Burlesque classes in London are taught at specialist schools in Soho and Camden and at belly-dance and pole studios, with beginner courses, weekly drop-ins and private lessons for adults. It is also the city where Victorian burlesque began.
Burlesque is a theatrical dance style that mixes tease, comedy, costume and character. In class you learn the building blocks of the art form, such as the bump and grind, glove and stocking peels and fan work, and then put them together into a short routine.
The word first meant parody. Victorian burlesque was popular in London theatres between the 1830s and the 1890s, when Madame Vestris staged comic send-ups of operas and plays at the Olympic Theatre. Lydia Thompson and her British Blondes took the form to New York in 1868, where it gradually shifted towards striptease, and a revival known as neo-burlesque has grown since the 1990s.
Modern classes keep the humour and the glamour and put the emphasis on confidence and performance. You choose how far you take it, and a first class is about movement and attitude, not about taking anything off.
Burlesque and pole dance often share a studio and a sensual, confident look, so people mix them up. They train very different skills.
Use the map below to find studios near you, or filter by area and audience to jump straight to our curated list of the best-rated Burlesque studios in London further down the page.
Burlesque
Burlesque, Musical Theatre, Ballet & 1 more style
Burlesque, Pole Dance
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Burlesque
Burlesque, Pole Dance
Burlesque, Ballet, Commercial & 18 more styles
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Burlesque, Reggaeton, Latin Dance & 19 more styles
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Burlesque, Ballet, Jazz & 8 more styles
Burlesque, Belly Dance, Heels & 2 more styles
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Burlesque, Pole Dance
Trial Available
Burlesque, Ballet, Contemporary & 5 more styles
Burlesque, Belly Dance
Burlesque, Belly Dance
Burlesque is built on owning the room, so classes train eye contact, posture and the confidence to be looked at, which many students say carries over to everyday life.
The Cheek of It! says its beginner course welcomes "all shapes, sizes, ages", and the style as a whole rewards personality over a fixed body type.
Soho School of Burlesque runs an eight-week Act Creation + Performance course, so you learn to build a solo number with music, costume and stage direction.
Hip work, slow transitions and controlled arms and hands develop isolation and body awareness that help in jazz, heels and contemporary classes.
Character creation, costume and music choices are part of the craft. The Cheek of It! opens its Showtime course with character creation before any choreography.
Beginner courses can end with a live performance, such as the group number at The Cheek of It! Burlesque Revue, so there is a real show to work towards.
Soho School of Burlesque has a Tuesday beginners class and a four-week Intro to Burlesque course, The Cheek of It! has an eight-week Showtime Beginners course, and City Academy lists burlesque beginners classes.
The Cheek of It! offers hen party experiences, and Polepeople runs burlesque hen parties at its Moorgate and White City studios. Ask for group rates and minimum numbers.
The Cheek of It! has a course ladder from Showtime Beginners through Spotlight Intermediate to Siren Advanced, and Soho School of Burlesque teaches act creation and fan dance.
BAW Dance is a school for women and non-binary dancers, welcomes LGBTQIA+ students, says classes are for all levels, and lists burlesque next to belly dance.
Pole, belly dance, jazz and heels dancers add burlesque for stage craft. London Dance Academy lists burlesque among its pole and aerial classes, and Modern Groovez lists burlesque in its adult programme.
Soho School of Burlesque offers private lessons of one to three hours for technique and act direction, The Cheek of It! lists private tuition, and BAW Dance offers two-hour private sessions.
The specialist schools are in the centre. Soho School of Burlesque, at 4A Streatham Street near Tottenham Court Road, was founded in 2022 by Evelyn Carnate, Miss Burlesque UK 2019. The Cheek of It! School of Burlesque and Cabaret teaches at The Academy Mews, 15 Pratt Mews, close to Camden Town, and describes itself as the leading school of burlesque and cabaret in the UK. See the Central London guide for more studios.
City Academy, on Herbal Hill in Clerkenwell, lists a burlesque taster, beginners classes and a performance course. BAW Dance has listings in Islington, Liverpool Street and Shoreditch, and Kentish Town (see its Shoreditch and Kentish Town pages), so confirm which venue hosts burlesque. Pole studios such as London Dance Academy near Old Street and Polepeople in Moorgate include burlesque in their offer, and Polepeople also has a studio in White City.
Further out, Modern Groovez lists burlesque in its adult classes across Chiswick, Kingston and other venues in west and south-west London. Browse the West London and East London guides.
Burlesque classes come in four formats: a weekly drop-in, a short beginners course of four to eight weeks, a performance course that ends in an act, and private lessons. Soho School of Burlesque lists drop-ins at £15 (four-class pack £48, ten-class pack £120), an Intro to Burlesque course of four weeks at £150, a Burlesque Striptease course of eight weeks at £300, a Fan Dance Foundation course of six weeks at £300 and Act Creation + Performance of eight weeks at £350, with lower member prices (all checked October 2026).
Weekly sessions at Soho School of Burlesque in October 2026 include a beginners class on Tuesdays and Bump & Grind for all levels on Mondays and Saturdays. The Cheek of It! and BAW Dance did not publish class prices on the pages checked, so contact them for current rates. If you want to build the rest of a stage look, see jazz, heels and belly dance, or ask about private dance lessons.
Wear comfortable clothes you can move in, such as leggings and a fitted top, and bring water. Beginner classes do not need a costume, and schools tell you in advance if a class uses props such as gloves, fans or heels.
Some classes are barefoot and others use heels, depending on the teacher. If a school asks for heels, choose a pair you can stand in for an hour, and ask whether you can start in socks or bare feet. Costume pieces are something to buy once you commit to a course, not before.
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