Burlesque study: £81,878 "to make night-time spaces more inclusive, diverse and safer for all"
Diversity is our strength, after all!
With that £22 billion black hole yet to be plugged by former Bank of England Employee Rachel Reeves, I thought you’d be delighted to find out about another study the UK taxpayer is currently funding - to the tune of £81,878.
Labour may have warned us that painful times are ahead, but I think we can all agree that understanding burlesque comes first on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs!
Thanks to the University of Leeds’ School of Performance & Cultural Industries, soon our society will discover “the complex ways that burlesque instils a sense of self-worth that percolates out beyond the events and the subculture itself.” Tell me more!
The abstract explains that:
By way of film-making testimonies and knowledge exchange the project will share these business and social justice and 'rights' models for inclusivity, recognition and protected space within the subculture and beyond, (with charities, council, GPs, minority interest groups, social justice groups, policing) as extreme co-production in order to generate impactful understanding of self-worth as a community asset.
Good to know the GP will be, err, embedding burlesque practice into appointments… Have I got that right?
Project partners include Burlesque Be Fit UK and House of Allure, as well as other institutions.
Together, no doubt these organisations represent the apex of all human knowledge. At least, when it comes to burlesque.
Burlesque Be Fit UK’s Facebook page:
The abstract continues:
Burlesque creates encouraging, supportive and inclusive community spaces where participants feel a profound sense of wellbeing, which is at times life changing. This sense of wellbeing has significant impact on feelings of self-worth, both in terms of body positivity and confidence - of valuing and gaining agency over one's own body and its worth - but also in terms of belonging - of feeling that one's unique contribution is valued and supported as worthwhile by the group. We discovered whilst undertaking the current research project that these grassroots approaches to safety were valuable and highlighted urgent steps forward that could make night-time spaces safer for all by improving night-time safety initiatives, by informing policing. understandings, by broadening cultural participation and by improving confidence, support and a sense of belonging for other marginalized groups.
How delightful.
Even more fantastic to hear that the “project's approach is systemic change that advocates for a grassroots bottom up rather that top-down approach to regulating and policing spaces and marginalized bodies” and that it will also “make night-time spaces more inclusive, diverse and safer for all.”
Important to know because last week Amy Lamé, London’s much-treasured £132,846 per year Night Czar, stepped down, who had worked hard “to keep the capital safe, vibrant and diverse at night.”
Fear not! Because in March 2025 night-time spaces will be “inclusive, diverse and safer for all” - that’s if they survive the Labour government.
I overheard a conversation at a train station in Northumberland, two youngish academics (must have been a similar age to me, mid 30’s) talking about getting grants for research projects and everything hinged on the DEI questioning/ statements to tick the boxes in their submissions. One of them tentatively said he thought it was a bit weird and almost irrelevant, and I could see the other one was not sure if he should agree or not. You could tell how deep the ideological captures goes they were barely even able to mention it without wincing. A chance encounter as I’m not sure how often those conversations are had.