Kitty Cat in training…Miss Donna writes about all those FEATHERS!!
2010-06-12Okay ladies, whether you are bravely in your first Burlesque class or contemplating that
enticing, sexy chair tease, there is one pressing question on all the dancers minds...
What to do with all those feathers ?
As you know they get everywhere, I don’t just mean just your purse, car, drive way, and bedroom. I mean E-V-E-R-Y W-H-E-R-E!!!! So I started picking them up, they were too pretty to throw away, so I saved the nicer ones and tossed the smaller ones that had seen better days.
I put them in a rose bowl in the bedroom, that is where I practice my... um... zoning with the door locked. Now that the rose bowl is full with layers of pink perky feathers, what shall I do with them? Why have a little fun of course, I spot my husbands dress shirt hanging up and ready to wear the next day, I tuck one discretely into his shirt pocket. By noon the next day I was dying to see if he had found it so I sent him a text message while he was at lunch and had him go on an easter egg hunt for his prize. He phoned me back and was thrilled with what I had done.
I kept this up for about a week, each day, different feather, different location, Black Berry case, wallet, brief case, suit pocket and even passport. By the end of the first week he came home with not one but three bouquets of flowers.
Last week when he was traveling to the states, the Customs lady-the mean lady with the mustache who is channeling Hitler-she asked for, no... she demanded his passport, sure enough a pink feather not only came out, but flew out... and up... into the air and hesitated for awhile before it gave in to gravity.
He said it was like a movie, the feather made a figure eight before it quivered and sighed onto the counter, her eyes followed it the entire way. When it landed, and for me this is the best part, he picked it up and put it into his pocket, like a kid with a souvenir, and she said to him...“Sweetie....I am not even going to ask!”
Different day, different feather, different reactions...but a lot of fun. I also carry feathers in my purse and do you want to know why? They make me smile. When I am running around doing chores or paying bills I love it when I feather sticks to my wallet or pen or gets logged in-between receipts or bills. It also makes other people smile.
So when you find those feathers all over the house and yourself, find them a good home, one that can bring a smile or a giggle to someone you love!
Donna ...diva STILL in training.....
xxx ooo
(4) Comments
The Foxy Miss Shauna Corbett
2010-06-08
BOA POWER!
Wow what an amazing turning point in my life!!! After gaining 20 lbs, going through menopause, separating from husband for 5 years and then getting back together... I had lost myself. My life for the last couple of years has been drama, drama , drama but I went from a Drama Queen to Boa Queen, from "Shauna" to "Sha Sha Schwing" (my ultra-ego name). I realized now the only drama I will have from now on is with a boa.
Taking this class of fun and boa feathers made me forget about the 20 lbs, the menopause and the husband!
Of course what really makes the class is the "Queen Diva" herself....... Miss Di and her lovely, sexy, and confident Assistants Kristy, Annick and Kim! You also have your class of all shapes and ages that become your friends and goddesses just like you.
So be in that tampon commercial and let your boa feathers fly and you will too.
This is the way I'll be posing for my photos from now on.
Sha Sha Schwing (Shauna)
(1) Comments
The Foxy Donna Zarowny…
2010-03-18
FOR YOU DI....
Woke up Saturday morning with a case of
OH my Gosh what have I done.
Had chores to do that morning, trying to stall the inevitable, but
the clock had a mind of its own, determined to tick towards
high noon, the time my first ever burlesque class starts.
I was determined to get to my first class
water-bottle and gear in hand
I made my way into the right building.
Not knowing where to locate the room,
I noticed a tall slender blonde woman wearing a pink
boa around her neck. A sign from god, the dancing gods.
I will follow her, but not too closely in case
she thinks I am following her...which I was.
At last at our destination.
An unremarkable dark hallway somewhere between a coatrack
and the ladies washroom.
All it needed was a bare lightbulb swinging from the ceiling
and someone smoking at the end of the hall and I would think
I was in a black and white Bogart movie.
The blonde lady with the bright pink boa, she
has a friend with her
shorter, just as young and dark curly hair.
Damm my roots are over due.
I suddenly felt old.
We exchanged a bit of chit chat
and they looked just as nervous as I did.
They went into the gym so I followed,
safety in numbers...
there were all sorts of women in there,
gorgeous sexy woman of all ages
sizes and abilities
balancing one leg on tipi toe
on a chair while cuddling feather
boas around their necks.
The three of us retreated into
the comfort of the dark, dusty hallway,
life in the hall seemed normal.
Life in the gym seemed...foreign but exciting.
Suddenly it was noon, past noon, and time to meet our destiny,
I took a deep breath, not too deep
as the girls, well they don't need any help sticking out.
Call it age, call it breast feeding syndrome but ya
they are ok without my help.
We waited at the back of the room, fascinated by the other dancers,
the clock struck 12:10
then 12:15, maybe I got the times wrong?
