Check Out Rachel Riot’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Riot

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The mission of the Raleigh School of Burlesque is centered around promoting inclusivity, body positivity, and confidence through dance. We affirm gender and sexuality diversity, aiming to create a welcoming environment where anyone can explore their sensual side and improve their performing abilities, whether for stage or personal enjoyment. The school values acceptance, social and economic equality, and giving back to the community.

I tried out for a burlesque show in Greensboro, NC in 2007 and became hooked after just one show. I’ve been performing now for 17 years (I celebrated my “burlyversary” in February. I started producing and performing at the same time because there weren’t burlesque shows in Raleigh. Myself and my partner in crime, Porcelain (now in Seattle), learned everything the hard way – we had no idea how to approach venues or figure ticket pricing. In 2011 I started teaching with Raquel Reynolds, a Clayton ballroom dance performer with dozens of world titles to her name. Raquel and I teach a four week intensive burlesque workshop called the Shimmy Seminar. We teach every other month for four consecutive Saturdays and teach everything from choreography to costuming, tassel twirling to stage presence and burlesque history. In May 2024, I opened the Raleigh School of Burlesque, Raleigh’s first official burlesque school. We are finally joining our peers in cities like Charlotte and Atlanta! I never thought burlesque would become such a large part of my life when I began in 2007. My burlesque family is very important to me and I am so thankful we have such a thriving and supportive community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! From undercharging for tickets at the beginning, to having to learn theater terms and traditions. I did not grow up dancing besides a few little kid dance classes. Before burlesque, I was painfully shy – growing up I wouldn’t speak or dance in public at all. Learning to overcome my own fears has been a large part of the process. (Which is great, because in the classes I teach, that’s a huge part of teaching). In 2007 we approached about 12-15 venues in the area looking for a place to start a burlesque show. Most people looked at us like we had two heads. They had no idea what burlesque was or why we thought they’d be interested in a show. The N&O did a small feature on me in 2008 and the article got several comments about how we didn’t need this kind of filthy entertainment. In a world that has a unclear definition or idea of what burlesque is, training audiences has been particularly hard, but after 17 years we have a loyal following that supports shows every month, takes classes, and wants to learn more about burlesque. For years I did burlesque as a hobby not thinking it was a viable income, but I have been so blessed in the past few years to see how much burlesque awareness and knowledge has grown as it’s become a little more mainstream and accepted.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I started performing in 2007 and have been mostly self taught although I take classes from as many performers as I can, local, national, and international.

Performance is an art in itself – learning how to use props like fans and boas, dancing in dance shoes, etc. Production is also an art – learning the ropes of how to book performers, negotiate with venues, network and work with other performers.

I’ve also taught myself (and learned from others) how to costume, rhinestone, make pasties and more.

My personal strengths are networking and introducing other performers to one another. My FAVORITE thing I do, is feather fan dancing, just like you’d see from Sally Rand in the 1930’s. I have a beautiful set of 4 foot feather fans (pink) and I love using them in performance as well as teaching. I’m most known for my fan work.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I read 3-4 books a week. They are my escape more than any other thing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raleighburlesque.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raleighburlesque/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558830549060&sk=about