Burlesque 101: How to Get Started in Burlesque
Hello, class! Welcome back to Burlesque 101 after a long, long, break. Things have been busy in the world of Providence Burlesque, but in all this business there is still one gnawing question that is on everyone’s mind: “how do I get started in burlesque?”
You love burlesque, you want to dip your toes in, you’re a very eager beaver, you have ideas for acts floating in your head, you’ve bought rhinestones, but HOW. How do you get into burlesque? You’re not alone. Read along to learn the allusive “how”, disclaimer that this information is going to sway heavily in Providence Burlesque’s (and therefore Boston Burlesque’s) favor, since that’s what we focus on and know about. But without further ado- let’s talk new beginnings!
Follow Burlesque Performers on Social Media
Frankly, this was my least favorite thing to hear when I was just starting because like “ok, but who?” was always my first thought. But, now I am old and I need to tell you: follow more burlesque performers on social media. I think that Instagram is the best source of this currently (as I write in November 2025), though there are definitely people making content on Tiktok as well now. Following others does a few things:
1: Inspires you to do new things! You may see a move that really resonates with you, like a costume, or hear a song that answers that gnawing question of “wtf am I doing with this act?”. Of course I am not advocating that you copy whole acts or costumes, that is plagiarism and shitty. Don’t be like AI, don’t steal art.
2: Will lead you to MORE burlesque performers. Really all you need is one name and then you can creep all you want on followers to get more names and follow more people. Slowly growing a network of people and getting your foot in the door of recognizability. We made this a little easier for you, you can follow Rhody Q and see a whole bunch of local performers in our followers. Again, I am not advocating for you to be shitty online, please don’t actually be creepy to our friends. Hopefully, this continues to unfold naturally into more connections as you follow more suggested people.
3: Introduces you to local happenings! Instagram is where many performers and producers communicate and post fliers for upcoming shows, so you will see local events that you can attend come up. We understand that resources may be an issue, but try to go to as many shows in your area as possible.
I also just mentioned it, but again, follow Rhody Q! Follow Odette Goode (me) and Lopez La Lopez (my bestie) and let the algorithm do it’s thing. There are so many great Providence and Boston burlesque performers to know!
Research the Past
Knowing the basic history of burlesque and those who walked so we could run is a great way to make informed decisions about your involvement in current burlesque. I’m not saying you need a whole timeline in your head, but you should know and honor the art that you’re getting into. This is really important to the formation of Rhody Q as well because we kicked off our producing careers with a burlesque history exhibit. You can learn more about burlesque history by:
Following the Burlesque Hall of Fame (yes, there’s a Hall of Fame). Learn names of Burlesque Legends and read their Wikipedia pages, etc.
Follow people who post history content and teach history lessons. A favorite of ours in Bella Sin, we highly recommend her “Decolonizing Burlesque” class.
Read a book. Sorry that was more aggressive than I intended, but remember books? We have a list of some useful ones.
Go to Local Burlesque Shows
Another thing I already kind of mentioned earlier but it bares repeating: go to shows! This feels kind of like when you go to college and your RA tells you to go to every event until you make friends. Being a good audience member and showing face leads to in-person relationships with others. Many performers also go and watch other shows in the area so it is likely that you will be in the audience with off-duty burlesque performers. It is important here to consider and remember your budget and to not over-commit yourself (sometimes-like the week of Halloween-there are so many shows!). Everyone understands that you cannot make it to EVERYTHING, but showing up when you can is important. You can find local events happening here. You can also come to Burlesque Social Club! We have a monthly casual-hang pop up club made for performers to talk outside of the pressing showtime feelings backstage and in greenrooms. This is a great place to meet other local burlesque performers. We post dates and meeting spots around Providence on our Instagram!
Find an Intro to Burlesque Class
Say you’ve done all of the above and you’re still like “but where do I LEARN?”, it’s time to talk classes. There are a few local options we recommend.
Follow the Bimbo Factory, which offers classes taught by multiple teachers at different times and sign up for a class! They are a consistent resource for Providence Burlesque
You’re already following Rhody Q at this point so you’re going to keep an eye out for when we open up our Mentorship Program again this winter. Mentorship is a multiple week commitment where mentees are assigned to work one-on-one with us to workshop and prepare for a debut!
Watch for other local burlesque performers posting about upcoming shows in your area.
Sign up for Lucky 13. This can be tricky because some dates fill up VERY quickly, but it is possible, especially if you stay on top when the registration opens.
Please don’t just Google “intro to burlesque classes near me” etc, because quite frankly, I don’t want people getting scammed. We are not the end all of information, there are people that know about MORE places to get a good burlesque education that I don’t know so I didn’t mention, but there are also places I am not including in my recommendations.
Look at the Local Burlesque Events again and see if there are any openings for burlesque classes in the Greater Providence Area.
It’s time to perform!
After all this, you’re feeling good, you’re ready to go, now where do you perform?! Well, since this is Rhody Q, I am going to plug signing up for the Rhody Revue, which is an open stage for performers of ALL levels in Providence, RI! We LOVE a debut at the Rhody Revue. Also, you can start applying to different shows as well. Shows with applications are competitive and you may not get it but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take! There are other newbie friendly spots like idk have I mentioned Lucky 13? Also, Harley’s Funhouse in Worcester, MA has a “newbies to the front” policy. Keep looking for opportunities around you!
Wrap it Up
Ok, I hope that answered some pressing questions about Providence Burlesque and offered a good starting point. You can always email or DM us, we like answering questions! One more time, with feeling: Providence Burlesque! Goodnight!
