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A Weekend With...
The Atlanta School of Burlesque is proud to present, "A Weekend With . . . " — a 2-day burlesque weekender in Atlanta, featuring international and award-winning burlesque performers and teachers. A Weekend With... is held at Metropolitan Studios in Atlanta, GA (3) times per year and features different individual performers, groups, or organizations that are well known throughout our industry as innovators, leaders, and our next generation of living legends.
As an institution dedicated to burlesque education since 2013, we are committed to providing access to the best instructors and performers in our industry. That commitment builds on our history by inspiring us to help develop burlesque artists that find value in continuously honing their craft and valuing others. It is about sharing and experiencing teaching styles to make burlesque accessible to an expansive student base. It is also an opportunity for our instructors, graduates, and seasoned performers to continue their arts education.
A Weekend With... features an intimate recorded interview with our artists, classes, shows and artistic feedback for performers across the southeast via a peer review.
Upcoming Weekenders
Jessabelle Thunder | November 3rd - 5th, 2023
With nearly a decade of experience and a background in various types of dance, she has studied and learned the art of the tease from multiple top performers in the industry. Her style is a touch of classic mixed with powerful neo influences making her one of the most sought out burlesque performers in the world. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, this self-described wallflower took her first burlesque class back in 2009 and quickly discovered a passion and talent for it. Shortly after, she gained recognition for her work first being voted one of LA’s Top Performers by Time Out Magazine in 2013. Publications have included several spreads in magazines such as Bombshell Magazine, What Katie Did and Bachelor Magazine. Thunder has headlined countless festivals and shows over the past decade. She also competed twice in the Queen category at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival.
On top of all that, she has been featured in productions by one of burlesque’s biggest stars, Dita Von Teese including Strip! Strip! Hooray! (2015) and Von Follies (2018). Outside of theatre, Jessabelle has made appearances in films and television with cameos on The Girlfriend Project (2014) and in the Lucha VaVoom documentary (2018). In 2018, Thunder won 1st Runner Up (Princess of Burlesque) in the Miss Exotic World Competition at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada. That year, and the following consecutive years she ranked in the 21st Century Burlesque Top 50 Most Influential Figures of the World, placing #8 in 2020, #4 in 2021 and #10 in 2022.
Her flirtatious and powerful performances come straight from the heart. You won’t be able to resist! And she’s only barely scratched the surface of her capabilities. There is a storm brewing and she’s bringing the Thunder!
2023 Weekenders
Po'Chop | April 21st - 23rd, 2023
Chicago-based burlesque artist Jenn Freeman also known as Po’Chop who uses elements of dance, storytelling, and striptease to create performances and inspire students and collaborators across the country.
Po’Chop is the creator and author of the blogzine, The Brown Pages and has performed at the Brooklyn Museum in Brown Girls Burlesque’s Bodyspeak, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance for TedxChicago 2022 and headlined shows in New Orleans, Minneapolis, Denver, St. Louis and New York.
Po’Chop is a board member & cast member for Jeezy’s Juke Joint, an all Black burlesque revue. Po’Chop performs on Netflix’s Easy (Season 2), appears in music videos for songs by Jamila Woods and Mykele Deville, and creates and performs in experimental dance films such as LITANY.
Jenn Freeman was recognized as a 2022 United States Artist Fellow; a 2022 Dance/USA Fellow; a 2021 Foundation of Contemporary Art Grant for Artist recipient, selected as a 2019-2020 Urban Bush Women Choreographic Fellow and as a 2018 Chicago Dancemakers Lab Artist.
Po’Chop has been voted among the top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Artist by 21st Century Magazine in 2022, 2021 & 2020 and was dancer in residence at Rebuild Foundation in 2020.
Weekend Classes
Get Down with Po'Chop
Get Down with Po’Chop, the BAMF of burlesque is a movement based class intended to explore Po’s signature style that merges musicality, athleticism, sexual prowess, storytelling and beyond. Participants can expect to learn explosive choreography that pulls from a wide variety of disciplines such as modern dance, burlesque movement, hip hop, lyrical dance and beyond. Class begins with a warm up that leads into a choreographed phrase.
All levels are welcome. Folks should wear comfortable close to move in and come prepared to groove and sweat it out.
