Miss Polly Rae's Burlesque Tips - Day 3: Your first show

You've rehearsed your act and your costume is all sparkly, but the preparation doesn't stop there. The show's promoter should email you a form to fill in with all the nitty gritty details - if they don't you'll have to email one over yourself - and bring a copy on the evening. You need to include everything the promoter needs to know including how you'd like the Compare to introduce you, where you start your performance (stage left, right or already on stage) and where pieces of your costume are going to be thrown (tip: always behind you, never into the audience!) so they can ensure it's returned to you complete. Polly advises bringing two CDs of music - and remember to put your name on both of them!




Once you've got a few newbie shows under your belt film footage of your performance is vital so you can get bookings at more prestigious shows. Polly insists that the footage doesn't have to break the bank and although it's much preferable to have film on a live stage with an audience it's not make or break. Polly reckons she can tell within 10 seconds whether an act is going to be good or not whatever the film quality is like. No good promoter will book an act without footage so it's time to rope in a friend with a camera.

Miss Polly Rae's Burlesque Tips - Day 2: Costumes

Today Miss Polly Rae is lucky enough to work with William Baker, Kylie Minogue's stylist for whom the cost of rhinestones is no issue for her West End Shows (although it still makes her swoon!) but for her other shows the costumes are down to Polly.



Polly's first bit of advice is that you don't need to spend a lot of money - but you do need to be ready to devote your evenings to hot-gluing and trimming! Whilst it's not possible to skimp on some items - for example a high street basque will not give yout the defined hourglass shape of a good quality corset - it is possible to transform cheap high street lingerie and shoes into showstopping costumes. Barnet and Lawson just off London's Oxford Street is Polly's haberdashery of choice where their basement is an Aladdin's cave of sparkly trims.

Polly's stockings of choice for peeling, whether on stage in the West End or the East End are our stretchy Retro Seamed Stockings which are far more affordable than fully fashioned and 'ping' off the foot with far more control than expensive Fully Fashioned Nylons.

From my personal experience I've learn't how seriously professional burlesque artistes take their costumes. Last year we took Slinky Sparkles to perform in Las Vegas and instead of painting the town red spent her days rhinestoning her costume (you can never have too many rhinestones!) Although Polly says that trims and rhinestones are 'icing' to your act, turning up in a untrimmed high street lingerie really is a no no.

Miss Polly Rae's Guide to Burlesque

To celebrate the start of London's Burlesque Games, Miss Polly Rae hosted an initimate salon in What Katie Did's London Boutique giving advice on how to make a career out of burlesque. Miss Polly Rae always knew she wanted to be famous, she just wasn't quite sure how she was going to acheive it! By chance she saw a flyer for Jo King's burlesque workshop and went along to a free taster session. Burlesque immediately appealed to Polly as you didn't have to have dance training from the age of 3, or be a certain age or shape. Over the last 6 and a half years Miss Polly Rae has become one of the UK's leading stars of burlesque with her own West End Show. Over the next few days we'll give you her top tips on making it in burlesque.

1. Get an Audience!

There is nothing like performing in front of an audience. It's where you'll really start to learn your craft. Nothing frustrates Polly more is hearing people say that their act is not quite ready, time after time! That's not to say it shouldn't be rehearsed to within an inch of it's life, but sooner or later you're going to have to get on stage. Let's face it, you'll alway find something that isn't quite right as an excuse to delay.

Don't go straight from rehearsals to stage. It's essential that you find a burlesque mentor, or someone you can trust, who will give you their honest opinion of your act. Once any kinks have been ironed out it's time to go. There are lots of newbie nights where you can perform, and as they're billed as newbie nights the audience won't be expecting Dita Von Teese.

Most professional burlesque artiste's acts are 'works in progress'. Their act will be constantly refined as the artiste decides what works best in front of an audience, whilst rhinestones and feathers will be added to costumes as funds allow.

Miss Polly Rae and her Hurly Burly Girlies

Miss Polly Rae and her fabulous Hurly Burly Girlies added a little va va voom to London's West End with their new show, directed by William Baker, earlier this year. The show sold out for the whole of it's run with everyone from Kylie Minogue to our very own Tony Nylons attending - along with all the major press who gave the show rave reviews. Miss Polly Rae was kind enough to forward some pictures of the Hurly Burly Girlies in our Cabaret Sheer Morticia corsets (pics by Phil Bourne).