October 2024 – March 2025
London (UK)
- Are you ready to elevate your burlesque practice to the next level?
- Are you itching to create your own unique act with expert guidance from one of the UK’s leading international burlesque artists?
- Do you want to learn how to achieve your burlesque act goals with practical tools & structured timetabling?
- Are you ready to start thinking about burlesque professionally but don’t know where to start?
Work closely with international burlesque star Eliza DeLite, over 5 months, as she guides you through the process of developing your own burlesque act, refining it and bringing it to life on stage.
During this course you will work to create a brand-new burlesque act, with the opportunity to debut your new act in London’s West End.
As your mentor, my objectives are to…
- Help you to think critically about what goes into planning an act.
- Give you quality, guided support throughout the act development process.
- Supply you with the tools to think professionally about your work.
- Develop a close-knit network of burlesque peers for you to work with.
- Get you ready to perform one fully developed number that is ready to be auditioned & booked.
- Prepare you for life in the world of the burlesque industry.
- Provide you with creative practice skills to continue creating future acts.
This course is limited to just 6 places. Why? Because my focus is on giving quality, focused mentoring.
My goal is to closely nurture aspiring talent who can have the potential of a fun, vibrant and successful burlesque career. This is why I am keeping numbers limited, so that during your time with me, you will get the best experience possible.
If you are serious about taking your burlesque journey / career to the next level, read on to find out more.
Past graduates
Dolly Dove
How would you describe your experience of the course?
“The course from start to finish was extremely well thought out. Everything you need from the very seed of the act, all the way to performing on stage, Eliza was there every step of the way to help and guide with both professionalism and honesty. I felt well supported and inspired by both Eliza and the other students within the course. Over the duration of the course, I felt my confidence being uplifted, and by the time I took my very first steps on stage that I was completely ready and beyond excited. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made and am now blessed to be part of such a gorgeous group of inspiring women!”
How has your burlesque career progressed since graduating?
“My burlesque career has become something extremely close to my heart! I have been lucky enough to have performed in both London and Brighton and have been exposed to such a great community of performers. After following Eliza’s advice from the course, I decided to apply for some international festivals, two of which I am honored to announce that I will be performing in later this year; The Montreal Burlesque Festival and Sacre Burlesque Festival.“
Dolly Dove / IG @missdollydove
Miss Rose Renée
What made you decide to take Eliza’s Burlesque Act Development Course?
“I was searching for a way to blend all my creative outlets into one project. During the course I was able to choreograph, dance, sew and design – all the things I love to do! To my surprise, I also found therapeutic side to my burlesque where I was able to address and communicate my feelings toward particular issues I’ve dealt with in my life through the performance of my act. I find it hard to express with words at times, this creative outlet is a great tool for helping me explore my feelings and find peace with them.”
How has your burlesque career progressed since graduating?
“Since graduating, I’ve performed my act ‘Wonderland’ at 6 international festivals which was the most incredible experience. Being able to meet so many artists from different countries and watch them perform live has been fabulous and inspiring. I’m very excited to be heading over to a few more festivals next month with my brand-new act ‘Checkmate’“
Rose Renée / IG @missroserenee
A little more about the course…
Over the last two years, Eliza has carefully designed and refined her unique course structure and approach to mentoring. The course blends a mix of “sit down” discussion led creative thinking sessions, online seminars, 1:1 mentoring and studio rehearsals.
What you will get:
- 15+ hours of mentoring (including 2hrs of personalised 1:1 time)
- A peer group of fellow students to work alongside
- Remote support between sessions via private WhatsApp group
- Costume design support
- Choreography support
- Guidance on breaking into the burlesque industry and how to approach producers
- Access to my private South East London studio for extra rehearsal time at exclusive, student rates
- Discount on additional 1:1 mentoring during your time on the course
- The opportunity to perform in a renowned west end cabaret venue alongside professional artists & host*
- A HD video of your finished act to send to producers**
*&** Only students who follow & complete the programme and work to the best of their ability will be permitted to showcase. It is unlikely that you won’t be allowed to showcase, but only well-rehearsed, completed acts will be allowed on stage at the end of the course. The showcase will be planned & scheduled once the course is underway (a showcase date will be voted on by all participants to suit all involved).
COURSE DATES
29TH OCTOBER 2024 – 30TH MARCH 2025
Weekly sessions will run on Tuesday evenings between 7pm-9pm (class duration will vary from 1-2 hours per week depending on the session). The course is split into 3 terms (with breaks) details below.
All group mentoring & one-to-one sessions will be held at Studio DeLite (Hither Green, 15-20 mins from London Bridge) with larger group rehearsals & assessment weeks taking place at Dance Attic Studios (Fulham Broadway).
Those who successfully complete the final studio performance assessment will be given the opportunity to perform at the end of course showcase at The Phoenix Arts Club.
At this showcase, your act will be filmed in HD, giving you a professional video which you might use for future show castings. All students will receive a video of their studio performance regardless.
Timetable:
To get the most out of this programme you should be available for the below dates – a full detailed weekly breakdown will be sent out to all attendees one week prior to the start date.
Term 1: 29th October – 10th December 2024
Focus Points:
- Inspiration & creativity
- Conceptualising your act
- Choosing music
- Costume design
- Initial choreography
- 1:1 mentoring
- Peer feedback
- End of term assessment
CHRISTMAS BREAK
Term 2: 14th January – 4th February 2025
Focus points:
- Refining your act
- Polishing choreography
- Costume prep (finishing touches)
- Rehearsals
- 1:1 mentoring
- Peer feedback & end of term assessment.
- Breaking into the burlesque industry seminar.
