Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Mandi Does Burlesque

So those of you that follow my antics on the Facebook fan page will have heard my proclaiming that I was going to challenge myself to lose 45 kg (100lbs) and do a burlesque dance for my 40th birthday.  I have till November 2012 to pull this off and figured I better get started.

I decided to do this for several reasons.
1.  I grew up as a tomboy and I somehow missed  learning basic girl things,  like how to walk in heels and flirt for that matter, that an just going from serial monogamy to married at a very young age I kind of skipped the whole flirtatious dating scene thing (I went to a 80% guys school and was in the U.S. Navy, I could have had 3 boobs and a watermelon growth out my head and I would have still had plenty of suitors).
2.  I am a Scorpio and we are naturally sensual and seductive.
3.  Now I am almost 40 haven't a clue how to flirt, overweight, and am single....but the brilliant part is I am free to go learn this stuff without anyone being able to say squat about it!!!!   And I want to.  It looks like so much fun.
4.  I have spent the last 7 years mucking in on a farm...enough was enough the girl in me wanted to come out and play.
5. After opening my photography studio and mulling for three years on my logo it finally manifested itself as a bright Barbie doll pink and I have completely found my groove photographing women and empowering them to look their most amazing and celebrate their bodies what ever size they came in, now I wanted to look as amazing as them somewhere.

So when I heard about Miss LaBelle's Burlesque class I thought.  "Right I am at my top weight ever.  I weigh more now than I did when I was nine months pregnant with my son and if I can learn to embrace myself at this size and stand tall proud and sexy with it then I will rock it even more when I am in a physically healthier space."  So I went along tonight in my red "hooker shoes" as my mum likes to call them and wobbled in.    Grace the teacher was disarming lovely and her studio "kitten" was in a corset fishnets and was roughly my size in the posterior regions.  I took one look at her and relaxed significantly.  Now learning the steps I reminded myself of a slightly less than graceful giraffe as in my three inch wedges I towered about a foot above most of the class and my legs seemed to not have a clue what my arms were doing.  But it was fun and by the end of the class I had a semi semblance of a swish to my walk...which I promptly practiced (a much subtler version) all the way up Cuba street to the photography meeting I was late for at Southern Cross.    But I felt sexy, and swish, all 120+kgs of me and that felt divine.

So if you have been thinking about it, but haven't had the nerve to try it.  I say go for it.  Grab a friend if you need to, but take the class.  Claim your feminine powers back! And stand strong and proud in your 3 inch hooker shoes with your new confident swish to your stride.  Get your girly on!

9 comments:

  1. You are my heroine all the time Mandi!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nah, you are mine Kathy :) Love you heaps darlin!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Mandi, I was at the class too!! I felt like a dick also but LOVED it.

    You know, I honestly didnt see anyone there who I thought needs to loose 45kg!!! But I am behind you all the way, good luck and I look forward to next weeks class with you :) x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Would love to rediscover the girl in me....I too was the proverbial tomboy...so...who do I approach..and no...none of my girlfriends would do this with me...
    snap...am a scorpio too! ha ha
    Rata

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Rata,
    Just click on the link to Miss LaBelle and she will let you know all of the tasty details. She is incredibly sweet and approachable and lives up to the reputation that preceded her.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Lexxie,
    I am tall so it hangs well on me but I have this picture of Gabriella Reece leaping in the air stuck in my head as my ideal body shape for my frame and that will mean dropping a medium size child worth of weight off me to get there. But in time it will come, I can be patient...not!

    ReplyDelete
  7. There are some great hill walks here in Eastbourne. Let me know if your ever keen and I can show you some. They are good cos no matter how fast or fit (or unfit) you are you always get an amazing all over workout :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there Mandi,

    You did so well at class last night - your gonna have a killer walk when you grow the confidence to shashy those gorgeous hips. I know the moves feel weird now... I felt like a complete dork when I started but I promise as you get used to the moves they will start to feel sexC and sensual.

    I *adored* your shoes ... remeber if your feet get too tired you can take your shoes off, just rememberate your show girl stance. *wink*

    I too was 120kgs when I started burlesque and I am now about half way through my weightloss journey. Burlesque has kept me going when I haven't had a loss. Burlesque is absolutely brilliant when you have curves cos when you shake and shimmy with confidence and the confidence and sensualness is soooo sexC and looks fan-TAS-tic

    Looking forward to seeing you next class

    *Sparkles+Smiles*
    Crystal Mischief
    Studio Kitten

    ReplyDelete
  9. oooh I want to go, where do you go to?? Love reading about this xx

    ReplyDelete