11th November - Burlesque

We were promised an evening of humour and burlesque and that is exactly what we got!!  We were entertained from start to finish.

You would have thought that the arrival of Ms Cherry Bombe and Ivy Devine, in their exquisite burlesque attire, might have caused a bit of a stir, but the ladies of Hundon WI were not shocked in the least.  In fact, they were rather in awe of the dancers, and one even asked where they could purchase a corset!!

Firstly Lindsey, aka Ms Cherry Bombe, who is a WI President in Chelmsford, gave an account of how her life had changed over the last 10years.  With her children no longer needing to be ferried about, she suddenly found herself at a loose end. To fill her time she enrolled in some craft classes, including dress making whereby she has ended up with 6 sewing machines  and 72 boxes of craft materials! She also tried salsa dancing and burlesque, all the while hoping to make some friends. Then she read that a new WI was opening, and thought that the WI would surely be friendly, so decided to give that a go.

Over 300 ladies went along to the first meeting of the new WI, which was held in Chelmsford Cathedral. Sub-groups such as a book club, wine club, walking group, etc. were soon formed. Lindsey somehow managed to put herself forward to start a Burlesque troupe, called the Bombshells, which is still going strong today. By attending events and giving talks, they have raised thousands of pounds for various charities over the years.  She later formed another burlesque troupe in Canvey Island, which also raises money for charities.

From the references to her northern upbringing to the comical connotations and innuendos, her story was hilarious, but also heartwarming and inspirational.

The evening couldn’t end of course until Ms Cherry Bombe & Ivy Devine had taken to the dance floor and given us a twirl.  They performed two dances before asking if anyone would like to join them for a shimmy at which point the hall suddenly went very quiet.  Alas no one rushed to their feet despite much encouragement.  Perhaps all you need is a different name and a corset before taking that first step!!

Tricia Ager

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