'Burlesque is a place to talk sex and wellbeing'

Dr Audrey Tang is a chartered psychologist and an instructor in the dance with often risqué routines

A psychologist has said burlesque classes can be "a place to talk about sexuality, sex and wellbeing".

Dr Audrey Tang, based in Northampton, is an instructor in burlesque dancing, alongside her professional role and charity work.

She is holding a "burlesque-a-thon" this Friday to raise money for the CLICK Arts Foundation, which gives grants to cultural projects in Northamptonshire.

"Burlesque is a safe space for people to come into," she said.

Dr Tang described her burlesque class as "a sisterhood"

The dance is associated with glamorous stage performances and often risqué routines, which Dr Tang said was "empowering".

She told BBC Radio Northampton: "We welcome men and women [but] it is mainly women over the age of 30 and it's a great place to be able to connect with each other, to talk with each other and get that support, which they may not find elsewhere, and to be yourselves.

"What is lovely is some of my girls are bringing out clothes that they do not dare to wear every day and they look sensational when they come to class."

'Sense of intimacy'

Dr Tang is a chartered psychologist as well as a writer and broadcaster on mental health and said the classes were more than just dancing.

She said: "[Burlesque] is a place to talk about sexuality, sex and wellbeing.

"I work with a lot of other chartered psychologists and therapists and one of the key things that we recognised was that although sex is something we can live without, it is not something that we think about as important to our wellbeing.

"Because of that it is so important to have that connection, that intimacy, and burlesque allows you to have that sense of touch, that sense of intimacy, that sense of being able to talk about things."

Dr Tang has written three psychology books and also hosts a wellbeing podcast

Dr Tang's five-hour "burlesque-a-thon", at St Crispin Community Centre in Northampton, is due to start at 16:30 BST and will raise funds for the CLICK charity that she founded in 2023.

She said the aim of the foundation was "to give grants to grassroots arts projects which build wellbeing and inclusivity".

"A lot of these projects are about making theatre accessible, not just for audiences, but for the people who can be involved in it as well," she added.