Becoming a Burlesque Performer, Part III
Posted by Jana Edele | Filed under News
One of the most popular questions we receive is asking advice on how to become a burlesque dancer or performer. We've been answering this in a series.
If you're new to the series, you can begin with Part I, Understanding Burlesque and Part II, Creating Your Character.
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Part III
Music Selection and Preparation for Composition
1. Find your music. As you begin your path into choreographing your first number, you'll want something that inspires you. Let this be your guide to music selection.
2. Count out your music. In dance we count the number of beats up to the count of 8 (the time signature on the music will be 4/4), and start over. Continue on to the next set of 8 counts. You will repeat this process through the entire song. I suggest on a piece of paper create a vertical line of your 8 counts to be your guide through choreographing your dance. These will be, in essence, your dance sentences.
3. Identify different aspects of the song. I suggest placing a slash in between the 8 counts to separate the song into sections: intro, verse, chorus, and bridge. These will become your paragraphs.
4. Find elements in the music that stand out to you. It can be an instrumental solo, perhaps a bass line or even a single drumbeat, to a word within a lyric. Write down the exact count or counts it's on by the 8 count sentence in the correct section (paragraph) of the song.
5. Continually listen to your music. In the car, around the house, or whenever you can get a chance, listen and get to know your music better. Also, be thinking of what costuming and props you may want to incorporate in the number.
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Helpful Hints!
~When counting out music you will sometimes find that the beats seem to "start over" before you get to count 8. This does happen, and if it's how you counted it then write it down. Also, not everything will be in 4/4 time, and in 3/4 time the beats count to 6 instead of 8. The more you do exercise 2 above, the easier this will become.
~In exercise 3, as you write down particular counts of elements within the music, be aware that there are downbeats (the beats you are counting to 8) and the upbeats (the "and" counts in between the downbeats). Your favorite drumbeat could be on the "and" after 3. If you're having trouble adjusting to upbeats and downbeats, reggae is a good style of music to listen to while adjusting to hearing upbeats.
~It's also a good idea to mark time codes next to different sections as a useful guide of where you are in regards to the length of the song.
~If you're feeling intimidated with this process, avoid most blues and up-tempo swing music in the beginning. Start with something simpler. I suggest counting out Peggy Lee's version of "Fever" as an exercise. Once you get a better understanding and feel for listening to music as a choreographer, you can ease into more complicated musical selections.
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If you have a particular question regarding becoming a performer, or any questions for the Velvet Kittens, contact us !