. She curated a monthly student showcase called Moonlighting Menagerie, which sells more than 100 tickets per show.
AMBI: Alyssa’s burlesque showcase
MARQUEZ: By day, they’re nurses and teachers. And by night, they moonlight as burlesque performers.
These showcases also give Alyssa an opportunity to cast a diverse range of performers.
MARQUEZ: That allows it to open it up to all different types of bodies, all different types of genders and sexual orientations and the whole gamut.
She and Cat have had dozens of men and non-binary people take their classes. Some come to help exude confidence in work meetings, while others to discover a new side of themselves they weren’t allowed to in regular society.
On the surface, burlesque may just seem like pretty girls entertaining the audience by dropping into the splits or taking off a sequined top. But Alyssa and Cat hope to instill how transformative it can be for anyone to learn to radically embrace their own body.
MARQUEZ: I do truly believe that burlesque is for every body. I really, truly believe in the catharsis of dance.
LACAHOIE: I use burlesque as a training ground for relearning that you can be who you are. So when people go, ‘I’m gonna do burlesque, I’m gonna be sexy,’ I’m like no mate, it’s gonna change your life is what’s gonna happen so strap yourself in.
Alyssa and Cat are showing anyone can strap on some heels, take the stage and show off their true selves. As more industries and brands are starting to highlight people of all races, sizes and backgrounds, the burlesque world is seeing new and fresh faces teasing their audiences…revealing that you don’t have to be an incredible dancer or stick thin to love yourself and your body.