Former “Magic Mike” Dancer Wants to Redefine What Sexiness Looks Like on Stage (Exclusive)
Former “Magic Mike” Dancer Wants to Redefine What Sexiness Looks Like on Stage (Exclusive)
Meredith WilshereSat, April 18, 2026 at 10:30 AM UTC
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Locky BrownlieCredit: BTScenesBody -
Locky Brownlie has been dancing for over 20 years and has toured with some of the biggest pop stars, such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez
Now, Brownlie wants to redefine what sexiness looks like on stage
Brownlie created Brolesque to showcase queer artistry and provide dancers with a space to express themselves
Locky Brownlie knows what an audience wants.
Originally from Tasmania, the dancer moved to Los Angeles in 2009 and was later booked to tour with various pop stars, including Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Taylor Swift. In addition to music tours, Browlie was also part of the original Australian Wicked cast and was a background dancer on Glee.
Then, in 2018, between a few gigs, the now 36-year-old joined Magic Mike Live, becoming part of the live dance and acrobatic show known for its hyper-masculine exotic routines.
While the experience allowed Brownlie to expand his talents, he now wants to redefine what sexiness means. The professional dancer tells PEOPLE he wanted to bring an elevated and fun version of burlesque to the audience, using his 16 years of dance experience as guidance.
So, in 2023, he created Brolesque as a way to stretch his creative wings and “see what my aesthetic was gonna be and kind of how my creative input was gonna be into the industry."
“I'd been so lucky that I'd been working job to job, but for dancers, there are those in between jobs that we can do," he explains. "We can do some club gigs, corporate work or some entertainment, elsewhere that's not on these big stages."
Locky BrownlieCredit: BTScenesBody
"I wanted to create something in the queer space that was for dancers in between jobs, where we could join a production that was elevated, allowing us to be our full selves and not hide behind this personality that we have to do when we're dancing with these bigger artists or in these shows where we're playing a character," he adds.
He wanted the characters in his show to be people in the queer community and “highlight that but add campiness to it and playfulness and sexiness.”
“We're strong dancers, we're beautiful bodies. I wanted to highlight that for the queer community and for the dancers that were like me," he shares.
One of the ways he aimed to do this was by leaving behind some of the stereotypical aspects of a traditional burlesque or a Magic Mike-esque show, which often focus on a certain type of masculinity.
He pulled from different sources of inspiration, especially queer art shows, to blend masculinity and femininity, performance and exhibition.
"I take a lot from the Parisian cabaret scene, which is super artistic, clever, very sexy, but very tasteful and classy. Crazy Horse is a huge inspiration of mine," he shares. "There's another show in Paris called Fantasma. The Parisian cabaret scene is really influential into what I'm trying to do with the show."
His upcoming spring edition of Brolesque takes place on April 23 at the Balcon Salon in New York City, and he notes that it is an all-male dance revue blending camp, sensuality and unapologetic queer artistry.
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Brownlie tells PEOPLE the best part of creating the show is seeing the reactions of the dancers.
“I'm making this for them,” he shares.
“They say, ‘I love being a part of the show. I love being able to be myself and to get up on stage and to dance how I wanna dance and to play into these characters and to perform for our community,'" he says. "It feels so great to perform to a room full of men that understand what we're doing. Then it's also really fun to see the women come in, and they're like, 'Yes, this is so cool.' "
The experience, he says, is men “dancing a bit strong, but sexy, touching into their fluid side and also being very strong and masculine.”
The show aims to balance humor, gender fluidity and fun, aiming to create a show that both the audience and dancers enjoy.
“It's the response that I'm getting from both sides, the audience and also the dancers who are a part of the show, that's helping me to continue pushing and striving for the show to keep growing and growing because the reactions are exactly what I was hoping for in the first place,” Brownlie shares.
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He hopes the audience leans into the fun environment and sees that the dancers aren't taking themselves too seriously.
BrolesqueCredit: Leyda Luz
“There's humor in it. There's high-energy choreography, there's production, there's fabulous costumes with rhinestones and sparkle. I want everyone to walk away thinking, ‘That was entertaining. It took me out of reality for a second. I was laughing, I was smiling, I was surprised and wowed and gooped and gagged,'" he shares. "I want them to walk away feeling like they could escape from the world right now and dive into a world that is just very over-the-top camp and just super fun."
“I'm constantly trying to create new ideas, push boundaries, try and do new production tricks, illusions and really try and give the best high-quality production that we can,” Brownlie adds.
Aside from the reaction from dancers and audience members alike, he says seeing all the ideas that he has "mapped out" and spent so much time on finally "come together" has been "very rewarding."
“I love the creative process. It's fun because you can let go and be wild,” Brownlie shares.
The show, he emphasizes, is “honestly for everyone.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
