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Katie prepares to learn the art of burlesque with Brighton’s finest exponent

There is only one woman in Brighton I am jealous of (well, actually there are two – but let’s leave Miss Burchill out of this column) and that woman is Cherri Shakewell.

I can’t remember when I first saw Cherri, but you can bet your bottom dollar that she was – like she has been every time I’ve seen her since – high on a stage, jiggling her abundant assets in a whirlwind of sequins and feathers and flicking her tassels to the beat, while I stared on adoringly through a haze of gin.

Cherri Shakewell is Brighton’s very own blonde, burlesque bombshell. Things that make you jealous of Cherri include:

• That she has a vintage wardrobe you would die for.
• That she always looks hot, even when it is 3am at a festival, her mascara is melting and her hair has matted itself into a giant birds nest (find the evidence on her Facebook page).
• That she has tasseled her way through the The Whoopee Club, The Tassel Club and the incomparable Lost Vagueness.
• She has starred in several MTV videos including performing for Brighton’s very own Fatboy Slim at Brixton Academy.
• That despite the above she is sweet, funny and clever – without a trace of dumb blonde about her.

But ultimately, the best thing about Cherri is the way she dances. Damn can the girl dance. Not just a pretty-in-timewith- the-beat, wiggling, provocative, technically sound kinda way. But screaming the kind of confidence that makes the room shut up and stare.

“By the end I’ll have learnt to tantalise and tease, pose and please”

If you could take the confidence that Cherri exudes when she’s on stage and pop it in a bottle, Boots would be fighting queues around the block to try and meet the demand. Sadly then, Cherri is not making a perfume. She is, however, starting a burlesque class.

Cherri promises me that her burlesque workshops will feature feathers and sequins, bubbly and strawberries. That she will be transforming women into showstopping showgirls. That after four years of burlesque experience – and years of classical dance training – she can teach anyone to shake it like they mean it. And that by the end I’ll have learnt to tantalise and tease, pose and please and – better still – master the fine art of tassel twirling.

All of which sounds lovely. Especially the bit about receiving a complimentary pair of Shakewell tassels on arrival. But actually the reason I am joining Cherri’s burlesque classes is none of the above. It’s just so that next time I am at a party and I spot Cherri whipping her kit off and taking to the stage I will not be so sickly green with envy. Instead, I might just join her.

Lessons start 10 November and 1 December at the Caroline Of Brunswick, 39 Ditchling Road, Brighton.

For more information or booking see www.myspace.com/cherrishakewell, call
07855 213517 or email cherrishakewell@yahoo.co.uk.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.