NYCRHPS Presents: An Intro to Drag, Burlesque & Vaudeville-Style Movement

Intro to Drag, Burlesque, and Vaudeville-Style Movement

A Three-Hour Performance Intensive with Fifi Dubois

Step into a fun performance-focused workshop built to help strengthen your stage presence, and connection with your audience! This three-hour course draws from drag, burlesque, and vaudeville traditions to explore audience-forward performance choices that read clearly from the stage and translate across performance styles.

Led by the extremely talented (and exceptionally gorgeous) Fifi DuBois, this session moves from warm-up and foundational concepts through guided choreography and live performance exploration.

What the Workshop Covers

Performer Warm-Up and Orientation

The session begins by establishing physical readiness and performance mindset. Participants will warm up the body with attention to posture, grounding, and expressive range, while framing performance as an active exchange between performer and audience.

Movement as Invitation

Through drag, showgirl, and vaudeville-inspired movement, students will explore how walks, shapes, pauses, and finishes command attention and invite response. Emphasis is placed on clarity over complexity and confidence over speed, focusing on choices that communicate intention rather than showcase difficulty.

Audience Engagement and Participation

This section focuses on eye contact, acknowledgment, timing, and humor as tools for connection. Participants will explore how to read a room, respond in real time, and create space for audience reaction without losing control of the performance.

Learning a Character-Driven Routine

Students will learn a short performance sequence designed to prioritize presence and engagement. The material is intentionally flexible, allowing newer movers to stay grounded while giving more experienced performers room to layer choices and character.

Performance Lab

The final section functions as a supported performance lab, where participants rotate between performer and audience roles. Live coaching focuses on commitment, connection, and making bold, readable choices rather than polishing choreography.

This workshop is open to performers of all backgrounds. Dance experience is welcome but not required. The material is accessible without being simplified, and the focus remains on performance quality, confidence, and communication rather than technical dance vocabulary.

If you are interested in performing with more authority, connecting more clearly with an audience, or expanding your performance toolkit beyond choreography alone, this class is designed to meet you where you are and challenge you to commit fully.

Location:

Ripley-Grier Studios939 8th Avenue, Studio 2A, New York, NY

Please note that a valid photo ID is required to enter the building.

Duration: 3 hours, including 1-2 short breaks

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