A people of color Burlesque show empowers members to find their “own kind of sexy.”

OMAR CAREY

“I got into burlesque because I saw the B. Burlesque show last year, and it was amazing. I wanted to be a part of something that would push me to grow. There aren’t many spaces like this that are dedicated to specifically empowering people of color, so the opportunity to be a part of something like this means a lot to me. Just the whole process of going through something that is initially uncomfortable, and watching others do the same, helped me overcome my own insecurities.”

LAUREN ADAMS

“B. Burlesque has been super supportive, and everyone’s really come together. It was a lot of people I didn’t really know that well before, and now we’re all just like kicking it in our underwear. My favorite thing we learned was how to maximize the movement of a twerk when you’re on your knees. I guess I call it a straddle twerk.”

BRITTANY HENRY

“Burlesque is a great space because it’s so intimate. I’m not afraid to be myself in this space. I was a stagehand last year, and I knew I wanted to do it this year. I was nervous before. I’m nervous now. I’ll probably be nervous up until the final beat of my performance, but I’ve learned to just embrace my body and not be afraid.”

LEANA LINDSAY

“I think B. Burlesque was created to give space to bodies that aren’t normally celebrated, so it allowed people to kinda just do what they want. It’s made for people of color, so it became a space that wasn’t really available to people of color in ‘normal’ burlesque.”

NNENNA NWAGBO

“I’m a super senior, and I remember freshman year watching (at that time the only Burlesque show) and being like, ‘hopefully one day when I’m a senior, I’ll have the confidence to do it.’ I think it’s finding your own kind of sexy, trying not to feel so awkward in my own brand of sexy because not everything is one dimensional sexy, and just trying to find what reflects best for me.”