Glam Lab is the home of Sparkleforce’s burlesque classes.
It is where burlesque, nervous system care, movement and performance meet, creating a space where you can learn confidence, sensuality, stagecraft and expression without forcing your body to perform confidence before it feels safe.
We begin with regulation.
Then we add rhythm.
Then we build expression.
Then, when you are ready, we turn on the stage lights.
Zero dance background required.
No perfect body required.
No “I must already be sexy enough” required.
Those beliefs can leave their coat at the door.
Welcome to Sparkleforce's Glam Lab
Glam Lab is designed as a progression. You do not need to rush through it. Each level builds the next layer of confidence, skill, expression and stage readiness
The Glam Lab Pathway
101 Get Your Sexy Back
*woman or non binary person - we are inclusive at Sparkleforce
This is your first step into Glam Lab.
101 is for the woman* who feels capable on the outside but disconnected from herself on the inside.
You will learn foundational burlesque movement, regulation tools, body awareness, presence and the first steps of reconnecting with yourself.
Crystal Mischief's graduation photo shoot
201 Foundational Burlesque
Once you have started reconnecting with your body, 201 gives you more technique, structure and skill.
This is where we deepen the foundations through
classic burlesque movement,
musicality,
props,
character,
transitions,
stage presence and confidence in your own style.
This is where “oh, I think I can do this” starts becoming “actually, I know what I’m doing.”
Tiny rhinestone, big shift.
301 Performance Burlesque is where the pieces come together.
This is the performance pathway for students who want to create an act and become stage ready.
You will work with choreography,
character,
storytelling,
costume choices,
reveal structure,
stagecraft,
rehearsal and performance confidence.
This is where we take the skills you have built and shape them into something with an
301 Performance Burlesque
entrance, an ending, and a whole lot of “oh hello, there I am.”
The cherry goes on top.
The lights go up.
And you step into the version of yourself who is ready to be seen.
Crystal Mischief Australian Debut
— Emily T, Sparkleforce Student
.. I was really hesitant to try burlesque. But from the moment I stepped into Sparkleforce, I felt welcomed and accepted.
As someone who struggled with body image issues for years ...
Why We Start With 101 Get Your Sexy Back
A lot of people wait to begin because they think they need to feel confident first.
That is the trap!
You do not need to arrive already glowing, brave, sexy, flexible, coordinated or healed.
You need a place where your body can feel safe enough to begin. That is why Glam Lab starts with 101 Get Your Sexy Back.
It gives you the first layer: regulation, reconnection, simple movement and permission to stop treating your body like an awkward project that needs fixing.
From there, the rest of the pathway has something solid to stand on.
Preferably in heels, but we are flexible.
Confidence is not the entry requirement. It is what we build.
*Sparkleforce is a rainbow business and we welcome and include all gender identities
You want a class that understands bodies, brains, nervous systems, ageing, self-doubt, and the strange midlife magic of thinking, “Actually, maybe I’m not done yet.”
You are curious about burlesque, but a little part of you is whispering, “Surely that is for other people.”
You miss feeling playful, sensual, expressive or fully present.
You are tired of feeling like your body is just something you drag through the day
The Glam Lab is for the woman* who recognises herself here:
Glam Lab may be for you if…
You want to move again, but you do not want a fitness class dressed up as empowerment.
You are not done.
Not even close.
Kia ora, I’m Crystal, founder of Sparkleforce and your guide in Glam Lab.
I have spent over a decade performing and teaching burlesque across Aotearoa and internationally, including working with organisations such as BurlyCon and the Burlesque Hall of Fame.
But the work I teach here is not really about performance.
It is about what becomes possible when your body no longer needs to stay on high alert.
Burlesque was one of the places I began learning how to feel safe in my body again. There was a time I couldn’t walk into a supermarket without my nervous system going into panic attack. The same body now travels, performs and teaches internationally.
Glam Lab brings those principles into a structured, supported space.
You are not here to become someone new.
You are creating the conditions where your system can begin to settle.
My Pronouns: They/Them
My Honorifics: Mx
Kia ora, I'm Crystal
Your guide in The Glam Lab
Maybe You've Seen Me On...
Start at the beginning.
Glam Lab begins with 101 Get Your Sexy Back.
This is where you learn the first movements, the first tools, and the first ways back into your body.
From there, you can continue into 201 and 301 when you are ready.
No rush.
No pressure.
No need to leap straight to the stage.
We begin with one breath, one movement, one tiny sparkle of “maybe.”
That is enough.
The Invitation
Begin with the class designed to help you reconnect, regulate and move at your own pace
If you read this and something in you softened,
I would love to invite you into The Glam Lab.
We gather in small, carefully held cohorts several times a year.
Eight weeks.
One session per week.
A room designed for settling.
You do not need perfect conditions.
You need enough safety to begin.
Crystal Mischief's performing in Las Vegas USA
You are invited to arrive as you are.
There is no pressure to decide today.
I invite you to take your time and return when it feels n when it feels light, sparkly and possible.
If you’re not quite ready yet, you are welcome to join our waitlist, where you’ll receive gentle tools and practices to begin exploring this work at your own pace.