The Boys

My friend Dale Stones of  Sirlesque, the only all male burlesque troupe in the Boston area,  is running a series of classes in male burlesque on Wednesdays in March, ending with a show at the end of the series at Club Cafe in Boston. It is a very affordable opportunity for men who are interested in taking the plunge to do so in a safe supportive environment. Dale is one of the most in demand dancers in the community because, besides being talented, he is also exceedingly nice. 

It will be interesting to see who walks onto that stage on March 28th. Who the brave ones are going to be this time and if they will stay. It's a unique welcoming world of self expression with so many opportunities,particularly for the men  because there are so few, but it takes a special personality to stick with it. And what is that personality is exactly? Well, your guess is as good as mine.

After giving it a good long think, I still find if  hard to explain a single reason that draws of people into the Boston burlesque community. And that goes double for our men folk.

Yes there are almost naked women and men. That is sort of the central theme that goes on through the concept. At the end of the acts, more often than not, people wind up without their clothes on. I suppose that will attract a few but it takes a committed pervert to go through the trouble of designing and costuming an act just to see some titties. Or butts. Or whatever is a fella's flavor. 

Boston burlesque draws an extraordinarily creative group of people. They are constantly developing original concepts that are put into original shows that also have to be developed. When I think of the people that I have encountered since I went from the Lucky 13 amateur contest that Rogue Burlesque held in 2012 to when I became the troupe's character emcee in 2013, I think of the words "brave" "physical comedy" "artist" "beautiful." "Almost naked" is much farther down the list of adjectives, possibly because it is such a given that it has become an "oh that."

The community tends to gravitate toward a bohemian vein. We certainly have our share of tattoos. But when you look at the handful of men in our midst, this seems to be less true.  The adjectives that I just mentioned absolutely apply to them but, possibly due to being so few of them, they tend.....although not exclusively...to be professionals with day jobs.  They, like the super heroes that they sometimes emulate on stage, have a day persona and a night persona. You would never guess that the statement, "I will be glittering and gluing my costume for the NYC show all weekend" would ever be passing their lips if you met them in line at the grocery store. 

So why? Why walk into a clearly female dominant arena and take the risk of, er, exposure? These men are in good shape because they take their bodies seriously. They have be able to dance and emote. Every act is a story told without the convenience of words. They work hard to make a routine that is original with a message.They are driven to entertain but they are also driven to bring something unique to the table with every performance. Any fool can take his clothes off. Not everyone can do burlesque. 

Somewhere along the line, they walked into a room and said, "I want to be part of this thing." And,like their sisters in the community, they took the chance. And believe me, it is as terrifying as it looks.

It occurred to me some time ago that no one in this community is judged by their sex or their sexual choice or their race or their religion ore their marital status or anything else that you can think to judge each other against. The element of trust is strong as is respect. As long as you work hard and contribute work that is good, people are open to whoever you are.

Maybe it was on a dare. Or to prove something  to themselves.Or to someone else. Maybe they had body issues.Or confidence issues. Or maybe,even,they saw someone in a show and wanted to get closer to their world. But that step into the ring took huge balls because somewhere in the preparation for it, shit got real. And then next day they went back to their lives and said, "I want to do it again."

*Interested in Dale's classes? Feeling brave? Contact him at mr.dale.stones@gmail.com.