As the days go by slots to be a part of the The Cheesecake Burlesque Revue weekend are starting to fill up.

The troupe will be coming to the area to put on a special Saturday training event at the Pynelogs Cultural Centre where up to 30 women will have the chance to learn about all the different aspects of burlesque.

Two of the women who have signed up already are Dee Conklin and Donna Chen. Both women are well known business owners in Invermere and Radium Hot Springs who are looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives.

“I am 55-years-old and I wear a turtleneck. I live a serious life. I have serious jobs, I deal with serious issues. I realized I am out here amongst  one of the most beautiful places in the world and I am not sure I am having a whole lot of fun,” said Conklin.

The weekend is part of a birthday celebration for Conklin. “What a wonderful thing to do on my 55th birthday. I will just laugh with the girls and stop worrying about the fact I do not have a 20-year-old body anymore.

Chen said she had to do a little research on the group to find out what burlesque was all about. She said it was Conklin who called her up and asked her if she was interested in taking part in the weekend.

“I was thinking about it as well. I thought to myself I had never done anything that daring before. I kind of thought the same thing, I am here and not having enough fun. What a nice way this is to get out and express yourself,” Chen said.

Both business owners added that people associate them with the businesses they run and who they are outside of the business can get lost. This weekend was a way for them to step out a little bit and have a little girl time with both people they know and some they are looking forward to meeting at the event.

Conklin said that while on the revues website she found a quote that a friend of hers had sent her a few years ago. This was a moment of clarity for Conklin who felt finding the quote made this something that was meant to be.

The saying was “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid sideways, Chardonnay in one hand, chocolate in the other, body  thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WOO HOO, What a Ride’.”

One of the big parts of this type of show is gaining an extra level of confidence in who you are and this is not lost on Chen who said “I think the confidence comes too as women get older we tend to give up on ourselves. We worry so much about how we look. We look at ourselves and it doesn’t look the same. This is a celebration as far as I am concerned when you get to this age and are healthy and have a good life. Why not celebrate who you are.”

Neither women was willing to tell what their burlesque name will be but the thinking was that many great words start with the letter d.

For more information you can contact Debbie Fenton at 250-342-5873 or Jami at Pynelogs 250-342-4423.