Burlesque is a great hobby for those looking to explore performance and creativity. But there is much more to learn beyond boa tricks and glove removal styles. Burlesque can help you be more confident and powerful with your clothes on.
Maryanne Dersch, courageous communication author and public speaker, is sharing three ways dancing burlesque will make you a better person. She is available for interviews, bylines and commentary to discuss how letting go of a codependent mindset and acting boldly by dancing burlesque taught her to love her body—and how others can reach the same self-appreciation.
1. You will learn to love your body.
In burlesque, everybody is welcome and every BODY is beautiful. There are small bodies and big bodies, straight and curvy. There are male bodies and transgender bodies and gender fluid bodies. It is a celebration of the beauty of every individual. You learn your body is sexy, wonderful and worthy of adoration, just as you are. Not 10 pounds from now or 10 years ago, but right now…cellulite and jiggles and all. You can feel sexy and confident in the body you have, not the photoshopped body you think you are supposed to have.
2. You will learn to own your brain and your body.
Burlesque performers can be sexy, silly, erotic, even scary — but they need to be confident in their performances. You will learn to shake of insecurity and act confident, even when you are not, pushing your brain to explore new ways of feeling and thinking about yourself. Physically, women tend to fall in on themselves and minimize the physical space they occupy. You will learn to own your assets, move more confidently and take up space without apology. You will learn to embrace your sexuality and celebrate yourself. Your brain and body will feel stronger and more comfortable taking risks.
3. You will learn to embrace fear.
There’s nothing quite as fear inducing as taking your clothes off (even tastefully, to choreography) in front of a crowd. Landing in that intersection of fear and exhilaration is what makes life worth living. And like most things that are scary, it is not as bad as you think it will be. Once those clothes come off, it is really freeing experience. Women spend too much time criticizing themselves and this is a chance to drop all those clothes, along with those negative feelings, and allow yourself to shine.
ABOUT MARYANNE DERSCH
Maryanne Dersch is embarking on a midlife adventure, but she’s not kicking up her heels- she’s dressing them up in the highest stilettos she can find as she walks down new paths. For starters, she dyed her hair purple, got her first tattoo and joined a burlesque school. These activities are not expected from a mother of three, nonprofit board member or communications professional. But instead of worrying about criticism, she moved past fear to find liberation, confidence and reach personal goals. And she found that it made her a better person.
As founder of Principal, Courageous Communication LLC, Dersch uses her 30+ years industry experience to guide Human Investment Companies shine and attract long-term, loyal donors. She’s been on numerous boards and committees, including Community Service Public Relations Council and the Saint Louis Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is on the board of Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition and has been a foster parent for Stray Rescue of Saint Louis for 20 years. Dersch graduated from the University of Missouri- Columbia with a degree in journalism. Her book, Courageous Communication: How Codependence Is Making Your Nonprofit Brand Boring and What To Do About It is now available on Amazon.
