OUR TEACHERS
ROXY TORPEDO (she/her)
Roxy has been part of the Montreal burlesque community for 12 years now, in different ways. As a performer, host, producer and teacher, she combines her knowledge of the performing arts and her talents as a communicator to convey her vision of burlesque. Having lived in a body that is sometimes fat and sometimes thin throughout her career, she offers dynamic classes that adapt to most silhouettes, with a touch of humor and a lot of audacity.
Photo by Julie Soto
IG @roxytorpedo
THE LADY JOSEPHINE (she/they)
Josephine grew up as a dancer and studied mime and theater before taking up burlesque. She traveled to North America to learn from her burlesque idols and conducted her first workshops alongside her mentor, BonBon Bombay, in 2012. Joséphine's passion is to dissect the art of teasing in a systematic and easy-to-understand way. A classically trained dancer, she is actively committed to creating a space for all levels and body types. Their teaching style is inspired by the hyperfemininity of striptease dances and vintage burlesque.
Photo by Julie Soto
https://theladyjosephine.com/
CRIMSON DUCHESS (she/her)
An actress by training, Crimson Duchess has been a performing artist since childhood. Through its theatrical productions, musicals and circus art... She is also interested in dance and follows/teaches many trainings in different styles. Burlesque, allowing him to combine his many passions, seemed to be the perfect choice! She now produces many Burlesque shows in Montreal and immerses her audience in the worlds she enjoys creating. Her limitless imagination makes her a creative performer with explosive expressions! Dive into her fantasies with her, you can only have fun!
MADROSE (she/her)
Originally from Val-d'Or, Quebec, Madrose is an 11-year-old Montreal-based artist with a strong international reputation.
She has gracefully traveled around the world (Hollywood, Prague, New Orleans, New York, Berlin, Vancouver, etc.) and has been invited to perform at the most prestigious event in the industry: the Burlesque Hall of Fame (2024), in Las Vegas, as part of the "Movers, Shakers and Innovators" presentation!
Madrose is passionate about burlesque, an art form that transcends her teaching! Caring and inclusive, she loves to accompany her students in this wonderful adventure and see them flourish, while adapting her classes so that everyone feels comfortable and can shine in their own way!
IG @madroseburlesque
MINA MINOU (she/her)
Mina Minou, an Iranian-American queer artist with 10 years of experience. Known for her creative work on characters, sensual movements, and deconstructive politics. With over 15 years of experience as a practicing witch and over 10 years of experience creating space for vulnerable bodies and marginalized voices, Mina believes in working for solidarity, joy, and expression in all areas.
IG @ghost_magick
GINA GELATO (she/her)
Gina is a burlesque artist, producer, and teacher who lives and breathes the art of playful sensuality. Her work and passions revolve around coaching, wellness, positive sexuality and human-centered design. She is also working on a research-creation master's degree that explores the online censorship of sex workers in digital spaces, collaborating with the community to rethink and deliver a safe and inclusive future on social media.
Gina recognizes that her participation in burlesque, as an artist and educator, requires ongoing reflection and commitment to decolonizing work, given burlesque's history and roots. That's why her classes encourage unlearning through exercises, history lessons, and resource sharing.
In her classes, Gina is committed to creating a space that is physically accessible and welcoming for all bodies, genders, and abilities. She adapts the movements and choreographies as needed so that everyone can participate comfortably and confidently, expressing their unique identity. Her classes prioritize wellness over technical perfection, so you leave the class feeling excited and invincible.
With an adaptable, energetic and joyful teaching style full of heart, Gina's classes invite you to connect with your confidence, creativity and sensuality, on your own terms.
IG @gina_gelato
FREYA MOON (she/her)
Freya Moon is a performing artist and burlesque teacher who combines glamour, benevolence and subversion. As a proud member of the lesbian community, they create learning spaces where gender expression, bodies and identities are celebrated in all their diversity. With a bachelor's degree in dance and a certification in yoga teaching, she is used to offering adjustments to accommodate all body types, mobilities and experiences. Its pedagogical approach is resolutely inclusive, adaptive and focused on empowerment: everyone finds their place to move, shine and assert themselves. With an artistic flair nourished by contemporary dance, jazz and theatrical stripping, Freya Moon invites you to dance freely, with audacity and tenderness.
