Weekly classes · Burlesque
Burlesque Dance
Classes in
Plymouth.
Weekly burlesque dance classes in Plymouth city centre built around posture, timing and a very particular kind of self-possession — chair work, glove peels and fan flourishes taught slowly, kindly and fully clothed. It's £10 for a single class or £32 when you take four, and there's nothing to sign.
Burlesque isn't about what you show. It's about how long you make them wait — and that's a skill anyone can learn.
No experience · no partner · no pressureJoin the class
Your first burlesque
begins with a wink.
Fill in the form and we'll reply with the current burlesque timetable, which city-centre studio we're in, and a few honest tips on what to wear first time.
- £10 for a single class, £32 covers four — no membership
- Grown-up, good-humoured and entirely on your terms
- A reply inside 24 hours, often the same afternoon
Class details
Burlesque,
every week.
At a glance
- Location Plymouth City Centre
- Day Sent with your timetable
- Time Evenings
- Level Beginner-friendly
- Age group 17 – 75
- Partner needed No
About burlesque dance classes in Plymouth
Burlesque is the class people book with a slightly raised eyebrow and leave feeling three inches taller. The work is theatrical rather than revealing: how to stand, how to walk into a room as though it belongs to you, how to hold a pause until the audience leans in. We teach the classic vocabulary — glove work, fan flourishes, chair routines and the slow, deliberate hip roll — as choreography, with the tease in the timing rather than the outfit. Everyone dances in whatever they'd happily wear to the shops, and the only thing that comes off is a glove — if you choose to bring one.
Most of the room has never performed anything, and that's rather the point: the class exists for the people who assume they couldn't, then discover within a fortnight that they can. Alongside the rest of our Plymouth dance classes it's the one that most changes how people carry themselves on a Monday morning. If you like the sass but want it faster and sharper, our heels class is the natural next stop, and plenty of dancers do both.
How the class is structured
We open with a gentle warm-up and posture work — shoulders back, chin level, a walk that takes its time — before spending twenty minutes on one piece of technique: a glove peel, a fan reveal, a bump or a grind. The rest of the hour builds a short cabaret-style routine to a big brassy track, with the sequence growing across the four-week block so regulars keep learning while newcomers can slot in at any point. Bring your own glove or feather boa if you have one; we don't provide props, and you'll manage perfectly well without for the first couple of weeks. The tempo is gentle for the first fortnight and rises as your confidence does, so by the end of a block you'll be holding a pause to a full-speed track without flinching. Groups who catch the bug sometimes book our burlesque hen party class for a celebration weekend.
Where it goes
One block in,
a different walk.
Nobody arrives at burlesque feeling confident. Here's how the confidence gets built, one week at a time.
The walk and the pause
Posture, a slow travelling walk, and learning to hold still for a full count longer than feels comfortable — the root of every burlesque move.
Gloves and hands
The classic glove peel, finger by finger, plus wrist rolls and hand framing so the audience looks exactly where you want them to.
Fans, chairs and hips
Fan flourishes, a chair sequence you can do in a kitchen, and the bump-and-grind that gives the style its swagger.
The full number
Everything stitched into one cheeky routine to a big-band track — performed as a group, with a bow at the end if you fancy one.
Why burlesque
What burlesque
hands you.
More than the routine — the changes regulars tell us they noticed outside the studio.
- Posture that makes you look taller before you've moved
- Confidence in front of other people, built gradually
- Core, glute and thigh strength from all that slow control
- Stage presence you can use in a meeting as easily as a show
- Playfulness — permission to be a bit ridiculous once a week
- Musicality and the art of the well-timed pause
- A supportive, non-judgemental room of grown-ups
- A routine you could actually perform, should you ever want to
Burlesque questions
Ask us
about burlesque.
Everything nervous first-timers ask us about burlesque in Plymouth, answered honestly. Anything we've missed, the form above finds us.
01Is burlesque class actually suitable for a total beginner?
Completely. Almost everyone starts with zero dance background and a fair amount of nerves. We break every move into its smallest pieces and keep the tempo slow for the first few weeks, so you can follow along without ever being singled out.
02Do I have to take anything off?
No — nothing comes off beyond a glove, and only if you want it to. The class is about performance, timing and attitude rather than exposure, and you'll dance fully clothed throughout. Think cabaret theatre, not the other thing.
03What should I wear to burlesque, and do you provide props?
Whatever you can move in comfortably — leggings and a top are perfect, with flat shoes or a low heel you can balance in. We don't supply shoes, props, gloves or boas, so if you'd like to practise with a glove or feather boa, bring your own from week two onwards.
04Is the class women-only?
It's open to everyone aged 17 to 75, whatever your gender — burlesque has a long history of performers of every kind. In practice the room is often mostly women, and it's a warm, supportive crowd that tends to cheer newcomers on.
05Which venue do you use for burlesque?
Burlesque runs in a studio we hire in Plymouth city centre — a short walk from the station, on most bus routes, and with parking close by. When you enquire, your timetable comes with the venue and room number, since the schedule occasionally shifts between studios.
06How much does burlesque cost?
£10 to drop into one class, or £32 for a four-week block, which brings each session down to £8. There are no joining fees or memberships and nothing to cancel if you need to stop.
07What music do you dance to?
Big-band swing, vintage jazz, torch songs and a sprinkling of modern tracks with a burlesque swagger to them. The pieces are chosen for their pauses as much as their beats, because the pause is where burlesque lives.
08I'm not confident about my body. Will I feel out of place?
You'll be in good company — that feeling is the reason most people sign up. Burlesque was built on performers of every shape and age, and the class is deliberately unhurried and kind. Nobody watches anyone; everyone's too busy remembering their own left hand.
09Will I get a proper workout?
More than you'd guess. The slow, controlled movement works your core, glutes and thighs hard, and holding good posture for an hour is its own exercise. It's low-impact, though, so knees and backs are safe.
10Do I have to commit to four weeks straight away?
No — start with a £10 drop-in. Come once, see if the room and the teacher suit you, and if so pick up a four-week block the following week. And if it's not for you, that's fine — nobody follows up.