this workshop focuses on adapting your burlesque movement for a wide variety of venues outside of a traditional theater setting. We will dive in to thinking about sight lines and stage pictures in a variety of physical spaces, interacting with furniture and design features of different rooms (I.e. bar tops, doorways, couches, etc) and improvising in unfamiliar physical territory. We will also cover-up-close and personal crowd work: consensual and innovative ways to communicate with audience members and engage them your acts both figuratively and physically! Dress comfortably and ready to move and bring a notebook. Directed at performers with some stage experience who intend to work professionally, but all experience/interest levels welcome.

*To bundle with Bob’beyonce’s workshop- visit our main classes page.

About zahradka:

Zahradka Tonic is a burlesque entertainer based in Chicago, Illinois. Her diverse performance background extends into the improv comedy scene as a former member of the resident musical improv house ensemble at The Second City. She has been performing throughout the Midwest as a showgirl since 2020. She holds a gold medal in floor work from Pole Sport Organization and was awarded Best Burlesque Performer of 2025 at The Gaggys (Chicago’s annual drag and nightlife awards). Zahradka’s sensual movement repertoire has emerged mainly from her work in the clubs, and her style merges classic burlesque sensibilities with contemporary strip club slink.