Stepping Back Into My Body: A Review of Eva D'Luscious's Burlesque Basics Class
One of the biggest perks of working at She Bop is that I get to watch all of their classes taught by some of the best sexperts in the industry. I was particularly excited for the recent "Burlesque Basics for the Bedroom & Beyond" class taught by Eva D’Luscious aka the "High Priestess of Tease." I was sort of expecting to learn how to be "sexy." But instead I figured out how to be me while dancing. Honestly, I spent my entire childhood in ballet classes, so figuring out how my body wanted to move while in my 30’s felt like a much bigger deal than being hot.
Most of the burlesque I’ve seen is incredibly impressive and I felt quite intimidating starting out. I wasn’t sure that I’d ever be glamorous while also effortlessly shimmying in six-inch heels. But Eva started us off with some easy warm up exercises, rolling our shoulders, and I immediately felt more comfortable as she seamlessly transitioned into adding some swaying hips. Before I knew it, I was loosening up and actually having fun.
The Teacher
Eva D’Luscious isn't your stereotypical burlesque instructor. I’ve been following her on insta for a while, where she posts clips of her Glinda or Cinderella burlesque routines. She’s quirky and has her own style of performance which you can tell are inspired by things she genuinely finds inspiring. I found that same upbeat and charming energy in her class. At some point she candidly told us that she had worn lip gloss to try to look cute but was constantly getting her hair stuck in it. She was not at all intimidating and I really appreciated that.
Eva has this way of talking that makes you feel like she’s instructing YOU and only you, even in a recording. She's warm, funny, and deeply grounded. There's no performance anxiety in her presence. Just an invitation to show up exactly as you are. She’s great at reminding you to adapt the movements to fit your body. I especially liked when she casually said, “we’re not doing a group act on stage, so it’s fine if we’re all doing a solo wherever we are.” It was such a silly moment that made me remember that I was doing this for fun. For me, no one else.
The Perfect Introduction
The class covers classic burlesque moves: Bumps, Grinds, Shimmies, and Struts . These are the building blocks of burlesque, and Eva breaks them down in a way that even self-proclaimed clumsy people could follow. I appreciate how she would gradually introduce a move, starting with movement that felt slow and familiar, and progressing in speed until we got the hang of it. She would go back to the start numerous times, so there was no way to get lost.
But here's the thing, it was not really about the moves at all. It's about what the moves unlock: a growing sense of confidence.
Next, Eva taught her "4Ps of Striptease", which turn taking off clothes into an entire choreography . It's not about getting naked. It's about the art of revealing. The class asked us to bring a glove or a robe or something to practice peeling an outer layer with . While there's no nudity in the class, Eva was able to coach us on how we could strip all the way down onstage or in the bedroom. With our Zoom cameras off, I suppose some people could have been butt naked and I would never have known.
While I still felt clumsy during the class, I could see how doing a few moves in the mirror could build a small private ritual that feels unexpectedly powerful. Even alone in my apartment, following Eva’s guided routine forced me to believe I was being desired as I presented my body to an imaginary audience.
Helpfully, she also has a philosophy about heels that I have since adopted: "high enough to feel sexy, low enough to be safe, and bare feet are also hot" . I started off in the only heels I currently own: 5-inch iridescent platforms. But I quickly ditched them as we started strutting around and went barefoot the rest of the class before my downstairs neighbors paid me a visit.
After following along to her improvised routine to a few classic burlesque songs, Eva gave us some really useful tips on how to wear and remove clothes so they don’t get tangled. These pointers alone made me feel like I could attempt this successfully in front of a partner.
The Unexpected Part
I thought I'd feel awkward. I thought I'd spend the whole time wondering if I was doing it "right." Instead, I found myself laughing, Eva is a naturally funny person and she cracked cute jokes throughout that kept it light. I started off feeling very stiff, but the more I moved my pelvis, and was reminded to actually feel my body, the better I felt. There's something profoundly liberating about moving your body without any goal other than feeling good in it.
Eva's approach is rooted in what she calls "BodyMagick"—the idea that there's something magical that happens when you move energy through your body . She's not teaching you to perform sexuality for someone else. She's teaching you to reclaim it for yourself. As I found myself shimmying in my living room, wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt, I felt hotter and better about myself than I had in a long time.