reconnecting to your body through burlesque

As a seasoned boudoir photographer, I’ve witnessed some powerful transformations that my clients have had through their experience with me. One being that boudoir is simply another healing modality to reconnect back to the body. This is practiced not only through the mindset shifts before, during, and after a session, but by simply moving through the poses. Through movement we allow ourselves to be open to flow, releasing any stuck thoughts or feelings.

After opening my studio in 2021, I knew that I wanted to foster my community through empowering events. One of the first events we hosted was Burlesque. Burlesque seems to quickly keep showing up in my world. First, with a social media following of Misty Moss (a burlesque dancer, boudoir photographer, and self-portrait artist), and soon afterwards a meeting a local burlesque performer at annual gala that I was photographing. This lead to a connection made with Phoebe Flows, a Boston performance artist, massage therapist, and magical human. We first met in person for her own marketing photos at the studio and realized how parallel our worlds are. Movement practices like burlesque, massage therapy, and portrait experiences like boudoir are all healing modalities. WE aren’t the ones healing others. As teachers or leaders in what we do, we are offering a practice or experience in which the client is learning how to heal themselves. That is what a healing modality is. Much of what Phoebe and I both do contributes to reconnecting to our bodies and moving towards more body liberation.

Getting to know Phoebe’s world has been another mirror to how wonderful it is to reconnect to oneself. The first Burlesque Workshop was a sold out event and each of us were reminded to tap into our femininity even through an alter ego if it felt right. The evening was full of playful movement as we let go of how we actually looked dancing while Phoebe guided us in learning Burlesque. Between the “5, 6, 7, 8” counts was laughter, flow, and shaking it out. We closed the evening proud of ourselves for doing something different and re-igniting the dancer inside of us.

If you want to know Phoebe a little more, here are some interview questions that she answered:

What do you love most about being a performance artist?  

What I love most about being a performance artist is the energy exchange between performer and audience. Anytime someone compliments my performances I always respond with “Thank you for witnessing me” as it truly takes two to tango! There is so much power within witnessing art and expression. 

How is burlesque a practice of self-love and body liberation?  

Burlesque dancing helps you connect to your body in a way that builds confidence and self esteem. It provides individuals with a platform to express their pure unapologetic power, free from societal norms and expectations. The beautiful costumes and physical benefits are just the cherry on top!

As a massage therapist and dancer, you know a lot about the mind, body, soul connection.  What other ways techniques/practices do you believe help tune into our body’s wisdom?  

As a massage therapist and life long dancer, I’ve learned a lot about the mind, body and soul connection. E-motion stands for energy in motion- so moving through our emotions physically can be hugely impactful. From slow soft stretches, literally “shaking it off”, to full on dance parties in our bedroom, movement is a powerful tool to shift our energy and reconnect to our bodies! 

To experience Burlesque for yourself, join our next workshop led by Phoebe this April 23rd, 2024 at our studio!