Tufts Burlesque should preserve community well-being as club grows

BURLESQUE continued from page 42 and set to work crafting a nearly 13-page laundry list agenda of areas where the club can likely use a tune-up, complete with some anonymous experiences, concrete suggestions for future improvements and comparisons with how other clubs have handled similar issues — then I brought it to the Burlesque executive board. In a meeting with some of the board members and a supporting fellow Burlesquer that lasted about two hours, we went through each item together, talked them out, shared notes and set out goals for changes they could implement for the spring 2023 show and beyond.

Following the end of the semester, some really great updates were made, but much work is left to be done — Burlesque still deserves more.

The agenda is as extensive and exhaustive as possible, suggesting changes to a variety of topics including: creating greater community among the Troupe, improving the safety of dance practices and bondings, big changes and safety checks for the Burlesque afterparty (which has taken on a not-sosavory reputation as an ‘orgy’ of sorts), board operations, affinity dances and so on. Among the list of suggestions were required discussions of consent and body dynamics in every dance, better checks for ensuring consent between partners and Green Dot monitors at the afterparty. While the executive board did manage to implement some of the suggestions before the spring show — namely requiring sober monitors for the afterparty; a closed dress rehearsal; expanding the executive board; and hosting a pre-show, club-wide Action for Sexual Assault Prevention presentation — there are still changes left to be made.

As one of the most common concerns expressed in all of my conversations, the lack of transparency and somewhat detached leadership of Burlesque from its community prevents a lot of people’s feelings from being heard and addressed directly. Especially with four out of eight executive board members graduating this year, ensuring that the incoming board is able to stay true to the needs of the community is duly important. As a passionate Burlesquer, I want to make sure the rest of my community is heard; however, as I’ll be away from campus in the upcoming fall semester, my options for getting involved are limited, leaving me with a request to the community instead: Please help keep the club accountable to what it could — and should — be.

In order to give the community as much help as I can, I decided to create an abridged, community-friendly version of the agenda I brought to the executive board. Separated by topic in distinct sections, and with specific recommendations and concerns listed therein, it is my hope that some members of the Tufts community will be able to keep the pressure on the club to continue to improve and grow. The list is by no means perfect or all-in - clusive, and obviously they are, of course, suggestions, so it is not my expectation that everything will be addressed in its entirety. However, seeing as the list is compiled directly from the interests of the community, it is my hope to see as many of these positive changes be implemented as is possible within the power of the Burlesque community and the executive board.

Nothing big ever starts without people talking about it first; in the same vein, in order for the club to heal its current issues and move in a better direction, the first step is to encourage conversation about said issues. With enough time and collective interest, I firmly believe the Burlesque community can come together and demand improvements for the future of the club. With the right people in charge and the right support from the ground up, I see a future Burlesque that is safer, more enjoyable, more diverse, more inclusive, sexier and more empowering than ever before. It’s about time Tufts Burlesque puts on its big girl pantyhose and gets to werk!