Ballet to Burlesque
“Burlesque is as much for me as it is for the audience - I am the power.”
Step into Amelia Campbell’s world of performance, storytelling, and self-discovery.
By Glorious
When you think of burlesque, you probably imagine glittering costumes, perfect choreography, and moody lighting. Not a basement in a theatre. But here we are. “It’s the only place I thought we could speak without interruption,” Amelia Campbell laughs into her screen mid-Zoom call, ready to discuss her journey in burlesque. Though she is known for dazzling performances on stage, there is much more to her story. Her life is full of roles and passions that stretch far beyond burlesque’s feathered fans and rhinestones.
I first met Amelia in a moment of pure coincidence. It was during a Glorious photoshoot with her sister-in-law, Claire Calvert, First Soloist with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Academy of Dance (read here). Amelia had visited the set with her adorable niece and brother, Alexander Campbell, who, at the time, had just finished his tenure as Principal with The Royal Ballet and had recently been appointed as Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance. Mid-shoot, as we sipped lattes between takes, I casually asked if she also danced. She laughed, “Not like this. I do a bit of burlesque.”
A ballet dancer and a burlesque dancer in the same family?! I had to know more.
“I grew up dancing, but ultimately ballet wasn’t for me like it is for my brother. I do love perfoming like him though,” she laughed. It made me think- was dance simply in their blood? How do you get two children from the same family, both raised in an environment where ballet was more than just an art form, but a legacy, and yet one ends up in the world of classical ballet and the other in burlesque?
“I grew up in Sydney, Australia, homeschooled until age 11 by my mum with my older brother, Alexander,” Amelia begins. “Our ballet school was run by my most beloved teacher, Nicholina Kuner, who taught me the value of storytelling and the joy of being on stage. Most importantly, she taught me that there was more than just the steps to consider. Performance was not just about the technical elements. There was another enormous factor: the audience. They are never to be forgotten, and you are responsible for bringing a story to life for them.”
Campbell’s first memory of performing was not one of immediate confidence. “I remember my first solo competition at seven years old. I was so nervous backstage I did not want to perform,” she recalls. “Mrs. Kuner spoke to me and reminded me that my cousin was in the audience. In my head, I could perform just for her. I wiped my water-soaked mascara onto my costume, I had little white mittens on, took a deep breath, and went for it. From that moment, I realised being on stage was not about me. I had a job to do, a story to tell, and it was as much about the audience experiencing something as it was for me.”
She trained in contemporary, ballet, tap, jazz, and national character, teaching the latter by age sixteen at two competing ballet schools in Sydney. “I was still performing in competitions, trying to work out if dance was what I wanted to do long-term. But it slowly became clear that being a professional dancer was not for me. What I did love was being on stage and performing.”
Acting took centre stage. Cast as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at her high school, she committed to pursuing drama full-time, auditioning three times before earning a place at Actors Centre Australia. “That opportunity changed the course of my life. I studied Shakespeare, metaphysical poetry, and fell even more in love with storytelling, understanding characters, and writing.” She founded her first production company, Wheels & Co Productions, and began working with emerging writers, including New York playwright Jacob Marx Rice.
London had always been calling. “My grandparents were dancers with Rambert in the 1950s. My brother moved here young to train at the Royal Ballet School. I always wondered what the city could offer me. So, after years of um’ing and ah’ing, I took the leap.” The timing was impeccably unfortunate. “I arrived in January 2020, just in time for COVID.”
Still, she found her footing. By 2023, she had secured a Global Talent Visa and carved out a space for herself in London’s theatre scene. “I reached out to Jacob Marx Rice about Chemistry, a play I had produced and performed in back in Sydney. I found out it had been done in London at the Finborough Theatre and was put in touch with the director, Alex Howarth. We worked together for years, and I became Executive Producer of Patch of Blue, Alex’s theatre company. Suddenly, I was producing in London and New York and expanding my network of collaborators in ways I never imagined.”
It was this very world of freelance artistry and the thrill of live performance that led her, almost accidentally, to burlesque. “Once London started opening up again, I was keen to get back in the studio. I had done jazz at Pineapple Dance Studios before lockdown, so I checked their site and stumbled across a burlesque class run by House of Burlesque. Heels optional. I had a little showgirl experience from a previous show in Sydney, so I thought, how different could it be?”
The answer: hugely.
