Portsmouth beauty business owner discovers joy of burlesque during lockdown and sets up new Portsmouth classes

A BURLESQUE dance teacher from Portsmouth will be taking part in a worldwide dance challenge to mark the launch of her new dance fitness classes.
By Kimberley Barber
Published 21st Apr 2021, 16:37 BST
Updated 21st Apr 2021, 16:45 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.
Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.

Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja, will be participating in the World Burlesque dance challenge with 55 countries online on Monday, which is also World Burlesque Day.

She is also officially launching her Starlesque dance fitness class, which she has created as a way of promoting the benefits of the dance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Nicole created her alter-ego Diosa Roja as a way to escape when she was feeling depressed.

Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.
Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.
Read More
Family-run dessert shop Utopia opens in Fareham - selling Biscoff gelato, Bueno ...

She has since graced the stage in venues all across the UK including The Edinburgh Fringe, Brixton Academy, Camden Palace and The Sassy Cabaret in Brighton.

During lockdown, Nicole said her mental health started to suffer and she was heartbroken when she had to shut her health and beauty business due to Covid-19.

She knew how much dance would boost her mood, so she searched for an online burlesque class where she could practice and connect with other women.

Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.
Nicole Sakarra, who performs under the name Diosa Roja.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Nicole said it was her saving grace, as being able to dance again and connect with other women lifted her mood and boosted her confidence,

She said: ‘Burlesque classes were my saving grace and stopped my depression from spiralling and gave me a new lease of life with confidence and more self belief.

‘I literally started dancing for my life.’

SEE ALSO: Gosport craft shop reopens in bigger premises after growing in popularity

After seeing first-hand how powerful these classes were, she decided to become a burlesque dance teacher and she joined Starlesque Isle of Wight and Portsmouth as a instructor.

She was mentored by Sapphira, the founder of World Burlesque Day and author of Burlesque or Bust.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sapphira said: ‘When Diosa Roja joined my business mentoring courses, we realised we both had a passion for burlesque and that we had connections with Copnor which is where my family comes from, too.

'With our shared experiences of mental health struggles being alleviated by dancing, we have really connected on Zoom together every week to brainstorm ways to get this transformational dance class to more people to help them in lockdown talking with other dance school owners in the group, we realised taking dance classes online has been one of the best solutions.'

The classes start on May 18 via Zoom and on May 19 and 20 at the Somerstown Community Hub. For more go to facebook.com/StarlesqueUK/

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.

Related topics:Portsmouth

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.