BREAK (Students to spend this time working on final act refinement & preparing for performance)
Term 3: 4th March – 30th March 2025
Focus Points:
- Final rehearsals
- Performance preparation
- Final studio performance assessment
- *Public Showcase + live performance video
- Showcase date will be set and finalised once the course is underway.
*Only those who pass the final studio performance assessment will be eligible to perform in the live public showcase. Everyone however, will get a video from their studio performance.
STUDENT SHOWCASE
Please note: Locations are subject to change due to any change of availability but prior notice will be given in these circumstances and alternatives will be within central London.
Is this course suitable for me?
Suggested entry requirements:
This course is aimed at those with an existing understanding of burlesque striptease, previous burlesque class or course experience. This course is also suitable for existing performers looking to level up and develop a new act within a structured environment with regular mentored feedback.
IMPORTANT -This course is not suitable for absolute newcomers to burlesque, as the schedule is focused on act creation development and preparation for a live performance. This course does not cover learning basic striptease techniques, confidence building or learning pre-choreographed dance routines. For these, please check out Eliza’s Art of Burlesque courses at Danceworks.
This course is the ideal opportunity for you, if you…
- Are able to attend weekly sessions in London (UK) – (this course is unfortunately not available remotely at this time)
- Are committed to seeing through a project from start to finish.
- Have completed previous burlesque dance classes / courses.
- Already understand the basic principles of striptease.
- Are ready to take the lead in your own solo performance.
- Might be considering a possible career in burlesque (though not essential).
- Are already a performer looking to expand and elevate your existing repertoire.
What you put in, is what you get out
I won’t sugar coat it, this course is a commitment – but the payoff will be worth it once you are up on that stage showing off all your hard work!
Like a gym membership, you’ve got to put in the work to see the results. This means being prepared to work on your act outside of the allocated weekly sessions. I will do everything possible to guide you in the right direction and give you the tools you need… but ultimately the final result is down to you!
With this said – if for whatever reason Eliza feels you are not ready to hit the stage at the end of the course you will not be permitted to perform in the public showcase. You will still be able to perform and receive a video from your act in the studio showcase however the public showcase will be ticketed, so to remain fair to everyone involved, only those with finished and well-rehearsed numbers will be on the final line up. It is unlikely this will happen, but hopefully the live show will be an incentive for you to work hard and bring your best!
Eliza’s training and background
With 16 years of burlesque industry experience, Eliza is a committed mentor outside of her performance schedule, teaching weekly classes and nurturing new talent. She is currently one of the only UK performers at this level of international acclaim offering such closely guided mentoring, and is dedicated to helping shape the burlesque scene of tomorrow.
Before burlesque, Eliza studied various areas of art and performance. At 16, she was awarded a Distinction (and the highest graded student in the UK that year) for her GNVQ & A* GCSE Art studies. She went on to study Contemporary Dance, Film studies, Graphic Design and Photography at A level, and holds a Distinction in Art Foundation from University of Wales, Newport (2007) & BA(hons) in Photography and Video Production from DeMontfort University, Leicester (2010).
It was during her university years that she discovered the world of burlesque and joined the university Burlesque Society, later going on to take on the head role of the society, before starting up her own show in Leicester, ElectroTease (2011 – 2014).
After 3 years on the scene (starting out in 2008), Eliza made her London debut at the legendary Madam Jojos, Soho in 2011.
In 2012 she won the UK crown at the London Burlesque Festival (LBF), followed by a trip to Las Vegas in 2013 to compete at Burlesque Hall of Fame (BHOF). 2014 saw her win the International crown at LBF, just as her globe trotting career began to take off. Since then, she has been traveling the world with her performances, often hailed as iconic and exuding elegance. Eliza has performed in New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Stockholm, Cairo, Rome, Milan, Zurich, Paris, Helsinki, Berlin, Lisbon & Dubai to name a few.
In 2020, Eliza was awarded funding by Arts Council England to create her iconic theatrical burlesque act “The Serpent’s Shadow” – a large scale shadow quick change act, utilising modern technology alongside old theatre magic.
In 2022-2023 Eliza toured her “Serpent’s Shadow” act with international production Party Like Gatsby.
Eliza’s art studies have equipped her with the skills of critical thinking when expanding creative ideas and an eye for striking visuals. She now wants to help others create their own works through these mentored sessions.
Since March 2024, Eliza has been running her independent photographic studio – Studio DeLite, creating cinematic portraiture for fellow performers, musicians and cabaret artists.
COST
- The price of this 5 month mentored course is £850 GBP
- 3 part split payment plan with Klarna is available for to help you spread the cost.
- The course fee will cover your weekly group and one-to-one mentoring sessions (15+ hours of session time), remote support from Eliza via WhatsApp, studio rehearsal space, a studio video of your act , and for successful graduates,- a professionally filmed video of your showcase performance in a top Soho cabaret venue, further showcase running costs (admin, advertising, special guests).
- Please be aware that any costume & prop related expenses are your own responsibility outside of this course fee. Your act and your costume costs are entirely up to your choosing, how much you wish to invest in your costume is up to you.
As with all Eliza’s courses, you will be given access to a private WhatsApp group for internal course communications. A link to this will be sent out via email a week ahead of the course start date.
BOOKING
There are only 6 places available on this course. Unlike many other burlesque schools, my focus is on producing high quality results, rather than large batches of graduates who may only perform on stage once. I want to see my graduates go on to craft successful and rewarding burlesque careers, enjoy international travel and long lasting friendships – as I have enjoyed myself.
Booking and registration for this course closes on 22nd October.
Book Now…
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