From workshop classes in Haus of Ruby D’Woo, to hosting top-notch live burlesque and cabaret shows across the county, Ruby D’Woo is Nottingham's award-winning burlesque and cabaret artist. Ahead of the Cosy Cabaret coming up next month, she tells us what brought her to the burlesque stage, how she crafts performances, and why burlesque has become a journey of self-expression, confidence, and empowerment for so many…
What made you begin teaching, and how long have you been doing it?
I never actually planned to go into teaching, I fell into it. The pole studio I worked at asked me to teach at one of the burlesque courses in 2016 – which sold out – so we did it again and again, until I left to do it on my own. And that's when Haus of Ruby D’Woo Burlesque School was created! Which means this year marks my tenth year in the business of Burlesque.
What first got you interested in burlesque? Had you danced or performed before?
Performing arts is my background, as well as attending Rama Young Actors drama school in Nottingham, until I was seventeen. I even went to dance classes in the studio I teach in today. I then started learning pole dancing and worked as a stripper at eighteen and eventually went into burlesque after having my set of twins when I was twenty one.
What was it like the first time you performed on stage?
My first time performing burlesque was part of a troupe, and I hadn't actually been doing classes for very long, but I didn't want to pass up on the opportunity. It was very stereotypical - wearing black and red lingerie, with tiny top hats, dancing to Hey Big Spender. And even though I was centre stage, I was with my friends and that helped with any nerves.
The first time I performed as a soloist was all the way down in Dorset ( I watch the video of this performance to remind me of how far I've come).
What's your creative process like in terms of coming up with choreography and creating a story?
When I'm creating choreography, I put my headphones on and listen intently to the music, learning all the little nuances; all the details are key and allow all the characterisation to flow into it. My favourite thing to say to my students when going through this process is, “You can be small in burlesque, but you can never be too big”. I want them to take up space, to be brave, and to be bold in what they create.
You can pull inspiration from anything. Some of my acts, like my Fred Flintstone, took a while to come about; I had picked the song Born to be Wild and originally created a tiger costume, but I felt like it wasn't innovative enough. And one day, when I was out and about, I saw a Flintstone bag and that's when it hit me - Yabba Dabba Doo was created! And my costume now travels around in that very bag.
What are your favourite styles of burlesque?
I am a person that loves all kinds of everything, I appreciate everything for what it is in its own category. I love neo-burlesque and the modern take, I love cheesecake burlesque for the joy it brings, as well as comedy and cosplay for its clever twists and turns. I love classic burlesque for the power in stillness and the slow burn, and I also love alternative burlesque - because burlesque can be whatever you want it to be: that's the beauty of it.
In terms of building a stage persona, has this come naturally over time or is it quite carefully crafted?
It takes going on stage time after time, correcting and working on your craft, and allowing yourself to live inside it until you're able to be confident to pull your stage persona out. I like to think of your stage persona as being just you - but you without society pressures and allowing yourself to drop all your guard and be unapologetically yourself.
What do you think the biggest misconception of burlesque is?
That’s easy. People say to me all the time, “I'm going to quit my job and become a stripper”. You do actually need to be good at it, and it does require skill. Stripper or burlesque performer: neither is an easy choice and both work hard at what they do.
Tell us a bit about your classes… Do you see a change in people's confidence?
I can proudly say I'm one of very few burlesque schools in the East Midlands that has multiple-award-winning students, an award-winning troupe, and taught students who have created a career within burlesque.
My classes are about teaching you the fundamentals of burlesque, helping you grow into your own performer, and giving you the right tools to go into the industry. If performing isn't your thing, then people can come to explore and learn burlesque. There’s no pressure to do anything, but you will have the knowledge.
I give people a space to be unapologetically themselves. They can leave their day-to-day lives, worries, and stresses at home; a lot of my students have stressful jobs and are lawyers, doctors, teachers, business owners - and just the most intelligent people - but they get to step into my class and explore different styles of burlesque, tuning in with their feminine or more playful sides.
The community part of burlesque can help with confidence, because you're surrounding yourself with like-minded people in a judgement-free space, and within that, you allow yourself to relax and be who you are. That's where the building blocks to confidence can start.
I have seen people grow and change in the most amazing ways due to my little burlesque class and it's absolutely one of the best things about what I do.
Burlesque is more than stripping, for both the performer and the audience… How do you think it can empower?
Burlesque is theatrical stripping: we take our clothes off and we get paid, but we are flamboyant about it. There is usually a concept or a character in Burlesque that makes it a special type of entertainment. The empowerment comes from seeing people that represent you. We want all different types of shapes and sizes, ages, ethnicities, disabilities, genders and sexualities. We strive for diversity – we want a cast of performers who the audience can see themselves in.
Tell us a bit about the Cosy Cabaret and other events you organise…
The Cosy Cabaret being known as THE Burlesque Show to go to in Nottingham is amazing. I'm proud to have created a show that performers love to be in, and that new performers strive to be in. Cosy Cabaret also gives an accurate and true representation of UK burlesque.
In total, I run three shows. First is Cosy Cabaret, held at the Alea Casino, which hosts high-quality burlesque shows, filled with award winners and international artists. Then there is Vau-Deluxe-Ville which is a burlesque and cabaret show for local Nottingham performers as well as rising artists in the industry. Finally, the Big Bang Cabaret is my showcase for new performers, as well as many other venues throughout the UK.
What plans do you have coming up for the rest of the year?
Oooh! On Saturday 12 September we will be celebrating my tenth year in the business of burlesque with the Cosy Cabaret. It’ll be a one-of-a-kind show, where I'll be bringing world-class UK icons to the stage.
Next year I am creating the first ever Nottingham Burlesque Festival, which will be made up of a Robin Hood Burlesque Ball, an Outlaws and Femme Fatales show and a competition, as well as multiple workshops led by professionals and having many creative market stalls from small businesses. It's all very exciting!
Considering joining Haus of Ruby D’Woo or looking to book tickets to the Cosy Cabaret on 12 September? Find all event bookings and classes below.
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