Group routines...Difficult, but worth it.

Many burlesque troupes are a collective of solo artists.  They travel and dance together, but rarely if ever share the stage with one another.  On occasion you'll see duets or trios, but even that is fairly rare.  Dancing large group numbers with 5-10 women like we do at Cin City Burlesque takes dedication, hard work, and some cahones. When someone screws up choreography in a solo, as long as they keep a poker face and keep moving no one will ever know. When just one person is slightly off time, out of place, or screws up choreography during a group number it stands out like a sore thumb. When just one girl misses rehearsal it throws the rest of the girls off of spacing and formations.  It takes endless hours working together, and lots of cash to put together all the costuming and props.  We have to find the right music, the right concept, the right costuming, the right stage, and the right girls for each and every separate group number.  Choreography is frequently changed based on formations, ability level, stage size, number of women, and to adjust the overall effect.  You have to stand back and let your eyes blur a bit to look at it as an entire piece, versus individual dancers sharing the stage.  If anyone stands out for any reason, we have to adjust it.  You have to develop a "group thought" process.  You start adjusting to each other instinctively.  You're more concerned about how the number looks overall...not how you specifically look.  We depend on each other, trust one another, and push each other. The choreography or costuming may not be the most difficult or intricate as some of the solos, but those are the numbers that the audience remembers.  They are what they come to see.  It is certainly not for everyone, but we love the end result.

G