Drag King 101
Drag King 101 is a workshop that is focused on providing tools to tap into your inner Drag King. Po'Chop will explore the components that make up a noteworthy Drag King performance from character development, movement and physicality to costuming and beyond. Participants should wear comfortable clothes to move in. Folks of all identities and skill levels are welcome.
Grant Writing for the Cabaret Performer
As a recipient of over 100k in grant funds to support their burlesque and drag practice, Po'Chop shares a wealth of knowledge in this workshop. From how to write a compelling project narrative to selecting and framing work samples Po'Chop's harnesses their experience as both a grant recipient reviewer. Gain insightful approaches to finding, applying and winning local and federal funding. Let’s get this schmoney!
Kitten n' Lou | January 13th - 15th, 2023
Voted the #1 Burlesque Duo in the World in 2015, crowned “Best Duo” at Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2019, and in the Top 10 “Most Influential Performers of the Decade” (21st Century Burlesque), this “camp, show-stopping couple” (The UK Daily Mail) uses burlesque, drag, dance, and theater to make performance that has been described as “the wacky love child of vaudeville and club drag” (Australian Stage 2016), “polished, clever, and glamorous” (Dita Von Teese), and “GENIUS” (The Huffington Post).
Since joining forces as “The World’s Show-Busiest Couple” both on and offstage, Kitten N’ Lou have garnered awards and accolades around the globe, including Lou’s crowning as 2017’s Mr. Exotic World, King of Boylesque, Most Comedic duo at the 2014 Burlesque Hall of Fame, honored as 2014 Artists of the Year by City Arts Magazine, and funded with grants from such entities as 4Culture. Known for their signature brand of highly choreographed comedic camp extravaganzas, this brash and dazzling duo has seduced audiences across the globe, headlining festivals such as the Helsinki Burlesque Festival and Viva Las Vegas.
Their two-person shows OVEREXPOSED and Holier Than Thou have delighted international audiences from Joe's Pub in NYC to the Fringe World Festival in Perth. Kitten N’ Lou made their television debut with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett on the PBS Great Performances special Cheek to Cheek in 2014, and Peacock’s Queer As Folk in 2022.
Weekend Classes
Burlesque Performers are Superheros! Character Development with Lou Henry Hoover
Find out why burlesque performers are superheroes and the answers to other questions about “persona based performance.” How do we develop onstage characters that are both specific and have range? In this workshop we will dig into that wealth of material - FEELINGS! - as the root of our performing personalities.
Kitten N’ Lou’s CAMP Camp
Embrace your inner camp queen or king as Kitten & Lou guide you through various tricks and tools to infuse your burlesque with a shot of humor! Beginning with a dance based warm up for your body and brain, we will integrate Kitten N’ Lou’s signature choreographic stylings with structured theatrical exercises to develop skills that command an audience’s attention and take them on a ride. Play with ideas of slapstick, facial exaggeration, and comedic timing, as you learn to toe the line of sex and comedy and tell a story with your act. Funny is sexy!
“Beyond Pretty”: Drag Makeup for Burlesque Performers by Kitten LaRue
You’ve been practicing your faces in the mirror, and they look great – now how to make sure that every wink, smile, snarl, and pout can be seen by your audience? Makeup! Kitten LaRue digs deep into her bag of drag tricks to share the basics of creating drama with contour, highlight, eyebrow sculpting, and beating that face for the gods! Learn techniques to heighten and exaggerate both the feminine and the expressive qualities of your face to magnify every bat of an eyelash to the back of the house. All gender presentations welcome!
2022 Weekenders
What The Funk?! An All bipoc burlesque fest |
December 1st - 4th, 2022
A celebration of funk & the art of the tease!
Co-producers of What the Funk?! Fest, Mx. Pucks A'Plenty and Rebecca Mm Davis, and "A Weekend With" creator, and producer Roula Roulette are bringing What the Funk?! Fest from Seattle to Atlanta for weekend of classes, shows, and burlesque education that will blow your minds!
What The Funk's mission is to pay tribute to the Black American music genre of funk while showcasing and honoring the artistry of Black, indigenous and performers of color through the often-overlooked performance art medium of burlesque. We celebrate performers locally, nationally, and internationally through our three-day festival. We hope to inspire, offer representation, and shine a spotlight on the creativity and talent found in the BIPOC burlesque community.
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