CABARRET classes are structured with a half hour of barre work, with the focus on resistance training, particularly for the booty, thighs, core, and arms.
Then we let loose and have fun with cardio burlesque dance.
As opposed to other dance fitness classes, where there is continual motion without comprehension or corrections from the instructor on technique or form, in a CABARRET class, you actually learn an entire burlesque routine. You get to work on coordination, memorization, and endurance, as well as the cardio dance aspect!
Learning to execute burlesque dance moves properly will teach you to use your muscles effectively and safely. In CABARRET classes, you learn a complete burlesque dance, so you leave class with a fabulous feeling of success and accomplishment, as well as an excellent workout.
Each class also includes a few 8-counts you can create yourself. You probably spend all day being told what to do - by bosses, clients, significant others, children, even your fitness instructor! You’ve learned to follow directions, and work to keep others happy. So, for a few counts of 8, all you worry about is making yourself happy - doing what feels good for your body and soul, and relishing in the moment!
In America, burlesque usually refers to the striptease portion of a show, but burlesque was originally comic theater - wit, parody, even straight-up defiance of cultural norms. I love that element of it.
When you participate in burlesque fitness, you’re confronting convention: the idea that you have to look a certain way, move a certain way, work out a certain way, all in the pursuit of being “normal." And, burlesque helps you confront the most dangerous myth of all - that your body is not worth celebrating right now, but only when you reach a specific goal of weight loss or toning.