We can’t believe we’re already celebrating the fifth birthday of World Burlesque Day, which commemorates pioneering artist and icon Gypsy Rose Lee on 26th April, the anniversary of her death back in 1970. But what’s happening at World Burlesque Day 2024?
And World Burlesque Day 2024 is aiming for new heights under the guidance of founder Sapphira, and the World Burlesque Academy, both committed to using burlesque to make a real difference in people’s lives. It’s a beautiful moment for established artists, hobbyists, newbies and burlesque lovers to take part in and celebrate the art form together.
To date, World Burlesque Day has reached a phenomenal 80 countries including Zambia, Jamaica, Lithuania and Morocco. Dita Von Teese, Immodesty Blaize, Jake Dupree, Catherine D’Lish and Crazy Horse Paris have all previously contributed to the day.
In 2023, they celebrated their biggest Dance Challenge ever with over 259 participants from 10 countries taking part. Check out World Burlesque Day’s previous Burlesque in Boots Challenge below.
What’s happening for World Burlesque Day 2024?
This year Sapphira has created a hot timetable of events and experiences which kick off ahead of the day itself.
Here’s what’s on the schedule:
Sunday 21st April, 7pm – 8.30pm BST – World’s Largest Online Burlesque Class + networking)
Already over 22 Burlesque artists, dance schools and festivals are joining together to attempt to set this world record.
The event is hosted by the World Burlesque Academy and Ellie Etoile’s Burlesque in the United Kingdom with Soul On Fire Dance in the United States.
There will be a very special guest appearance too from Gypsy Rose Lee’s son, Erik Lee Preminger.
You can register here;
https://www.worldburlesqueacademy.com/course/world-record-attempt
Monday 22nd April – Dance Challenge
Sapphira is looking for people to be part of a ‘launch team’, who can film their clip in advance and be ready on the day to post it
Friday 26th April – World Burlesque Day
Sapphira will be celebrating the Dance Challenge and the World’s Largest Online Burlesque Class as well as hosting a timetable of Instagram Live interviews with schools and sponsors around the world.
And here’s just a taster of the soundtrack for this year!
Please let us know how you’re getting involved for World Burlesque Day 2024!
Interview with Sapphira, founder of World Burlesque Day
The founder of World Burlesque Day, Sapphira is a powerhouse: she’s a burlesque artist, teacher and mentor but also runs an event production company and dance academy dedicated to the art form. Here’s her story…
Why is World Burlesque Day so important?
World Burlesque Day 2024 is really part of an overall marketing strategy to help create conversation around burlesque and also to use the effectiveness of an awareness day to create a different perception about burlesque in the eye of the public and the media.
Although burlesque started as far back as 411 BCE in Ancient Greece with playwright Aristophanes, it is still unclear to many people what burlesque actually is! I want World Burlesque Day to show people more about what burlesque does for us in our lives in terms of confidence and being a mental health boost. This concept is something many people worldwide can understand.
The day is about connecting our huge sparkly global family online and realising we might feel small in our communities but worldwide we are really part of something bigger.
What do you consider World Burlesque Day’s most important achievement?
I think the most important achievement is that World Burlesque Day enabled us all to find each other all around the world.
It was particularly fuelled because it happened during the lockdown and many people were anxious forced to stay at home.
Burlesque provided an immense light and got me through that time to realise there were so many people participating in this scene worldwide. I think that it gives us strength knowing there is a big global community.
This year I’m thanking the musical icon Christina Aguilera who has contributed so many songs that our scene has adopted from Candy Man, Guy What Takes His Time, her part in Sweet Lady Marmalade and the songs she co-wrote for Burlesque with Claude Kelley and Christopher Stewart which were produced by Tricky Steward Express. I really believe a lot of her music has unified our scene.
Why does burlesque speak to you as an artist and performer?
I believe burlesque is an unrecognised mental health tool. The process of confronting many fears and being pushed past our inhibitions in different phases from being in a class progressing to a group routine on stage or maybe performing a solo or striptease really enables us to face fear and realise, on the other side, it’s not life-threatening but can even be exhilarating.
For me, creating a stage persona was a part of that process, my everyday life as Priscilla had a lot of baggage but by becoming Sapphira I had a license to write my own story and leave out the bad parts altogether.
Sapphira is invincible and doesn’t ask for permission. The process of being in character and performing at different levels of unlayering inhibition over a number of times and over a number of years means people really come to terms with their real lives, too! It helps to build resilience and translates into overall wellbeing that is so important for us all.
What has been your relationship with the art form?
I really have to say I’ve totally fallen in love with burlesque and had a very intimate love affair!
At first it was just visual, like catching a glimpse of a good looking suitor, I loved the feathers, sparkle and the power of the performers.
Over time it’s deepened into a profound partnership and I’ve learnt so much about the history, researched the business aspects
and even the pleasure of being accepted on a Virgin StepUp 3 day incubator course funded by the Regional Development Fund through the European Commission to present the World Burlesque Academy to investors.
This has meant I’ve had to extract a business case from this colourful and often disjointed scene and prove that it is a viable market. Launching the annual Dance Challenges has given me a way to share my music and see people enjoying it, too! Huge props to my music producer Doc Moody who produced Boots Are Made for Walkin, Queen of the Scene and the upcoming Burlesque Ooh La La!
What are your dreams for World Burlesque Day in the years ahead?
I would like World Burlesque Day to grow in popularity and to be as big as International Women’s Day or Pride, these are all exceptional awareness activations that are staple parts of our calendar year around the world. I’d love it if at Microsoft, Amazon and the big universities everyone wore a boa on World Burlesque Day!
I’d also like to acknowledge Jenna Owen, Hayley Vincent and the team at Ambition PR and thank the hundreds of volunteers who have helped make this day what it is. I couldn’t have done it without them.
In particular, those sponsoring the upcoming World Record Attempt have really backed this day in 2024. They are my co-hosts Soul on Fire Dance and Ellie Etoile’s Burlesque and the additional schools and entities confirmed are: Burlesque Prevue (South Africa), Escuela Burlesque de Boliviana (Bolivia), La Otra Burlesque Escuela (Chile), Scarlet Disdain (Canada/Bolivia), Burlesque Bretagne (France), Muse School of Burlesque (Australia), Kootenay Burlesque Festival (Canada), Ibiza Burlesque Festival (Spain), Adoration Studios (USA), Coos Cabaret (USA), Burlesque Buffet (New York, USA), Kiki Risque’s Showgirls (Denver USA), BodyMagick Temple (Portland, USA), Divine Huntress School of Sensuality (Salida, USA), Madame Osiris, (Fife, UK), Toxic Treats (UK), BAW Dance (UK), Cherry Dance (UK), Mell N Dowd (UK).
Find out more about World Burlesque Day.
And take a look at previous World Burlesque Days.
