In trying to connect with herself and find her place, Caona Paulette found burlesque. Now she’s offering heels classes in Yellowknife to give back to the community.
Paulette, whose stage name is Chanel Foxx, was mentored by longtime NWT burlesque performer Stella Gams. The two performed a show together where Paulette described feeling “so nervous” until Gams put Paulette in a Kool-Aid suit.
“I just love that part of it that is just so freeing, to just express yourself in any way – whether that’s really sensual and slow, or super funny and derpy and nerdy,” said Paulette.
Paulette said she struggled to find her place growing up, particularly as an Indigenous woman, but burlesque helped her overcome feeling small.
“If you’re coming from maybe a traumatic place or a misunderstood place, this invites you to challenge that and be like ‘no, I belong here, I belong in this movement and I belong to feel empowered.’ It really was a saving grace for me,” she said.
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Paulette encouraged anyone interested in burlesque to use it as an opportunity to learn about themselves.
“Just giving yourself a chance, and if you see something or you feel something inside of you that you want to chase, to really go for it,” said Paulette.
“There’s no amount of confidence or sensualness, sexiness that you need to be. That is a part of the journey of discovering what that means to you, because it also looks different for everybody.”
Paulette is performing at Glamour Alley at the Underground on July 25. Her next heels class will be offered on July 29 at Collective Soul Space and is free to attend.
The Northern Mosaic Network described the class as a “fun, beginner-friendly dance class exploring movement, sensuality, and self-expression.”
