Tufts Burlesque needs a reset — the community deserves more

by Felipe Campano

Tufts Burlesque is a unique space on campus. With over 300 dancers, making it one of the biggest organizations at Tufts, Burlesque offers many students a special space for empowerment, healing and a fun opportunity to meet others and perform for an audience in a show unlike any other. In a blur of lingerie and colorful lights, Burlesque shows at Tufts are one of the hottest events on campus. It’s a tragically common tale: anxiously waiting on Tufts Tickets for Burlesque tickets to drop only to end up coming out of the frenzy feel - ing like you were hit by a hurricane — and with no ticket. With bold displays of sexiness, drama, good music and ‘camp,’ it’s all very exciting. However, Burlesque is also unique in how vulnerable it is; going up onstage in front of hundreds of your peers and dancing almost nude is no easy feat. Unlike nearly any other space on campus, there is a great deal of risk involved when people who are oftentimes complete strangers come together to put on a performance that so heavily revolves around nudity and sex. Equally important to all of that excitement and energy, then, are the rules and the club culture that make the shows possible.

In order to function properly, Tufts Burlesque has had to maintain a strict culture of sobriety, consent and boundaries. Dancers are forbidden from showing up to practices or performances inebriated, partner work is usually put off until after the first group bonding and choreographers are not to engage in any kind of romantic or sexual relations with their dancers in order to maintain a safe power dynamic. However, at least in recent years, it seems as though Burlesque has begun to stray from its stated mission and goals; a number of dancers are leaving the Burlesque experience with feelings of discomfort, unfulfillment, hesitation and even pain surrounding incidents of violations of consent or discrimination. From conversations with other past and present Burlesquers, it seems as though many potential dancers experience serious doubts around returning. conversation, it seemed as though some themes were repeatedly coming up independently: discussions of their experiences with partner work and consent, feelings of discomfort surrounding the infamous afterparty and even the way the organization and its operations are set up. After much reflection and a lot of talking, I decided that I wanted to take action.

In trying to understand what was leaving such a bad taste in people’s mouths, I spoke to many of my peers, from former and current Burlesquers to those who for whatever reason hesitate to join and to those who were desperate to do so.

Over the course of a few weeks, I gathered the stories and needs of the community members I spoke to into a big melting pot-style Google Doc