MORE PANIC
Well I was at the right place
at the right time Di just likes to give the ladies their monies worth.
When that group of ladies were done for the day, they turned and faced us new comers
and they all had smiles on their faces.
That is a good sign,
they wouldn't sign up for another level
if they did not like the first one.....
Suddenly it was our turn, more women had gathered and
we slowly made our way toward
Di, our leader, the woman who
claimed she would help us locate our inner Diva, I didn't even know I had one!
We were a serious bunch, like the other group all ages, sizes
and abilities, with one thing in common, no smiles though, just a look of dread on our faces.
But we did it, we survived....and we are stronger for it and happier and sexier as promised
yes she did promise sexy and I for one won't be asking for my money back.
Diana is not only bringing out the Diva
in us she wants us to dance in public wearing
fishnets...
HOLD IT !!! PUT ON THE BREAKS
You want us to wear what?
fishnets sweetie...
and a black dress, skimpy
something tiny,
one more thing, I need you to dance in public....
the routine is only two minutes long darling...
well maybe....I can't believe that thought came from me.
I actually gave the idea a maybe!!!
Ah I see Diana's new name should be
Diana the Warrier, as she is not
only nurturing the diva in us
she is nurturing the confidence in all of us
at different stages of our lives.
well done Di
can't want for the second week.
For those of you thinking of joining.
In about 30 minutes I went from
WHAT HAVE I DONE
to
WHERE DO I SIGN UP NEXT
All for now my sisters...
signed Donna, diva in the making.
PS the latin name for Diana means DIVINE !!
How deliciously ironic AND iconic.
Diana, both in mythology and the dancer we all know and love is noted for her beauty and is often referred to as the ...YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIVE THIS ONE
ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE HUNTRESS...I SWEAR THAT IS TRUE..GOOGLE IT IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME.
sitting here wondering if they make fishnets in a plus size????
(2) Comments
The foxy Erin Farrow…
2010-03-01
Just wanted to send you a quick message saying thank you so much for the refreshing experience! Taking this class was a real treat in having some time out of my week to discover and explore a side of myself that I thought i may have and now know that I can cultivate. You're teaching is a real treat, Thank you so much for the breath of fresh air (and sex appeal!!) you bring each week!
I was also hoping you could email me the bad boy song so I can be a sexy bitch in my living room!
Erin
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The Foxy Aime Hutton…again!
2009-10-12
It was my birthday yesterday...I had a dance class!
I’m taking Burlesquercise from an amazing teacher. I’ve been doing it long enough that I can now be apart of the intermediate performance group. We have so much fun, but it’s lots of work too. We are doing a show piece to the tune of “All That Jazz” from the musical Chicago! I can’t wait to learn it all! Just learned the begining/opening piece.
Doing the dancing has been so helpful for the feminine in me. I get into my body and dance and move. A Goddess practice that has been suggested to me from my mentors from WarriorSage is to move my body more, and to feel pleasure in it. My dance teacher said she’s seen a change in me over the year. I went into the class thinking ok, move my body no problem. I can do that. But Oh my Goddess! I wasn’t expecting what we did the first night at all! We had to move just our chest, and I do have a large chest. I looked at my teacher and she nodded at me, she said something to the effect that if we were jiggling then we were doing it right! I laughed out loud so hard!
It is the highlight of my week, to dance for the 1.5hrs. It’s so freeing to move my body and feel free dancing. I dance for me, not to show for others. It gives me pleasure. As Diva Di (my instructress) says “Go to Diva Di, to get sexified!” Or “Sexify your soul at Burlesquercise!”
I can’t wait for next week! Do something that brings you pleasure if you feel moved to do so!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Comments
The Foxy Christina Bellabono
2009-09-11
Di!!
I do want to say it has been a wonderful experience...this "Burlesquercise"! The only thing I have found motivating for years!!!
You are an amazing person..and thank you for thinking of this amazing workout!! I enjoyed every minute!!
Best of Luck to you and your family,
Cristina
(0) Comments
LOVE THIS PHOTO!!!!!!!!
2009-08-18
Tammy Kalenchuk sent this photo in after a burlesque teaser party....this photo just says it all! This is the consequence of a diva hard at work!!!
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The Canmore Stagette!
2009-08-17
We had an amazing time! thank you so more for coming out, you made the night a success! 
We will definitely be recommending you guys!
Steph
(1) Comments
The Foxy Tammy Kalenchuk
2009-08-17
Diva Di is the Queen at making a woman feel comfortable in her own skin using her talents of humor and genuine warmth creating a positive and safe environment for women to explore all of the fabulous attributes we all possess! "
Thanks!
(1) Comments
The Foxy Judy Dunsmuir
2009-04-21
Wanted to thank you again for a wonderful class!
