Private Gig - Witches Ball & Workshop at the Shrine

Peels Of Emotion…
Connecting Chakras, Reveals, & Confidence

Walking into the space where I had been invited to teach a sample of my Peels of Emotion class was both exciting and a little intimidating. While I’ve taught movement and burlesque before, this was my first time leading Peels of Emotion with a group made up entirely of people who were not burlesque performers. I wasn’t sure what to expect.
But the moment we began to connect, everything shifted. We grounded ourselves, centered our energy, and allowed ourselves to explore without judgment. Together, we created something truly beautiful.
Experiencing my class through the eyes of people who had never stepped onto a burlesque stage reminded me of the beginning of my own journey. Their openness, curiosity, and willingness to embrace the experience encouraged me to slow down and see the practice from a fresh perspective. Watching their confidence grow throughout the workshop was incredibly moving.
As we wandered through the forest in the heat of a Tennessee July afternoon, exploring the chakras through movement and mindfulness, something unforgettable happened. A large black snake calmly slithered across our path. Rather than feeling afraid, it felt symbolic—as if the goddesses themselves were reminding us that transformation often appears when we are fully present. In that moment, it felt like the class and the teacher had found one another exactly as they were meant to.
By the end of our walk, we had connected not only with ourselves, but also with one another, the earth beneath our feet, and the energy surrounding us. We practiced a simple piece of choreography, strutting with confidence down the path, and every participant embraced it with courage, joy, and authenticity. They showed up fully, and it was absolutely magical to witness.
Truly grateful to those who attended and gifted me the opportunity to connect my world of Burlesque with yours. Till we meet again.
Love & Purest Light,
XoXo, Ms Sapphire Ivy


“The Witches Ball Connection to Burlesque”

When I was invited to perform at the Witches Ball, I was beyond excited. As someone whose personal spiritual practice is deeply woven into my everyday life, the opportunity to combine my love of burlesque with my witchcraft felt incredibly meaningful. It wasn’t just another performance—it was an opportunity to create something that honored both sides of who I am.
The one thing that truly challenged me was the length of the act. Fifteen minutes? My first thought was, “Okay… let’s do this!” Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I sat with the challenge and asked myself what story wanted to be told.
Knowing that many people in the audience may have never experienced burlesque before, I wanted to create an act that felt welcoming and familiar. While we may have come from different paths, I knew we shared one beautiful thing in common: a reverence for spirituality and the energy that connects us all.
Because the Witches Ball took place in July, around the Sabbat of Lammas, I centered my performance around honoring the God and celebrating the abundance, transformation, and fire of the season. Every movement, every reveal, and every transition was created with intention. I wanted the performance to feel sensual, powerful, sacred, and deeply connected to the energy we were all sharing in that room.
The soundtrack became its own ritual. I opened with “Caves” by CLANN, flowed into Aurora’s “Runaway,” transitioned into “Sexual (Afterlife Version)” by Amber, and closed with Sade’s timeless “Is It a Crime.” Together, those four pieces carried the audience through a seventeen-minute journey that felt both intimate and expansive.
One of my favorite details was incorporating my chakra reveals throughout the act. Earlier that day, I had taught attendees in my Peels of Emotion workshop how I use reveals that represent the chakras as part of storytelling in burlesque. I challenged them to watch closely during my performance to see if they could identify each chakra reveal as it happened. Judging by their reactions afterward, I think they would all agree—I earned an A+.
What I’ll remember most, though, wasn’t the choreography or even the standing ovation. It was the feeling in the room. The energy between the audience and the performers, the shared spirituality, the laughter, the reverence, and the willingness to experience something together created a kind of magic that can’t be rehearsed. It was one of those rare performances where everything simply aligned.
Receiving a standing ovation was an incredible honor, and we were deeply grateful to be so generously compensated for our work. More than anything, I left feeling profoundly thankful—to the organizers who trusted us with this experience, to every person who shared their energy with us that evening, and especially to my fellow Black Shawl Cabaret troupe member, Darling Devy. Sharing that stage with her, surrounded by such an incredible community, is a memory I will carry with me for a very long time.

Thoughts of Daring Devy “I think what stood out to me most was just how unique the entire experience was. There was something incredibly special about performing in a space filled with such warm, spiritual energy—it created a connection with the audience that felt different from any other show. I was also amazed by how many people traveled long distances to attend, and it was especially exciting to hear visitors from larger cities express how impressed they were with our community and the show. The audience was so kind and welcoming, and one of my favorite moments was how many people stayed afterward just to chat and share their thoughts. On a more personal level, the opportunity to create and perform a classic, long-form burlesque act was both a challenge and an incredibly rewarding artistic experience.”

In Conclusion… The Witches Ball reminded me that burlesque can be more than entertainment.
It can be ritual.
It can be devotion.
It can be healing.
And when those elements come together with an open-hearted audience, the result is pure magic.

Love and Purest Light,
XoXo, Ms Sapphire Ivy