Our Mission

EDUCATION

Arabesque Burlesque is a Montreal-based bilingual burlesque academy. Part dance school, part empowerment center, we strive to be inclusive and open-minded. Every student - aged 16 years and over - can try this sensual artform built on intersectional feminism. We make it a priority to educate our students through the lens of burlesque decolonization. A place where all genders and body types are celebrated.*

LEGACY

We wish to honour our burlesque legacy one class at a time, through history lessons and fun movement techniques. We see ourselves as part of a long and rich history of theatrical striptease dating back to the 1800s, through the 1920’s flapper era, and all the way to the 1990 neo-burlesque revival. We offer expertise in feminine expression for all genders.

EMPOWERMENT

We help our students unveil their most confident selves through giggle-filled dance and striptease classes. Our burlesque teachers will encourage you to honor your sexuality and celebrate your body. We never take ourselves too seriously (that’s what keeps us sane)! Whether you’re looking for fun movement and self-discovery, a community of like-minded individuals, or hoping to get onstage, we promise to guide you through burlesque to the best of our abilities.

COMMUNITY

We strive to make our studio a safer space where people can gather and make new friends. What’s life without glittery pals? We’re a space where the Montreal burlesque community can learn and have fun. We are committed to keep the community growing and learning through different social events, workshops, seminars, and more. We also recognize that we are constantly in evolution and that we are imperfect. Above all we are committed to staying attentive and open to change and conversation. It is important for us that our classes are accessible both physically and financially for the students and we always want to offer our teachers remuneration commensurate with their work!*

*About accessibility: we recognize that our studio being inaccessible to folks using mobility aids is far from ideal and that this conflicts with our mission statement. Our long-term plans for Arabesque include adding more accessible spaces for our classes. In all of our classes we are committed to offering modifications that accommodate different ways of moving. We are also committed to using inclusive vocabulary when offering directives and believe burlesque can and should be enjoyed and performed by folks with all different bodies.