MALINKA MOLOTOV (she/her)
A graduate of Arabesque in 2022 and a rising star of the burlesque scene, Malinka Molotov seduces with her unforgettable stage presence and explosive performances. With a rich range from classical to neo-burlesque, from comedy to burning sensuality, Malinka is a force not to be underestimated. She regularly performs at some of Montreal's legendary burlesque venues, including the Wiggle Room, Le Lion d'or and Café Cleopatre. Malinka has headlined shows in Toronto at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and danced at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. In 2024, she was invited on stage at Studio TD at Place des Arts as part of the Bagel Burlesque Expo. Known for her narrative acts, her shows often explore themes of liberation and rebellion. Malinka approaches the teaching of burlesque as a kind of somatic therapy. Through his provocative humor and his dedication to the art of burlesque, Malinka will guide you through a transformation that is not only scenic but also deeply intimate.
Her teaching style treats performance as somatic therapy, rooted in body acceptance, authenticity, and personal power, with a focus on storytelling and comedy, while striving to create a safer and more inclusive space for all gender expressions and bodies, knowing that safety and inclusion are ever-evolving practices.
MISS KINKY KARMA (she/her)
Miss Kinky Karma, a burlesque artist since 2019, designs beginner-friendly introductory classes that are ideal for anyone who is curious about burlesque but doesn't know where to start, where story guides choreography, gender-neutral cues keep teaching inclusive, and simple and adaptable movements allow everyone to celebrate their own expression of feminine strength.
IG miss.kinkykarma
EVA VON LIPS (she/her)
It was in 2010 that Éva Von Lips discovered Burlesque and she found it a powerful means of expression combining seduction, creativity and emancipation. Since 2012, this Franco/Guinean artist has been performing regularly on the Sherbrooke and Montreal stages. One of her favorite styles? The languorous "slow burns"! She also produces many shows in the Eastern Townships with the deep desire to contribute to the emergence and expansion of Burlesque in her adopted region.
In 2014, she began teaching the art of Burlesque based on her Bachelor's degree in Teaching in order to offer a benevolent and human pedagogy. Using an uninhibited approach, she uses humour and authenticity to de-dramatize dance and allow her students to "get out of their heads and into their bodies" and thus give themselves permission to celebrate their sensuality in a safe and inclusive setting.
IG @evavonlips
MINNIE BLOOM (she/her)
Minnie began her burlesque and dance journey at Arabesque in 2022. A beginner in dance, she enjoys exploring different types of flexibility movements and floor dancing. Minnie is a doctoral student in art history and has extensive experience in art conservation and university teaching. She is particularly interested in the artistic practices of Black, Indigenous, and Racialized (BIPOC) communities and environmental issues.
IG @jasmine.wip
DORIAN TENSION (they/them)
Dorian has been dancing since he was a little boy, exploring several styles over the years. In 2023, he discovered burlesque at the Arabesque school — an instant crush. The stage quickly becomes a means of expression and freedom for Dorian, where the body and gender identities are celebrated with sensuality and pride.
Freedom of expression, benevolence and above all, pleasure, are values that Dorian prioritizes during artistic explorations. Its primary goal is to ensure that the classroom space is conducive to learning that is tailored to the needs and interests of all.
IG: dorian.tension
PHOENIX INANA (she/her)
Phoenix Inana is a égyptien.ne creative artist and an emblematic figure of Montreal's underground cabaret. This multidisciplinary performance artist has fascinated the Montreal queer cabaret world for over 15 years, performing alongside the best such as drag king, burlesque, belly dancer and queer performance goddess. They have mentored a tribe of young talents from the cabaret world over the years.
For the past decade, Phoenix has criss-crossed, won, and taught the "Sexual Mermaid" style on the Canadian Kiki Ballroom scene. They are the dam of the Sagacious Kiki Haus of Sankofa. They were named "Legendary Sexual Mermaids" on the Canadian Kiki Ballroom stage this year and are the mother of many new "Sexual Mermaids". His style is sensual, witty and downright daring.
IG @legendarymothersankofa
CASQUIVANO (he)
It was at Arabesque Burlesque that Casquivano traced his career in burlesque. He knew the stage in the past thanks to his career in the circus, especially in aerial silk, leading him to participate in both shows and competitions in Mexico City, where he is from. A teacher for 9 years in multicultural environments, an artist by vocation, he teaches in a fun, patient and very personal way to ensure intuitive, diversified and above all, pleasant learning.
@the.casquivano