Burlesque star Immodesty Blaize reveals why she loves the stage- and the hazards of wearing her costumes

She has danced and stripped across stages in Europe, North America and the Far East for 15 years and, since headlining her own West End show in 2005, has done more than any other artist to revive the burlesque art form.

Now she will star in the UK premiere of Strictly Burlesque which runs at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre and guest stars Harry Derbidge from The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE).

She is known for her outlandish oversized props like the crystal encrusted rocking horse and ten foot telephone and her spell-binding, sensuous routines.

She has worked with everyone from James Brown to Brian Ferry and beat TV censorship when she was allowed to strip on Prime Time pre-watershed TV on the Paul O’Grady Show in 2010.

“People are interested in burlesque in the same way that it became popular after the Great Depression of the 30s when people wanted to escape,” she says.

“It can be a depressing world and people like to escape through live entertainment. It’s glamorous, humorous, fun and full of energy.

People can leave their troubles at the door for a couple of hours.”

She adds:“I will be bringing three numbers never before seen in the UK.

The costumes are incredible: there are 300,000 rhinestones on one costume alone. I like doing things that are extraordinary and spectacular.”

Immodesty, who became a professional burlesque dancer by chance after starting her career producing and directing commercials, looks stunning.

“I actually have a 26 inch waist but with my corsets on I get it down to 19 inches!” she says.

“It’s not comfortable wearing a corset and six inch heels but it’s show business and we love it!

“My costumes are boned and specially made. They can take three months to make.

“The hazards of wearing these costumes are rib-bruising, corset string burns, wrist sprain, breathing restriction but it’s fine, it’s all part of the show. It’s a pleasure to get up on stage!”

But does she feel it is at all demeaning to women?

“Not at all! The whole point of burlesque and the women is to be an individual. It’s full of fun and character.

The media today seems to tell us we should all be blonde, tanned with surgically enhanced assets. Burlesque does the opposite: it encourages you to be an individual. Gypsy Rose Lee, the first of the burlesque performers, was famous because she was smart and clever.

“Funnily enough 65 per cent of the audience is female. Women love glamour and the idea of vintage has become very popular. Burlesque is ironic cabaret. The genre encompasses lots of things from striptease to comedy. Someone once said to me ‘the schtick (comedy) is as important as the strip’. There’s something very tongue-in-cheek and playful about burlesque.”

*Strictly Burlesque is at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre from Thursday, August 15 to Saturday, August 17.