MANILA — Boldly dressed in black bikini bottoms, a lacy bra and knee protectors, Filipina call centre agent Chriselle Guno sashays to the beat of Britney Spears'"Toxic", spins and straddles a metal chair.Coach Noreen Claire Efondo teaches the women dance steps and how to move their bodies to the music when standing, sitting on a chair or lying on the floor.Chairlesque is a combination of burlesque and chair dancing, which uses a chair as a centrepiece or prop in choreography.
"I chose this because of the safe space and I feel it allows me to express my emotions more," she said.Ms Noreen Claire Efondo, who runs the chairlesque classes in Manila, began teaching the style in 2017 to help women "feel sexy", challenging Filipino society's taboos around sex. Ms Efondo then teaches the women dance steps and how to move their bodies to the sultry music when standing, sitting on a chair or lying on the floor.
Fellow student Bianca Alvarez, 38, said her husband had initial reservations about her learning the seductive dance style.