Covid sparks a rise in everyday burlesque stars as Aussies turn to the art form to boost confidence

Everyday Aussies are unleashing their inner sexy like never before and finding confidence, empowerment and friends along the way. Here’s why Covid is fuelling a rise in burlesque.

It’s a cold winter’s night but inside a community hall in suburban Adelaide the atmosphere is positively smouldering as a group of women “sink it a little lower”, “wriggle it out” and “shake their booties.”

To the sultry tones of Christina Aguilera’s I Got Trouble, shimmers and twists are being perfected ahead of a planned, showstopping burlesque-style performance.

The gathering is an eclectic mix of ages, body types, professions and personalities – who range in age from 18 to 70 – but one thing is abundantly clear, each is having a damn good time and is delightfully unapologetic about it.

And they are part of a growing number of everyday Aussies turning to the risqué art form to build self-esteem, feel empowered and enjoy a sense of connectedness as part of a close-knit, non-judgemental community.

Instructors say they’ve never been busier with classes booking out almost as soon as they are advertised, fuelled in part, they believe, by a refocus on life priorities since Covid-19.

Melony Cherrett, 36, a former professional dancer and cruise ship showgirl, created her Woodville-based Choo La La school, to offer a burlesque-fusion style of dance and performance, eight years ago.

She started with six members – or “Choos” as she likes to call them – and now has more than 500, mostly women, in South Australia and growing interest interstate.

“I wanted to help people unleash their inner sexy through burlesque, to feel confident in their skin and their bodies and have the chance to get up on stage and perform – everyone should have their moment under the spotlight to feel glamorous, gorgeous and sexy,” she said.

“It began as a bit of fun really but has expanded into something massive … beyond the classes it has grown into a community of people coming together, sharing their stories and life journeys.

Choo La La’s Melony Cherrett leads a class - including Vicki Cafarella, Sarah Crook, Sharm Selvanathan and Nikki Ware – at her Woodville school. Picture: Dean Martin

“So many find this a safe place to reconnect with themselves.

“It might be a mum who has for years given up her life for her kids, has very little ‘me time’ and no longer feels sexy.

“Here they get an hour or two a week where they don’t have to think about the laundry or kids’ lunches, they just get to shake it and have some fun with like-minded people … gaining confidence and feeling better about themselves, their bodies – their whole lives really.”

Watching theeffervescent and energetic dance instructor at work, it is hard to imagine she’d

ever doubt herself.

But the petite dancer – who had to fight for a spot on the showgirl circuit due to her small frame – freely admits she has battled a lifetime of shyness and anxiety, including post-natal anxiety after the birth of each of her daughters, who are now almost four and seven.

“I was a very shy kid … I always felt I was a little bit of an outcast, dance was the one thing that always made me connected to people and to myself,” she said.

“It is a common thread here, too, people find this is a way to heal their depression and anxiety.”

For some, a healthy growth in self-confidence is also helping put a spark back in tired marriages and giving others courage to move on to new relationships, or take risks in life or work.

Cherrett breaks her classes into blocks, typically ranging from nine to 12 weeks, which culminate in an adult-only, gala-style production with acts ranging from showgirl-inspired dance to more traditional burlesque styles involving alter egos, peels and reveals.

Dancers at a Choo La La class learn to unleash their inner sexy, under the direction of instructor Melony Cherrett. Picture: Dean Martin

“It’s a pretty epic journey, really,” Cherrett said. “At first people might feel, ‘oh my goodness, I don’t think I will be ready’ … but they get on stage and something unleashes in them, they are transformed – they are themselves but amplified.

“It comes frombeing vulnerable, there is nothing more vulnerable than getting up on stage under a spotlight in front of an audience wearing something a little risqué … everyone should be able to feel that joy of doing something out of the ordinary.”

Grandmother of 10 Vicki Cafarella, 64, first stumbled upon the classes after a yoga session.

“It is brilliant … initially I did it for fun and discipline but I have loved getting to see how a show actually works and what goes on behind the scenes and the companionships,” she said.

Vicki Cafarella, Sharm Selvanathan, Sarah Crook (at back) and Nikki Ware pose for fun after a class with instructor Melony Cherette. Picture: Dean Martin

For Nikki Ware, who has three children aged 14, 12 and 10, the classes allow a short break from her roles as a single mother and dedicated employee.

“This is my getaway, something I do for myself … I love everything about it, the dancing, getting to be a different character each time you get on stage and I’ve made so many new friends – we support and take care of each other outside of dance,” she said.

While Sham Selvanathan, 34, has found her Australian “tribe” through Choo La La since joining three years ago, soon after arriving from Malaysia.

She took a break when her son, now 14 months old, was born but is back shimmying again.

“Yes, you are doing all the sexy things but it is such a safe space and you really feel like you belong … after having bub, it took me a little while to feel sexy again,” Sham said.

Dance-loving, self-confessed workaholic singleton, Sarah Crook, 26, agrees.

“The women here are incredible, it is such an inclusive group … this is my little ‘me thing’, my down time,” she said.

The joy so many are finding is no surprise to homegrown burlesque star Chrissie Brown, who goes by the stage name Lyra La Belle

“I have seen so many people change and grow through burlesque … it is not about exercise, it is not about a dance style, it is learning to love yourself and moving in a way that you connect with your body,” Brown, 45, said.

She said demand for the traditional Hollywood-style burlesque she has been teaching at her Hot Sauce Burlesque School based in Goodwood for the past four years, has spiked since Covid.

‘We have grown 35 per cent … my classes are selling out within an hour of coming online,” she said.

International burlesque star and Hot Sauce Burlesque School director Lyra La Belle embraces the glitz and glamour of the art form she loves. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“I think with lockdown and all the restrictions there has been a lot of fear and many have had their confidence and self-esteem really knocked … what burlesque does is offer people an opportunity to feel good about themselves, their bodies and to meet other people in an adult setting.”

The former professional dancer has enjoyed international success – she is a former Miss Hollywood Starlet – as a burlesque artist.

“I found there was no longer a place for me as a professional dancer once I turned 30-something … burlesque saved my life, it really did – in actual fact, I am now more sought after than when I was 35,” she said.

“(As a dancer) I experienced a lifetime of anorexia and bulimia and all I want to do now is to make people feel better about themselves.

“I honestly believe burlesque, and what burlesque stands for, can change your life.

“There is nothing more freeing than being semi-naked on stage wearing pasties (covers for your nipples) in front of 200 people and twirling your boobs … I can’t explain it but it changes something in psyche.”

Former dancer Lyra La Belle has enjoyed international success as a burlesque artist and is now helping everyday Aussies build self-esteem and confidence at her school, Hot Sauce Burlesque. Picture: Tricia Watkinson