Burlesque Beat

Who is it by?:

‘Mr Burlesque’ aka Rodney James

Who is it for?:Anyone interested in learning the art of modern Burlesque

Costs: Around £23

Buy at: Dance Fitness Institute

Candy & Chrome Rating: ****  4 out of 5 stars

Fabulous Fabulous Fabulous…no pole though









The Review

Warm Up

First things first – Rodney is shockingly camp and ultra fabulous – he takes a bit of getting used to at first in his PVC hotpants and all,  but believe me, this guy is very professional throughout, delivers instruction clearly and makes it very fun at the same time.

The first time I watched the warm up I thought it was long – but it’s not, it’s just right to be honest.  And the exercises used are very specific to what’s about to come next too, making it an effective pre-workout warm up.

Step by Step Routine

Mr Burlesque comes into effect here as he purposely over exaggerates relatively simple movements in order to let the watcher easily follow the routine and make it look sexy.  That’s really important.  Not everyone oozes sex appeal and shimmying, bodywaving, slinking and even strutting does not come naturally to so many people, myself included – we NEED to have it broken down and over exaggerated so that we can learn how to do it slowly and build up the confidence to be able to do it and make it look natural and sexy.   Mr Burlesque uses this perfectly and his movements are that much easier to follow.

The routine is burlesque inspired but modernised, reminds me of something from a Pussy Cat Dolls video.  There is no clothing removal to worry about, more like a choreographed dance routine designed to show off any curves or other assets a woman’s body may have, in a sexy way – but without being too vulgar about it.

Chair Dance Routine

Again it’s very sexy, modern and Pussy Cat Doll-esque.  Easy to follow and nice to watch too!  The clear instruction also leaves very little room to get yourself tangled in a knot around the chair or falling about the place!  it’s used more like a prop to show off your body again rather than a balancing beam!

The Challenge

In this part of the DVD, Mr Burlesque and the girls demonstrate both the step by step routine and the chair dance routine together as one, in full costume.

Rodney’s boots will cause some jealous prangs so watch out for that, but overall the girls look fabulous and the routine is sexy and fun.

One on One

And the fun isn’t over yet, in this section we join Rodney in the gym for a little bit more burlesquing which could be added to the original routines if you like.

Girlfriend Party Time

Rodney and the girls then show you his above routine in full costume and as a group to prove how fun it is and how fabulous you and your friends can look performing it all together.  This whole DVD and it’s choreography is designed to inspire NORMAL women to try the art of modern burlesque and prove that it really is for anyone, and of course that sexy is for EVERYONE!

Overall Comments

Ok like I said, Rodney takes a little getting used to at first – maybe in Australia it’s a general everyday occurrence to have your male instructor sashay around the room like a Pussy Cat Doll in PVC boots and hotpants, but for some I can see this being a little unexpected.

His clear instruction and exaggerated movements make the routines easy to follow for EVERYONE, even the not-so-co-ordinated which really makes it something that everyone can try.

The choreography is sexy without being vulgar, does not include costume or clothing removal but definitely makes full use of ‘The Art of Tease’, whilst still being modern enough to appeal to all. 

I also think the routines have something for everyone and would suit any woman regardless of shape, confidence or level of fitness.