Private Burlesque and Dance Tuition, Act Development & Bespoke Choreography

Private tuition with Lara Gothique - founder, curator, and producer of The Velvet Burlesque™ - is designed for performers who want to develop their work properly, professionally, and with attention to detail from the outset.

WHY WORK WITH LARA GOTHIQUE?

Lara Gothique is the founder, curator, and producer of The Velvet Burlesque™ - an award-winning burlesque and cabaret teaching, performance, and production business with a professional legacy dating back to 1991.

With decades of experience as a professional performer, choreographer, producer, teacher, and mentor, Lara brings together:

• Practical stage knowledge
• Choreographic structure
• Musicality
• Performance detail
  
• Stagecraft
• Creative direction
• Real-world industry understanding
• Producer insight
• Professional standards and expectations
• Legalities surrounding performing/producing
• Experience with contracts, performer agreements, public liability insurance, and performance contexts

This is private tuition rooted in professional experience, not generic dance or act coaching.

Whether you are creating your first solo, developing an existing routine, preparing for a performance opportunity, or looking for longer-term act mentoring, this work is about building strong foundations, developing your performance quality, and creating something with structure, intention, and professional care.

You will be guided through:

• What works
• What needs strengthening
• What may need rethinking
• What is realistically required to help your act become stronger, clearer, safer, and more performance-ready
  

A well-built burlesque, dance, or cabaret act needs:

• Structure
• Musicality
• Timing
• Stagecraft
• Confidence
• Costume awareness
• Character
• Technical understanding
• A clear sense of performance intention

WHO THIS IS FOR:

Private burlesque and dance tuition, act development, and choreography support may be suitable if you are:

• Creating your first solo burlesque, dance, or cabaret act
• Trying to complete a routine you have already started
• Unsure whether your choreography, structure, or concept is working
• Preparing for a performance opportunity
• Looking for professional feedback before taking an act to the stage
• Developing your stage presence, musicality, and performance quality
• Needing help with transitions, pacing, reveal structure, or costume ideas
• Wanting support with the wider professional expectations of performing
• Looking for bespoke choreography tailored specifically to you
• Interested in longer-term act mentoring and performer development

This is not a rushed “throw a routine together” service. It is detailed, practical, honest, and professionally guided performer development.

INITIAL ACT DEVELOPMENT & CREATIVE CONSULTATION:

The recommended starting point is an Initial Act Development & Creative Consultation.

This is a private session where I can see exactly where you are currently up to with your choreography or act, explore your ideas in more detail, and assess what further support is needed to complete, refine, or rework the routine.

This session allows us to:

• Look at the choreography or act you have already created
• Assess the overall structure, musicality, and flow of the routine
• Identify any sections that need developing, strengthening, or reworking
• Explore transitions, stagecraft, and performance quality
• Discuss costume, reveal structure where applicable, and any technical elements
• Consider character, intention, pacing, tease, and audience connection
• Establish the most appropriate route forward based on what is realistically needed

By the end of the session, you will have a much clearer creative direction for your act, together with practical guidance, constructive feedback, and a solid foundation on which to continue developing it.

All private act development, mentoring, and bespoke choreography work is quoted individually, allowing the support to be tailored properly to the performer, concept, music, technical requirements, and level of creative development needed.

If, following the initial session, you would still like support with developing the routine, additional private sessions can be booked on a session-by-session basis.

These are priced separately and quoted according to content requirements.

PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE FOR NEW AND EMERGING PERFORMERS:

For those working towards a first solo performance, we will also spend some time looking at the wider professional aspects surrounding your act and performance opportunity.

This may include:

• Checking whether your chosen stage name is already in use
• Discussing the performance opportunity itself
• Whether the booking is paid, or at least covers reasonable expenses
• Whether you have been provided with a performer agreement or contract
• Public Liability Insurance
• Risk Assessments
• Legalities surrounding performing/producing
• Professional expectations when working with producers, venues, and other performers
• Practical considerations as you begin performing publicly

These are all areas I have been navigating professionally for decades, and they are just as important as the choreography or act itself if you are hoping to build a strong foundation as a new or emerging performer.

BESPOKE BURLESQUE and DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY:

If, following the Initial Act Development & Creative Consultation, we both feel that the routine would benefit from substantial redevelopment, completion, or full creative restructuring, a fully bespoke choreography package may also be available.

Bespoke choreography is a premium, fully tailored service for performers who want a complete routine created specifically for them.

This may include:

• A fully choreographed routine tailored to your level, movement quality, and performance context
• Clear musical structure, transitions, and performance flow
• Choreography adapted to suit your individual strengths and style
• Face-to-face private teaching at my Sheffield studio
• Time for refinement, polishing, and performance confidence
• Support with act structure, pacing, stagecraft, and performance detail

All bespoke choreography is quoted individually, allowing the creative process, teaching structure, and level of support to be tailored properly to the performer, concept, music, technical requirements, and level of development needed.

Any additional private sessions beyond an agreed choreography package are priced separately and quoted according to content requirements.

ACT MENTORING:

If you would like continued support beyond developing one particular routine, ongoing Act Mentoring is also available.

Rather than focusing on a single routine, Act Mentoring is designed to help you build the wider skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to develop as a performer over time.

Act Mentoring is tailored to your individual goals and may include:

• Developing your own choreography and creative ideas
• Musicality, character, and stage presence
• Performance quality, confidence, and audience connection
• Act structure, pacing, tease, and transitions
• Costume development, prop work, and reveal techniques
• Performance opportunities and professional expectations
• Constructive feedback and continued development as your experience grows

Sessions are booked individually and are quoted according to your specific requirements.

BOOK PRIVATE BURLESQUE / DANCE TUITION OR ACT DEVELOPMENT:

If you are serious about developing your act with proper creative structure, professional guidance, and a level of detail that supports you beyond simply getting through a routine, this is where that work begins.

Whether you need focused act development, full bespoke choreography, or longer-term mentoring, the aim is to help you create work that feels considered, confident, performance-ready, and genuinely yours.

Please get in touch via the contact form below with full details of where you are currently up to, what you are hoping to create, and whether you already have a performance opportunity in mind.

From there, we can discuss whether private act development, bespoke choreography, or ongoing act mentoring is the best route forward.

Lara Gothique

Founder, Curator & Producer

The Velvet Burlesque™

© Lara Gothique - The Velvet Burlesque™
All content, text, and imagery are the original work of Lara Gothique - The Velvet Burlesque™ unless otherwise stated.