The Raleigh School of Burlesque

Festival season prep? Recital nerves? New choreography?

Cell Block No. 9 offers affordable private studio rentals in Raleigh near NC State. Mirrors, music, seating, craft space, WiFi, and dance-friendly floors.

$15/hour, 2-hour minimum. Available 7 days a week, flexible hours.
Same-day rentals often available.

Email [email protected] to reserve.

Meet Rachel Riot — producer of Raleigh Burlesque and Headmistress of the Raleigh School of Burlesque!

Rachel has been performing and producing burlesque since 2007 and teaching since 2011. A classic fan dancer at heart, she’s spent nearly two decades creating shows, teaching new performers, and helping build Raleigh’s burlesque community.

She’s usually running around behind the scenes making the show happen, but for Peace, Love & Pasties she’ll be hitting the stage too!

Saturday, September 19
Cannonball Music Hall
2304 Atlantic Ave., Raleigh
Doors 7:30 PM | Show 8 PM

Tickets: raleighburlesque.com

Atlanta is coming to Raleigh!

Meet Currency St. Clair — the pot of gold under your favorite rainbow, with ASSets you must appreciate and curves that COMPOUND interest. Because if it don’t make Currency, it don’t make sense!

A published model and burlesque performer from Atlanta, Currency brings curves, confidence, and plenty of personality to the stage, and we are SO excited to welcome her to Raleigh for Peace, Love & Pasties!

Saturday, September 19
Cannonball Music Hall
2304 Atlantic Ave., Raleigh
Doors 7:30 PM | Show 8 PM

Tickets: raleighburlesque.com

From geek culture to glamorous burlesque, Lady Gatita proves that your passions make your performances unforgettable.

Known for blending dance, burlesque, flow arts, and a healthy dose of nerdy charm, Lady Gatita creates performances that are imaginative, theatrical, and completely her own. Her storytelling and unique artistic vision encourage performers to embrace what makes them different instead of trying to fit a mold.

As an instructor at the Raleigh School of Burlesque, Lady Gatita teaches costuming, movement, and silk fan techniques while helping students discover their own creative voice. Her classes are welcoming, encouraging, and full of inspiration for performers of every experience level.

Follow Lady Gatita on Instagram:

Support local. Support the people who make Raleigh feel like Raleigh. 💚

The Fiction Kitchen has been a staple in our city for more than 13 years — and one of Raleigh’s favorite spots for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based food. They’ve fed this community, created a gathering place for it, and kept showing up for Raleigh year after year.

Right now, they need their community to show up for them.

The Fiction Kitchen has launched a GoFundMe to help cover payroll, avoid employee layoffs, and give the restaurant some breathing room while they work toward a more stable future.

If you can donate, please do. If you can’t, SHARE. And maybe the easiest (and most delicious) way to support them: GO EAT. Grab lunch. Try the new pizza. Take a friend. Tip your server. Support a local business that we absolutely do not want to imagine Raleigh without.

Small businesses survive because their communities decide they matter.

The Fiction Kitchen matters. 💚 Link to GoFundMe in Linktree in bio

Your costume doesn’t exist in a vacuum—the lights can completely change what your audience sees.

Join Scarlett Letter for It’s Just a Trick of the Light, a one-hour workshop exploring the relationship between costuming and stage lighting. We’ll look at fabrics, textures, colors, lighting angles, different types of lighting, and how to work with whatever a venue gives you.

Scarlett will have samples and a demonstration display so you can see firsthand how different lighting choices affect costumes. You’ll also learn what to consider when submitting lighting requests for your acts.

Photos are encouraged, so bring your phone and take notes for your future costume and act planning!

Saturday, September 19
12:00–1:00 PM
Cell Block #9 – Private Home Studio
$25
Pre-registration required at RaleighBurlesque.com

THIS SUNDAY! FREE BURLESQUE MOVIE NIGHT!

Come get comfy with us at Cell Block #9 for League of Exotique Dancers — a documentary about the Living Legends of burlesque and the women who actually performed during burlesque’s mid-century Golden Age.

This is such a good one for performers, students, and anyone interested in burlesque history because so much of that history is being told by the women who actually lived it.

Bring something to work on while we watch! Rhinestone, sew, knit, sketch, catch up on admin, do homework, or just curl up and enjoy the movie.

Sunday, September 6
7:30–9:30 PM
Cell Block #9 – Raleigh, NC
FREE – RSVP required

Popcorn provided
Snacks welcome
Bring your own drinks – alcoholic or non-alcoholic
420 friendly
Come comfy!

Email [email protected] to RSVP. Cell Block #9 is a private residential studio near NC State, so the exact address is provided after RSVP.

Backstage magic at A Midsummer Night’s Burlesque. Purrrl Van Dammit and Lyla Cascata catching a breath, sharing a laugh, and glowing in that post-performance sparkle at Legends, June 2024. This is the part the audience doesn’t see—the sisterhood, the nerves, the joy, the “we just did that” energy that keeps us coming back.

Meet Mona Loverly — the midnight Muse you’ve been dreaming of!

Mona is a woman of many talents and a longtime fixture in the North Carolina performance scene. She’s been dancing since the age of five and has spent 15 years bringing her hip-shaking energy to burlesque stages. She’s also a singer, go-go dancer, fire dancer, special effects makeup artist, haunt actor, and cosplayer.

We’re so excited to have Mona joining our groovy cast for Peace, Love & Pasties: A Burlesque Tribute to the 1960s!

Saturday, September 19
Cannonball Music Hall
2304 Atlantic Ave., Raleigh
Doors 7:30 PM | Show 8 PM

Tickets: raleighburlesque.com

What does seduction feel like when you stop performing it for someone else?

Self Love Seduction with Salem Sirene is an invitation to explore sensuality for yourself. This burlesque-adjacent class uses movement and sensory exploration to play with hunger, presence, pleasure, confidence, and unapologetic self-love.

Salem Sirene brings her intense stage presence, natural elegance, feminist perspective, and years of experience as a performer and educator to Raleigh for this special one-hour workshop.

All are welcome. No dance or burlesque experience necessary.

Sunday, September 20
12–1 PM
$25
Cell Block #9, private home studio near NCSU
Pre-registration required. Address provided upon registration.

Bring a folding chair, water, and snacks.