Buckle up - it’s a long one. But if you’ve ever rushed a routine, wanted to perform before you were ready, or wondered why I keep banging on about technique, safety, musicality, and transitions - this one is definitely for you.

✨ DON’T RUSH LEARNING THE SKILLS BEHIND THE DANCE ROUTINE

In a world where everything is instant, fast, filtered, and expected to look fabulous within six seconds, it can be very tempting to walk into a dance class, learn one routine, and immediately think: “I want to perform this as soon as possible”.

I love seeing people excited, inspired, and suddenly realising there is a whole glittering world of performance, power, expression, and stage presence waiting for them.

But here is the important bit -

Learning a routine is not the same as learning how to dance, and learning how to dance is not the same as learning how to perform that dance.

Learning choreography is not the same as learning the skill, control, safety, technique, musicality, and body awareness needed to perform it well. That is where the real work begins.

If I have ever taught you, coached you, choreographed you, or mentored you in any way, you will already know this is a very important subject in my teaching.

I do not teach choreography as “just learn the steps and hope for the best”.

I teach movement, technique, safety, body awareness, musicality, confidence, control, and performance quality - because that is what helps dancers and performers build something solid, safe, and genuinely powerful.

✨ A DANCE ROUTINE IS MORE THAN JUST REMEMBERING THE STEPS

When you watch a polished performer on stage, it can look effortless.

The walk looks simple.

The pose looks natural.

The turn looks smooth.

The hair flick looks fabulous.

The transition looks like it just happened by magic.

But behind all of that is training. Lots of training!

There is muscle control.

There is balance.

There is timing.

There is strength.

There is coordination.

There is an understanding of weight placement, posture, body lines, transitions, stage direction, performance quality, and how to move safely, without throwing yourself around like Bambi on ice.

I say that with love, and decades of intense performing and teaching experience.

A routine is not just a list of moves placed one after the other. A routine is a structure.

Each movement needs intention.

Each transition needs clarity.

Each pose needs control.

Each accent needs timing.

Each shape needs awareness.

You are not just learning “what comes next”.

You are learning how to move.

✨ YOU NEED TO LEARN THE SKILL BEFORE YOU SHOW THE SKILL

If you want to show yourself off to the best of your ability, you need to give yourself time to learn the skill properly.

That does not mean you need to be perfect.

Nobody starts perfect.

(Almost) Nobody walks into their first burlesque, heels or cabaret dance class with flawless technique, polished transitions, professional stage presence, and the ability to hit every musical accent as if they were born under a spotlight.

Skills take time.

Confidence takes time.

Performance quality takes time.

Understanding your own body takes time.

And rushing that process usually does not make someone look more ready. It often makes them look less ready, because the body (and the mind) has not yet had time to understand what it is doing.

✨ SAFETY MATTERS - ESPECIALLY IN DANCE AND PERFORMANCE

I'm always banging on about this! This is one of the biggest reasons I will always encourage students to slow down and learn properly.

Dance should feel exciting, empowering, expressive, and challenging - but it also needs to be safe.

You need to understand how to place your feet.

How to protect your knees. How to protect all your joints!

How to use your core.

How to control and isolate your hips, shoulders, spine, and arms.

How to move through transitions without twisting, yanking, forcing, or collapsing.

How to build strength and flexibility gradually.

How to know the difference between a movement feeling unfamiliar and a movement being genuinely unsafe for your body.

This is especially important in all forms of dance - ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, street dance, burlesque, cabaret, heels, chair work, floor work - the list goes on.

Whether you are working on turns, poses, walks, drops, bends, balances, isolations, transitions, or any choreography that requires control, sensuality, power, or dramatic presentation, your body needs time to understand the movement properly.

The goal is not just to do the move.

The goal is to do the move well.

The goal is to do the move safely.

The goal is to do the move in a way that supports your body rather than punishes it.

✨ MUSCLE CONTROL IS PART OF THE MAGIC

I'm always banging on about this too!

A lot of people underestimate how much control goes into performance.

The best performers are not simply throwing shapes and hoping for applause. They are controlling the speed, energy, texture, and intention of each movement.

They know when to hold back.

They know when to explode.

They know when to melt.

They know when to hit a pose and make the whole room look.

That level of control does not happen overnight.

It comes from repetition.

It comes from listening.

It comes from corrections.

It comes from repeating the same movement again and again and again until your body begins to understand it.

That is why I say it constantly in class: TRUST THE PROCESS. Because the process is where the skill lives.

✨ MUSICALITY IS NOT OPTIONAL

You can know every single step in a routine and still not be dancing (or performing) with the music.

Musicality is what turns choreography from “I remembered the order” into “I felt that”.

It is learning where the accents are.

Where the pauses are.

Where the drama sits.

Where the comedy lands.

Where the breath belongs.

Where the audience should be drawn in.

Where the movement needs to be sharp, soft, slow, teasing, powerful, playful, or still.

In dance, musicality is everything.

A pause can be just as powerful as a kick.

A glance can be just as effective as a turn.

A slow glove peel, a shoulder roll, a walk, or a perfectly timed eyebrow raise can say more than a frantic burst of movement ever could.

But you need time to learn that.

You need time to understand how music is structured, and how to hear the music differently.

You need time to understand how your body responds to sound, rhythm, emotion, and timing.

✨ TRANSITIONS ARE WHERE MANY ROUTINES FALL APART

Everyone loves the big moments.

The pose.

The reveal.

The dramatic turn.

The fabulous finish.

But the real giveaway of skill is often what happens between the big moments.

Transitions matter.

How you get from one move to the next matters.

How you turn around matters.

How you walk back matters.

How you recover matters.

How you prepare for the next section matters.

A routine can have brilliant movements within, but if the transitions are rushed, messy, unsafe, or uncertain, the whole thing loses polish. This is why I often work on details that may seem small at first.

Where your foot goes.

Where your weight shifts.

Where your arm, hand, and fingers finish.

Where your eyes look.

When you breathe.

When you hold.

When you move.

Angles.

Shapes.

Directions.

These tiny details are not there to annoy you, slow you down, or make the class feel too repetitive. They are there to help you move better, become stronger, stay safer, refine your technique, and feel more confident.

✨ PERFORMING TOO SOON CAN KNOCK YOUR CONFIDENCE

I understand the urge to perform quickly. It is exciting. It is glamorous. It gives you something to aim for. But performing before you have built enough skill can sometimes do the opposite of what you want.

Instead of feeling empowered, you may feel exposed.

Instead of feeling confident, you may feel overwhelmed.

Instead of enjoying the moment, you may spend the whole time panicking about what comes next.

And that is not fair on you.

You deserve to feel prepared. You deserve to feel supported. You deserve to walk onto a stage, studio floor, or performance space knowing that you have done the work, built the foundations, and given yourself the best possible chance to enjoy it.

That does not mean waiting forever. It means respecting the learning process.

TRUSTING THE PROCESS!
 

✨ AS YOUR TEACHER OR MENTOR, I WANT YOU TO LOOK GOOD TOO

Please believe me when I say this:

I want you to look good.

I want you to feel proud.

I want you to build skill, confidence, strength, expression, and presence.

I want you to enjoy the process and eventually show yourself off in the best possible way, whether that is in class, at home, in a workshop, or on a stage if and when the time is right.

But I also have a responsibility as a teacher and mentor.

My job is not to rush you into something just because you are excited.

My job is to help you build the skill properly.

My job is to teach you safely.

My job is to help you understand the difference between “I know the routine” and “I can perform this well”.

There is a big difference. And that difference matters.

✨ DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR - SLOW DOWN AND CONCENTRATE ON THE SKILL YOU WANT TO LEARN

If you want to become a stronger dancer, concentrate on learning the skill.

If you want better stage presence, concentrate on performance quality.

If you want confidence, concentrate on consistency.

If you want smoother movement, concentrate on transitions.

If you want control, concentrate on technique.

If you want musicality, concentrate on listening.

If you want to perform one day, concentrate on becoming someone who is genuinely ready to perform.

That is how you build something lasting.

Not by rushing.

Not by skipping the foundations.

Not by trying to sprint to the sparkly bit before your body understands the basics.

The glitter will still be there.

The stage will still be there.

The fabulousness will still be there.

But you will enjoy it far more when you know you have earned your confidence through skill, practice, patience, and proper training.

✨ BOSS LADY WISDOM

Rushing does not make you look more advanced. It usually just makes the gaps show more clearly.

The most powerful performers are not always the ones doing the most complicated movements. They are the ones who understand their body, control their timing, use the music, perfect the transitions, and know exactly what they are doing.

So do yourself a favour - slow down. Learn properly. Build the skill. Respect the process. And when the time comes to show off, you will have something genuinely worth showing.

TRUST THE PROCESS.
Always.

✨ READY TO LEARN PROPERLY?

If you want to learn burlesque, cabaret, heels, dance technique, confidence, musicality, and performance skills in a supportive, experienced, and professional environment, come and join us at The Velvet Burlesque.

Classes are designed to help you build real skill, body awareness, confidence, technique, and performance quality - whether you are brand new or continuing your dance journey.

FIND OUT MORE HERE: Burlesque, Heels & Cabaret Dance Classes

✨ DO YOU WANT PRIVATE TUITION, ACT MENTORING, OR BESPOKE CHOREOGRAPHY?

For those wanting more focused support, I also offer private tuition, act mentoring, bespoke choreography, performance coaching, and creative guidance for dancers and performers who want to develop their skills in a more personal, tailored way.

Whether you are building confidence, refining technique, creating a new act, polishing an existing routine, preparing for performance, or simply wanting one-to-one support with your movement and stage presence, private sessions can help you work at your own pace with detailed, experienced guidance.

The aim is never to rush you into looking “finished” before you are ready. The aim is to help you build something stronger, safer, more polished, and more authentic - with choreography, performance quality, musicality, and movement that actually suits you.

GET IN TOUCH HERE: Contact Lara Gothique

BOSS LADY - Lara Gothique
Founder, Curator, Choreographer, Swamp-Witch, and Slightly Feral Producer of The Velvet Burlesque™
 

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