Photo by SinnStax
This is Nini
“The Baiting Big-Haired Bombshell of Burlesque”
Nini Rebeck (she/her) is a pole, go-go, belly dance, and burlesque performer inspired by sirens and bombshells throughout history. She is a lover of art and adores loud prints, fishnets, and big hair.
Passionate about working the floor and flowing low on the pole, Nini enjoys finding sensual pathways influenced by her belly dance, salsa, samba, and ballet training. Knowing firsthand how shame and body negativity can limit us, her goal as a performer is to inspire liberation and seductive creativity in others.
Nini loves both the camera and live audiences, and has performed in cabarets, variety shows, and pole/aerial productions along the northeast coast. She uses her knowledge of African diasporic dance styles to share stories of sensual awakening through the art of Burlesque.
In Her Own Words…
Movement & Performance Philosophy
I have always been drawn to carnal movements and dance practices that center around the motion of the hips. Over the past 15 years I have studied many of these dance styles, including raqs sharqi (belly dance), salsa, soca, bachata, Brazilian samba, hula, twerk, heels dance, and ‘old-school style’ pole dance.
In many dance spaces like pole, belly dance, and burlesque, I have often encountered the sentiment that certain movements (and certain types of movers) are “classier” while others are “trashier” or more “vulgar.” These attitudes are frequently motivated by racial and/or economic stereotypes, pitting one dance or dancer against another and establishing a sort of class system among dance styles.
Rejecting these limiting beliefs, I choose to celebrate and weave together many styles. My goal is to peel back the layers of burlesque and pole dance, exposing the roots and continued influence of black shake dancers and strippers. I want to inspire others to embrace the more provocative styles that can co-exist within dance forms like belly dance or aerial artistry.
Learn more about Nini’s personal values and boundaries:
Read Nini’s story in more detail in her Canvas Rebel interview:
