Most of us had a Covid hobby and, for Dundee mum Christina Hutton, it was joining a burlesque group.
The carer joined Marvelesque – the city’s largest group of burlesque performers – shortly after restrictions lifted in 2021.
“I walked in, and I genuinely have never looked back,” she says.
“It’s been one hell of a journey – but it’s been such a good one.”
Four years later, Christina has not only discovered a “family” (Marvelesque director Tequila Diamond is now her baby’s godmother), she also, for the first time, has embraced her plus-size body.
‘Dundee Burlesque group gave me body confidence’
The 30-year-old mum-of-two explains: “The biggest thing for me is the positivity that Marvelesque brings.
“I’m a bigger girl, and for a lot of my life, the word ‘fat’ has been used.
“But in Marvy (Marvelesque), that’s not a thing. It’s not an obstacle. There’s no judgment.
“We’re lots of people with lots of different shapes and sizes.
“We all get to go on stage and dance and have fun.
“As a group, it’s a totally safe space.
“In terms of body positivity, it helped me find a confidence that I probably would never have found anywhere else in my life.”
Christina, who is mum to Lucas, 14, and Noah, seven months, has always loved performing on stage.
World of musical theatre and dance ‘not inclusive’
But she says the world of dance and theatre is not always “inclusive” of all body types or disabilities.
“I grew up in musical theatre,” she says.
“Then I had my eldest son when I was 15, so I just stopped.
“But there was always a thing in theatre that if you didn’t look a certain way, you could never get a certain part.
“It’s not inclusive in quite a lot of ways, in terms of people’s body shapes.
“It’s the same with dance. There’s always been this image that dancers have to look a certain way.
“And burlesque isn’t like that. Burlesque genuinely accepts all body shapes, all body types, all abilities and disabilities.”
“We will take anybody in. We can adapt dances for people who maybe can’t do some of the moves that others do.”
‘People appreciate me for who I am’ at Dundee burlesque group
Christina says that, in recent years, social media has made it easier to find authentic body representation.
But it wasn’t always that way.
She adds: “In my life, I’ve not really seen that, so it was just good to find a home in burlesque.
“I can get on stage and I can make people cheer and woo, and appreciate me for who I am.”
But Christina is not the only one who has found a sense of belonging through the dance group.
Marvelesque, which is led by “Burlesque power couple” Blair Watson and his fiancée Tequila Diamond, has around 50 members.
The burlesque group meets at dance studio Showcase The Street in Stobswell, Dundee, once a week for rehearsals.
“They support you through absolutely everything,” Christina says.
“They’re there through the highs, they’re there through the lows.
‘Marvelesque Burlesque is like a family’
“We have a group chat, and if you’re having a bad day, you ask for a photo of somebody’s pet, and you get bombarded with 40 pictures of everybody’s animals.
“Or if you’re having a really big life event – I had a baby seven months ago, and that was a huge part of Marvy as well.
“The Marvy people came to my baby shower and performed for me.”
Christina, who has performed on stage several times with Marvelesque, has also discovered a new side to her personality.
Her stage name is Ruby Le Bast.
“Christina and Ruby are very different people,” she says.
“What Ruby does on stage is not what Christina would do in real life.
“We all have stage names, and finding your stage name is a journey within itself.”
How burlesque stage name Ruby Le Bast was born
So what’s the story behind Ruby Le Bast?
Christina explains: “Ruby is obviously a red jewel, and red is one of my favourite colours.
“But it’s also named after my boyfriend, who is called Robbie.
“When we were in Amsterdam, he kept getting called Ruby – and I thought it was the funniest thing in the world.
“So when it came to me choosing my burlesque name, Ruby just felt right.
“Bast is after the Egyptian goddess of dance, pleasure and cats.
“And I love cats – I’m a total cat person.
“And the ‘Le’ just connects them together.
“So Ruby Le Bast was born.”
Not only do burlesque stage names help performers “step into character” when they take the stage, Christina says they also serve as a layer of protection.
Many of the Dundee artists use them to maintain privacy and keep their burlesque persona separate from their day-to-day lives and professional careers.
Group prepares for Dundee Burlesque Festival
Right now, Christina and the Marvelesque crew are rehearsing day and night ahead of the Dundee Burlesque Festival.
The two-day event, which is expected to attract around 150 visitors, will take place at Bonar Hall and The Barrells this weekend.
It will feature a series of workshops as well as a “big burlesque show” on Saturday night.
The burlesque festival, which is the only one of its kind in Dundee, has been running for three years and is the group’s biggest annual production.
It’s one of three major events organised by Marvelesque this year.
The group hosted a sold-out Roaring 20s-themed event in March, and will mark their 10-year anniversary with a Halloween party in October.
Christina says: “I’ve got my first solo on Dundee Burlesque Festival, which was really exciting.
“And that’s going to be one hell of a show. We’ve got people coming from worldwide.
“We’ve actually got somebody coming from New York to perform in Dundee, which is absolutely insane when I say that out loud.”
In addition, Burlesque dancers from Finland and England are expected.
What does the future hold for Ruby?
So what does the future hold for Ruby?
“I think in terms of burlesque, we have the diamonds, which are our performers who travel,” she says.
“They do a lot of things at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and they’re constantly back and forward, up and down the country, performing where there’s a stadium.
“They get hired out and things like that.
“That’s what you want to work up towards in Marvelesque.
“So, I don’t know, maybe Ruby could be a diamond at one point as well.
“That would be smashing.”
- Dundee Burlesque Festival is on Saturday June 7 and Sunday 8 at Bonar Hall and The Barrells. You can buy tickets on the Dundee Burlesque Festival website.
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