Tease Tips – Lessons in life, love and the art of tease

By Michelle L’amour

Give them everything.

We’ve all seen it. Perhaps even done it in our baby burlesque days? It’s the ole ‘I can’t hear you’ trick. Just before taking something off, you put your hand to your ear and coax the audience with your other hand to make more noise. I cannot tell you how much this makes my skin crawl!

Here’s the deal: You are the entertainer. The audience is there for you. Or maybe they’re not. Maybe they’re there to be seen, meet friends, drink. Maybe they don’t even know there’s a show going on! Regardless of their motivation, you are there for them. ALWAYS. This is an entertainer’s job, whether that’s burlesque, comedy, or spoon playing.

If the audience doesn’t lose their shit because you took off a glove, that’s ok! You don’t need to be mad at them. You don’t need to coax them along. Just do your job. Enjoy it. Every minute of it. Relish in the light and the revealing of your body. Connect with their faces. Engage. If they don’t vocalize, it’s ok! They still love you and you love them.

The audience owes you nothing more than respect, but you owe them everything. Be generous of spirit and the cat calls will follow.