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“I entered an ever-expanding world with those classes. I was introduced to the idea that our bodies and ourselves should be celebrated. From that moment on, I wanted more. My curiosity grew. I started training intensively with Tempest Rose, the founder of House of Burlesque. The course covered so much, from technical elements to make-up, costuming, where to find inspiration, how to develop an act, and an entire set of resources to help build your burlesque character. Coming from a dance and acting background, I loved that I could incorporate both aspects into building a performance.”
Burlesque, for Campbell, is more than just another form of performance. When she takes to the stage as her alter ego Mimi Moonlight, it is deeply personal. “Although I had spent my life on stage, burlesque was a new and exhilarating challenge. I feel like I am just at the beginning of my journey, and I am excited to keep discovering what I want to say with my acts.”
Her first act tackled her own experiences with body image in ballet. “I recall the anxiety I felt going through puberty. Suddenly, my body did not fit into a tutu the way it was ‘supposed’ to. The uniformity expected in ballet made me hyper-aware of any change. I wanted to play with the negativity I had experienced in the past and shed it away through an act that allowed me to find celebration in my body and eradicate that fear.”
For Burlesque Idol at The Hippodrome, she made a small but significant change to her costume, one that symbolised everything the act was about. “I can hand sew, but I am not a great costume designer. So I was proud of this—I managed to fashion a way in which I could remove the half-tutu in one swift motion. I had rehearsed the reveal so many times before the show, but even backstage, I kept practising, going over and over it. The moment it came off in one go during the performance was utterly thrilling. And, honestly, a huge relief.”
Burlesque, as she describes it, is often misunderstood. “People assume it is all about striptease. While that can be part of it, it is not just that at all. Another misconception is that it is tailored for the cis-het male gaze. Wrong again. Each performer has their own personality, just like people do in everyday life. We do not all behave the same way. We do not all have the same story to tell.” She points to a brilliant example from her mentor, Tempest Rose. “She has an act where she puts on a pair of jeans in a reverse strip. It is clever, funny, and completely subverts expectations.”
At its core, burlesque is about power. It is about taking ownership of the stage, your body, and your narrative. “Burlesque makes me feel strong and empowered. Even just taking a class and making that time for myself makes me feel more confident. It has helped me see different aspects of myself with kindness and playfulness. And the community is incredible. In London, there is such generosity and acceptance within burlesque. That alone is something special.”
When asked about her creative process, she does not hesitate. “Music! I have always been very musical. I learned several instruments from a young age, and I find music hugely emotional. It is often how I get waves of creative energy. Right now, I am going through a huge Elvis phase and wondering how I can incorporate that into an act!”
Bringing an act to life is a vulnerable process, she admits. “I am reminded of one of my acting teacher’s mantras: fail gloriously. Meaning, in order to have a breakthrough, you have to take the risk. It is not for the faint-hearted.” She recalls a personal breakthrough at Burlesque Salon in Soho. “I had performed the act before, but that night was different. I found a freedom in it. I truly celebrated my body on stage for the first time. I really let go.”
For those curious about burlesque, whether as performers or audience members, her advice is simple: lean in. “If you are thinking about trying it, do it. No matter what happens, it will be worth it. And if you are wondering whether to go watch it, get a group together and go. If you ever have the chance to see artists like Tempest Rose, Demi Noire, Garçon Diamond, Gracie Disgrace, Trixie Kixx, Fou Fou Kaboom or Gigi Juicy, you will be in for an unforgettable night.”
Looking ahead, she has big plans. “I am focused on continuing to audition and growing my production company, Sprig Rose Productions. I recently produced Distant Memories of the Near Future by David Head at The Arcola Theatre, which was a dream project. I am committed to working in the new writing field as an actor and producer. And, of course, I will be spending more time in the studio, experimenting with different burlesque styles and techniques. I want to develop an act that really challenges me as an artist.” And as for burlesque? It is no longer an accident. It is a space where she has found herself.
“Burlesque is as much for me as it is for the audience. I am the power.”
And if there is one thing Amelia Campbell knows how to do, it is own that power.
Follow Amelia’s journey @miacampbell91 / @mimi__moonlight__
Contact Amelia via Leodis Talent
With thanks to photographers Burly Photographer, Ben Wulf and Tempest Rose founder of House of Burlesque, Burlesque Idol UK
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