WesBurlesque Delights With a Fun, Flirty, and Fiery Spring Show

For many, ending up on stage in nothing but underwear in front of one’s classmates is a nightmare.

But for the crew of WesBurlesque, Wesleyan’s student-run burlesque club, it’s a powerful mode of self-expression.

This past weekend, shouting and music could be heard from every corner on High Street as WesBurlesque showcased their 2026 performance in The Eclectic Society. Shows were held on Thursday, April 30, Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2. The stage, barely a foot off the ground, sat at one end of the giant dance floor in Eclectic’s main hall, creating an intimate and personal setting and allowing the performers to get close if they wanted, or seductively wink at the audience from afar. In short, the show generated heat, spice, and everything else nice. 

WesBurlesque aims to showcase a dance crew composed of a diversity of body types, ethnicities, and gender orientations. And if a strip tease isn’t enough to convince you to go, WesBurlesque donates their proceeds every year to charities. This year, the money went to three organizations: New Horizons Domestic Violence Services, A Place to Nourish Your Health, and The Immigrant Defense Project. 

Songs ranged from contemporary bangers such as “Sports Car” by Tate McRae to classic anthems like Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” which swung to an upbeat tempo. With the band donning a near-nude wardrobe to welcome the audience, the introduction was on par with a professional show and prepared spectators for the many thrills to come.

Anticipatory energy zoomed through the room as the red and purple stage lights foreplayed the sensuality of the long-awaited show. When the directors finally walked on stage to screams and applause from the audience, I knew that the spectacle would bring the house down.

The erotic one-liners from the directors kicked off one of the most intensely passionate productions I have seen thus far on campus. 

From their stage presence to the powerful dancing and musicality, WesBurlesque proved that they are more than your ordinary “art of the tease” burlesque show. The dancers embraced the full range of movement of their bodies and found ample room to explore their sexuality. 

As the first dancers sauntered on stage, their compelling spirits drew me in. Explosive movements mingled with softer ones, each dancer bringing their own unique style to the show. The result was an engaging and robust atmosphere.

Most of the dances combined a variety of styles such as elements of ballet, jazz, and lyrical to accompany the more sexual movements of burlesque style. As a lifelong dancer, I was impressed by the dancers’ immense technicality and physical strength, and entertained by their graceful agility. The jumps, flips, and turns kept my eyes constantly on the move.

In the midst of executing the complex movements, the performers were also tasked with the duty of managing a range of props and costumes. 

The show’s vibrancy would be non-existent without the many costume changes that the dancers executed, some of them in the middle of a piece. Silky robes were slowly plucked off and thrown to the sides of the stage, micro-shorts were pulled down, then up, then down again, and hair was tousled every which way, adding to the perfectly planned chaos of the production. 

I was also lured in with the individual pieces that boasted unique props to add to the glamour of each song. Batons and balloons during Britney Spears’s iconic “Circus” song and alien-like face paint during Katy Perry’s “E.T.” were some of the most memorable touches.

But what most impressed me was the performance’s ability to foster a compelling sense of self-confidence within both the audience and dancers. As the show progressed, I started to look around the room. I was met by the loose shoulder movements of the audience joining in with the dancers on stage, mimicking the dance movements on stage.

Listening to the conversations from show-goers post-performance, I caught excited chatter from multiple groups who voiced great interest in participating in the show in the coming years. Even my friends who are non-dancers or who are intimidated by displaying their sexuality on stage were expressing their enthusiasm to become a WesBurlesque member.

WesBurlesque not only boosts the dancer’s sense of self-worth and body image, but it also inspires viewers to reassess their relationship with their own sexuality. The company moderates an inclusive space designed to help viewers and performers alike step out of their comfort zones and claim their sexuality in a public space with spotlights shining down on them. 

Chloe Rappaport Crowther can be reached at crappaportcr@wesleyan.edu.