Burlesque Performance speaks for itself for Dancer with Communication Disability

Stunning burlesque dancer Millie Dollar gets her message across with sexy movements and sensual expressions ... but off stage she struggles to communicate because of a condition so rare it doesn't have a name.

The Australian-born 22-year-old grew up in Glasgow struggling with hearing problems. It affected her speech and ability to understand people, but boy can she dance.

Millie, who refuses to reveal her real name, said: "I've never known any different, but it can be frustrating as my speech isn't very good.

"I muddle up words a lot and sometimes I can't get them out properly, or hear what people are asking or saying about me.

"Being on stage is amazing as I can say what I want to through my costumes, routines and dance.

"I've had three operations to get gromits fitted, which improved my hearing vastly.

"My mother has bad hearing so, when I wasn't talking much or responding, she realised why. It is a very rare form, apparently. Hearing seems to have an odd way of deteriorating in my family and it only affects women.

"The condition has no name yet, but there's been talk of it being named after the family." But Millie certainly communicates well on stage because critics love her seductive performances. Even Gwendoline Lamour, one of the world's finest burlesque striptease artistes, is singing her praises.

Millie's hearing loss has not held her back in the glamorous world of burlesque, but it was a big problem in her previous career as a barmaid.

Millie, who is now based in Liverpool, said: "When I was a bartender, it was hell to hear and remember orders, so I got good at memorising long lists of drinks.

"My hearing's been better and I know it will get worse. It can be difficult when talking to people. I struggle slightly face-to-face in a quiet venue. But when it's a loud, busy club, it can be very difficult."

Being a burlesque performer is all about the music and moving with its beat and rhythm, which is a huge challenge for someone with a degenerative hearing loss.

"As long as it's loud enough, I'm fine," said Millie. "I memorise my music as much as I can, but there have been times I've missed my cues because it was too low. It will get worse with age so I'm going to keep performing as long as I can."

Being brought up watching films from the Forties and Fifties, Millie was fascinated by the fashion and glamour of burlesque and admitted: "I went on to practise striptease in my bedroom at a very young age.

"I went to school in Glasgow and have a lot of happy memories there, so I would love the chance to stay there more often."

Her figure is a traditional Fifties hourglass - 34, 24, 34 - similar to that of her screen idols. Although she is petite, Millie is proud of her curves.

But she draws the line at doing a full strip, preferring to hide behind 6ft, jewel-encrusted feather fans in her underwear.

She laughed: "I strip down to tassels and a G-string but would never go further. "I have curves and I like it that way. I hate the pressure girls have gone through over their size.

"Size zero is too extreme and not attractive. I know men like curves."

Millie will be performing in Burlescapades' Springtime In Paris show at the Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, on Saturday.

Its wonderfully named organiser, Miss Boo Boo Bare, of Burlescapades, first spotted Millie on the BBC show for the deaf, See Hear, when it featured burlesque dancing.

She said: "We just had to have her. She is just so beautiful."

With its origins in nineteenth-century music hall and vaudeville, burlesque is a blend of satire, striptease and comedy.

It has experienced a surge in popularity recently, particularly through Dita Von Teese, the exotic dancer and ex-wife of shock rocker Marilyn Manson.

Burlesque re-emerged in the Nineties with shows in New York and Los Angeles.

And there are now regular burlesque nights in Scottish cities and even a workshop in Glasgow's West End where women can learn the techniques and confidence for performance.