I think I might have told you that I've got a bad back...last year I threw my back out 5 or 6 different times with weeks of recovery after each. I have a bad disc in my lower back and I kept reinjuring my back before it was recovered which lengthened my recovery considerably. I have a number of back exercises that I can do when I know things are not quite right but I find it hard to keep them going. Your core strengthening portion of the class has some similar exercises to my physio recommended ones and the other ones have all helped my back strength. I find that my core is slowly but steadily getting stronger.
Your class, with your great attitude and great music and such amazing support for all that we all are has really helped me. I feel stronger both in my body and in my soul...okay, my sexy soul...I didn't think I'd ever move like that in the light...and in a room with a lot of other women! But I just feel more confident in my skin. I was feeling bad because I'm so out of shape and it's always been a struggle to make workouts regular. I was feeling so self conscious to start. Now, I'm looking forward to more practice and to finally showing my hubby what we've all been up to these past six weeks.
So, yes, I still love the honey jar and the sailors who don't speak english, but I also loved the ab work, the dance warmup, the sexifying, the routine and just having something to do that was fun and made me feel better about myself. I've also found myself walking around my office pulling my stomach in to my spine. Makes me feel like I'm helping myself a little bit more every day. I'm also going to set time aside each week to just dance...for fun!
Thank you!
Judy
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The Foxy Beth Larocque
2009-03-30
If you love music, dance moves and want to find the ‘new you’ that’s been hiding inside, Burlesquercise is for you!
In November 2007 I read a newspaper article about an exercise class called Burlesquercise. I was immediately intrigued by the concept and anxious to see what it was all about. It took only one class for me to be convinced that this was what I needed in my life to provide an enjoyable form of exercise and an opportunity to become empowered at the same time. My self-esteem needed some bolstering and support; Di’s class has certainly given reassurance that I am a beautiful human being, able to love myself for who I am and what I believe in.
An exercise program was long overdue in my life. Having tried almost every style out there, I was always searching for one that involved dance and dance music. I have always believed that dance movements, postures and skills provide fantastic basics for strength, balance, poise and self-confidence. Being a shy type I was reluctant to get involved in a realm where others appeared so qualified. Di not only has a high level of skill in dance, she has a personality that makes her students feel valued, supported and good about themselves. I now feel an increased level of confidence and acceptance of self while recognizing that I, too, have very positive qualities. It’s really all about attitude – feeling good and looking great!
The road isn’t always easy --- we work hard!! However, we have tons of fun! The laughter and camaraderie within the group when we are trying to learn those dance steps is truly the best support anyone could get. I look forward to my weekly class on Sunday mornings and always come away feeling rejuvenated, energized and sexy!
Many Thanks, Di, for your commitment to the dance world, ongoing support to your students and great sense of humor that makes it all so much fun.
Sincerely,
Beth Larocque
(7) Comments
The Foxy Meghan Skeet
2009-03-02
I've been taking Burlesquercise since the beginning!
I came across an advertisement for the class and decided to give it a whirl. I have been hooked ever since.
This class is just pure fun. The workout at the start of the class is a great way to start the morning. It is both challenging and fun at the same time and you feel great afterwards. But of course, my favorite part is the dance routine. The routines Di creates are just amazing. They really unleash the performer in you.
The best part is the confidence you gain. It is such an inspirational environment filled with a bunch of amazing women. There are always lots of laughs, especially when there is an appearance by Deva Dave.
I am really excited to be a part of The Little Vegas Dance Company and look forward to performing and spreading the word about Burlesquercise. After all, God wouldn't have given you Maracas, if he didn't want you to shake them!!
(0) Comments
The Foxy Nancy Situ
2009-02-23
All throughout the tentative and influential years of growing up, I was an outcast by choice.
Accustomed to the idea that standing out more than I already did would make my life a living social hell, I never stepped outside of my little shell -- especially not on a stage. As a part of a volunteering gig, a few friends and I formed a little dance troupe that would perform one number for the volunteer's appreciation dinner. It never went further than that, but the thrill of the audience cheering was exhilarating.
When I started with Di's burlesque class, there was no swanky website, and not even a classy logo for it. I'd heard about the very first class by word of mouth, and that it had been a blast to be a part of. From the second class on, I made sure to take part, and in the span of a year and a half, Di has transformed me. Now, there *is* a logo, a fancy website, even more courses, and a performance dance company! This has caught on so fast and so furiously that classes are always booked up, and the veterans of past sessions recognize each other, and share that knowing look.
I have always loved dance, but I was never formally trained in anything past casual lessons. One of Diana's biggest lessons that stuck most was that there is no right way to be yourself, and you extend that through your movement on the dance floor. Through her sexy (and that means naughty) choreography, I've freed my body from its casually polite movement to something more.
