Friday, November 6th

1 Session:

1:00pm - 2:30pm

Learn how to heighten audience engagement by harnessing the power of story in your emcee spiel. This one-part MET course invites experienced hosts to explore storytelling practices for crafting seamless transitions between acts, create longer narrative arcs within a show, and write jokes with payoffs.

Through mock show lineups, partner and individual exercises, participants will practice finding connective threads between acts – even when you only see the set list 30 minutes before the show. Come ready to talk, improvise, write, and experiment, all while developing practical tools for creating a more cohesive and memorable show experience.

Prerequisites:

• Hosting Experience: Familiarity with hosting, emceeing, or speaking in front of a live audience.
• Audience Engagement Experience: Comfortable engaging directly with a live audience, including crowd work and improvisation.

Friday, November 6th

3 Sessions:

2:45pm - 3:45pm

4:00pm - 5:00pm

5:15pm - 6:15pm

Ready to take your burlesque beyond your home stage? In this three-part MET course, you’ll learn the practical skills and top tips & tricks needed to plan, book, and execute successful burlesque tours. From researching festivals and contacting producers, to budgeting, travel logistics, and building lasting professional relationships, this course breaks down the real steps performers use to get their acts on stages around the world.

Across three sessions, you’ll explore crafting effective pitch emails and applications, organizing travel and finances, navigating different venues and production styles, and maintaining professionalism on the road. The series also emphasizes goal-setting and exploring how touring can support your long-term career and creative growth. Perfect for performers with at least 1–2 established solo acts who are ready to expand their opportunities, tour festivals and shows, and build a sustainable presence beyond their local scene.

Prerequisites:

• Prepared Acts: Have a minimum 1-2 established solo acts
• National or International Travel: Experience travelling for a Festival, competition, or professional show
• Teaching Experience: Previous teaching experience in burlesque or dance education encouraged

Saturday, November 7th

3 Sessions:

1:00pm - 2:30pm

2:45pm - 4:15pm

4:30pm - 6:00pm

In this 3-part MET Course, Guest of Honor The Maine Attraction delves deep into the multi-layered exploration of mind, body and beyond. Through intuitive exercises, free movement, and improvisation, you’ll build trust in your instincts and learn to commit fully to the moment. Students will Peel back the layers of their performance practice and deepen their connection to themselves and others.

Through free movement, partnered exercises, and spontaneous exploration, you’ll develop a deeper connection to your body and discover new ways to communicate through movement. With real-time observation and feedback, students will explore spontaneity, vulnerability, and discovery—embracing the unexpected and finding the magic that can only happen when you let go of expectations. Expect nothing. Be prepared for everything.

Prerequisites:

• Previous performance experience: Participants should have experience performing burlesque or another movement-based performance art.
• Comfort with improvisation and vulnerability: This course involves free movement, spontaneous exercises, partnered exploration, and real-time feedback.

Sunday, November 8th

2 Sessions:

9:00am - 10:30am

11:00am - 12:30am

For as long as humans have been human, we’ve told stories. We have shared our knowledge, our experiences, our hopes, and our feelings through our words and our bodies. Through movement and dance, stories can transcend the limitations of spoken language, moving from the conceptual to the physical, from the intangible to the incarnate, and from the ethereal to the embodied.

This two-part Master Ecdysiast Track (MET) course explores how you can use the body as a primary storytelling medium, moving from the development of physical character to the creation of a compelling narrative. Through movement, play, observation, and feedback, this first sessioon explores character archetypes, given circumstances, posture, leading body parts, movement qualities, and relationships to costume and props to discover how physical choices can reveal an internal character.

Building on these techniques, the second session focuses on transforming character into narrative. We will examine a recognizable story to identify characters, motivations, obstacles, and narrative arcs, then experiment with translating those elements into physical storytelling. Through group play, viewpoints, kinesthetic response, and collaboration, you will explore how movement, character, and physical relationships can communicate a story without relying on words.

Prerequisites:

• Previous performance experience: Participants should have experience performing burlesque, theater, dance, or another movement-based performance art and be familiar with developing and presenting character or narrative onstage.
• Willingness to experiment and receive feedback: Participants should be comfortable stepping outside familiar performance habits, trying new approaches to character and storytelling, and giving and receiving constructive feedback throughout the course.