Burlesque Lives!

Burlesque not only lives, it thrives. Burlesque shows are sprouting around the UK, and of course further afield in Europe, Australia and America. Aside from shows, the art of burlesque is also mainstream, being taught the length and breadth of the UK. The courses are very popular, attracting girls from all walks of life, and all sizes – it is incredibly empowering for the girls, even if the goal is not to develop a stage act, but simply social, to meet other girls, and enjoy a little exercise and fun at the same time.

Retro Photostudio has photographed countless professional burlesque artists. Yet not everyone with a feather boa who visits the studio is a professional burlesque artist. The studio also photographs an equal number of girls who have no intention of performing their own act, but merely wish to capture the fun and excitement that their hobby gives them.

Burlesque workshops

A number of burlesque workshops send their ‘graduates’ to the studio to enjoy a girly burlesque shoot day – after pampering by the professional make-up artist and hair stylist, they enjoy a few hours in the studio under expert direction to produce a series of photographs to show off to friends and family.

Once bitten by the burlesque bug, some girls are keen to perform in front of an enthusiastic audience, and even compete to be able to measure their skills against others. One of the best stepping stones for this, allowing girls to progress from keen amateur to fully-fledged performer is the annual Burlesque Idol Competition, which Retro Photostudio has been proud to be associated with as a sponsor since its launch three years ago. The winner of each heat qualifies for a free shoot at the studio.

This year’s final takes place on 30th November at Madam Jojo’s.

The most recent finalist to visit the studio was Violet Blaze – a very enthusiastic young lady!

Violet Blaze - as Big Mama

I asked her how she found her shoot…and she emailed me the following description of her experience…

Upon arrival at Retro Photo Studio… I was welcomed with a nice cup of tea… perfect way to start the day! I was impressed with the amount of props and costumes that were available !

Terry made me feel at ease instantly.. and straight away I felt at home with the camera and him.

He is a fantastic photographer.. attention to detail.. angles… and always gets that foot turned just right.. or that stray hair out the way! He is not just a photographer.. but an artist.

All the raw images looked FANTASTIC.. I found it so hard just to choose 25 from the hundreds of shots taken… but something is telling me I am going to have to purchase some more because I love them so much!

When I received the retouched versions however.. I was AMAZED… I have always wanted to be captured in the true Mendoza style.. and he made me look like a real pin up star.

I feel with these pictures… people will be able to see I am taking my burlesque career seriously.. they are so professionally done and have already helped in getting me gigs! It’s all about the image…

I will definitely be going back for another shoot once I get my new act together. I look forward to working with Terry again.. he is simply fabulous.

Violet Blaze xxx

So if you love burlesque, and regardless of whether you’ve never been on a stage before, or are a full-time pro, feel free to contact the studio and I will be happy to discuss your own tailor-made photoshoot.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 5:28 pm and is filed under Burlesque, Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Burlesque lives!”

Violet Blaze says:

November 17, 2012 at 9:41 am

Thank you once again Mr Mendoza!!! You are simply the best!
xx Violet Blaze