My friends see it in the way I dance to music; my colleagues see it in the way I walk down the halls and through the desks. Di's classes gave me my confidence, the spring and bounce in my step, and has moved my love of expression through movement past that line on the floor between dancing in my room and dancing out in public.
Beware, her classes awaken the little tiger in your cage, and when it starts pawing at the bars, you can feel it.
(1) Comments
The Foxy Janet McIver
2009-01-07
I have been taking Burlesquercise for one year now and it has changed my life, in more ways than I would have ever thought possible. Here I am at 44 years old and I have a whole new attitude on life thanks to Di.
Ever since I was a little girl I was chubby and all I ever heard from my Dad was “you would be so much prettier if you would only lose weight.” I, like many other girls soon learned that food could be comforting when the going got tough. Then when I was 13 years old I slipped on of all things a hardwood floor and tore the ligaments in my right knee. When I was 14 I slipped on ice and cracked all three bones in my right ankle and spent many a year babying my right leg. So when I started having pain in both knees in my thirties, an x-ray showed that I had osteoarthritis in both knees and at 37 I was told that I did not qualify for knee replacement surgery for 13 years. My physical therapist taught me how to do everyday stuff to help but he told me the best form of exercise would be the one that I enjoyed. After trying many different gyms and programs I was ready to give up (when you can’t walk up and down stairs due to pain), then I read an interesting article in the paper about burlesquercise.
Now I have to digress a moment here as when I turned 39 I met an amazing man who told me I was sexy no matter what… however his three stepsons had a thing or two to say to my face about a woman in her 40s who was confident in her sexiness and herself. I found myself digressing in that I didn’t wear the clothes that I wanted to wear and was again unsure of whom I was.
Let’s just say, last January when I started taking Di’s classes (my Dr said why not give them a try), and I have found that I can be sexy and be confident in who I am as a person and if you don’t like it well then tough s*&t ( ok so I did compromise and not wear a bustier in the stepsons’ presence) but I am glad to be back as the person I want to be.
Deva Dave told us we own the sidewalks of Calgary (we pay taxes) and so walk like we do. One of the ladies at work and I were discussing Vegas and I was telling her that I had done the backstage tour of Bally’s Jubilee and had learned how to do the cancan and the showgirl walk. She said show me and I did in the front hallway-and I even threw in the model strut Deva Dave taught us in class (ok so one of the guys caught me and I just laughed ). This is not something the old Janet would have done!
The picture you see of me is my attempt at doing Naughty Nasty Boy (one of the routines we learned in class) for my husband…ok so I couldn’t do the whole thing without giggling halfway through, but I tried and I felt good about doing it. I was confident enough in myself to do it (and I was confident enough with myself to have a picture taken).
Ladies if you want to have some fun exercising and learning about yourself then take Di’s classes. You not only get a good cardio work out and pilates session but you also learn about your body and how to be comfortable with it. I miss my Sunday’s when we don’t have classes… yes I even have to say I miss those crazy 100s. I have to wear bandages on both my knees to do it but I have to say I enjoy it and I can walk up and down the stairs the next day without the pain. I have even learned that there are graceful ways to get up and down off the floor during the routines!
This is not only an exercise class, it is also a confidence booster, a way to show your inner and outer sexiness and it is also a support group in so many ways (does the “circle of sexiness” intrigue you) I laugh at myself and learn at the same time. I have already registered for the chair classes… my knees are saying no but I will be there. I thank Di for being there for us and being who she is as a woman and saying it’s great to be sexy and having the confidence to show it.
Janet
(3) Comments
The Foxy Marie Claude Lafleur
2009-01-04
What an amazing effect these classes have had on me!!
My name is Marie-Claude, I'm an accountant, and you know what they say about accountants… boring, plain and too much down to earth. Well… that was a little bit true for me, until I started taking Di's Burlesque classes. I've also been a ballroom dancer for 18 years, but never have I had the Passion of dancing like the one Di gave me after I started with her. The sexiness, the confidence in yourself and the consciousness of your own abilities without being shy to show them, that's all precious gifts that I received with Di's classes. Thanks Di for inspiring us and for your contagious smile!
Quel effet incroyable ces cours ont eu sur moi!! Mon nom est Marie-Claude, je suis comptable, et vous savez ce qu'ils disent à propos des comptables… ennuyeux, ordinaires et trop terre à terre. Et bien… c'était un peu vrai pour moi, jusqu'à ce que je suive les cours de Diana. J'ai aussi commencé à faire de la danse internationale il y a 18 ans, mais jamais ne n'ai eu la Passion de la danse comme celle que Diana m'a transmise. Être sexy, avoir confiance en soi et être consciente de ses propres habiletés sans être gênée de les montrer, ce sont tous de précieux cadeaux que j'ai reçus par les cours avec Diana. Merci Diana pour nous inspirer et pour ton sourire contagieux!
(1) Comments
