The Curious whispers that created Alice Wonders

Beneath every spotlight and every shimmer of glitter lies an untold beginning.
Before The Land of Wonders came to life, there was simply a woman searching for herself, for freedom, for purpose, for a way to feel again.
The Alice Wonders origin is not just about creating a stage persona. It is about rediscovering joy, rebuilding confidence, and remembering what it means to live through art.

This is the story of how I found her.
Or perhaps, how she found me.

The spark

There was a time when the world around me had gone silent.
I did not plan to create Alice Wonders. She appeared quietly, like a whisper in the dark.
At the time, when I was 22, I was lost in a heavy fog of depression and burnout. Everything felt distant. I no longer recognised the woman in the mirror, and the things that once brought me joy had turned silent. Until one day, I decided to dance again.

I started performing as a freestyle dancer in clubs, slowly remembering what it felt like to move, to feel music vibrate through my skin. One night, before the club opened, there was a burlesque show. I watched as these women stepped onto the stage; confident, radiant, utterly in control. They owned their bodies, their stories, their space.

I sat there thinking, I want that.
Not just the glitter or the costumes, but that freedom. That sense of belonging in your own skin.
I wasn’t that woman yet, but I wanted to be.

The desire wasn’t new. I was 11 when I first saw Moulin Rouge! and was captivated by the dancing, the costumes, the storytelling, the fun they had on that stage, and the glamour. When I first saw burlesque at 22, I fell completely in love. Yet, it took 11 years, until I was 33, before I finally dared to step onto the stage. I had followed courses and watched countless shows, but I wasn’t ready to show Alice to the world. But when it finally happened, everything clicked into place.

The first whisper of Alice

I knew then that I wanted to create something, someone, that embodied what I longed for.
I wanted to be playful, sensual, and unapologetically myself. And so, I began to imagine a character who lived without fear, who could dance through both light and shadow. A persona who could carry everything I couldn’t yet say.

Her name came naturally.
One of my favorite books has always been Alice in Wonderland. The story of a girl stepping into another world, curious and brave. The name “Alice” felt like home, close to my real name, but freer, softer.
“Wonders” came next, as a wordplay. A word that held everything I was searching for: curiosity, awe, and the beauty of small things and getting lost.

At first, she was just an idea, a reflection of who I wanted to become. She was a mask.
A way to perform with confidence, to hide my fragility behind sequins and smiles.
But somewhere between the stage lights and the silence backstage, I realized something else.

I created Alice, but sometimes I feel she created me.

The awakening

The first time I stepped onto the stage for Alice’s debut act was thrilling, and terrifying. It was at Boom Chicago during the Student Showcase. A course with the Amsterdam School of Burlesque, with fairy-godmother guidance of Flora Gattina and Dark Salty Coco. Alice was the first act; I opened the show. The adrenaline and nerves raced through my body, I was scared, but I wanted it so badly.

I wanted everyone to meet Alice and experience that feeling of pure freedom. Because that’s how I felt on stage: amazing, completely in my element, entirely myself, without a single excuse to hold back and just letting Alice be Alice.

When I stepped onto the stage for the first time as Alice, I didn’t feel like I was performing. I felt like I was remembering. The doubts and fears just fell away. There was no separation between us. On stage, I wasn’t the anxious, doubting version of myself. I was curious, playful, sensual, and alive. Alice didn’t question her worth. She didn’t shrink. She didn’t apologize for taking up space.
It wasn’t just an act, it was a becoming.

She moved because she had something to say, not in words, but in energy, rhythm, and emotion. And when I looked into the crowd, I could see that energy reflected back: people smiling, cheering, connecting, softening. For a few wild minutes, we shared the same dream.

Each performance taught me something new about myself. She showed me how to take up space, to celebrate imperfection, to love my body as a living, breathing instrument of expression. That’s when I knew this was more than a performance; it was storytelling, it was a kind of healing, a quiet rebellion.

Alice became the part of me that had always been waiting to wake up.

The Land of Wonders unfurls

The Land of Wonders began as a daydream, a realm that existed somewhere between fantasy and self-discovery. It was born from a simple idea: what if every story and every manifestation connected to the same world?

At first, it was just a feeling: the scent of peonies and ylang-ylang in the air, twilight that never fades, and a quiet hum of magic beneath the trees.
Over time, the places revealed themselves: VeilMoon Forest, The Wondrous Well, New CrescentMoon City, and the shadows that guard her heart. Each corner, every strange creature, reflected a part of her journey and in some way, mine too.

In this world, nothing is quite as it seems. Everything is alive with meaning. Alice was no longer just a figure in a spell; she became a universe. She moves through it like a mirror, discovering new pieces of herself in every story. Through her, I built a home for my imagination.

Alice as my teacher

Looking back, I see that Alice was my way of healing. She pulled me out of darkness, not by erasing it, but by teaching me to dance with it.

Alice became my mirror, my muse, my teacher. She reminded me that beauty isn’t perfection, it’s presence. That strength doesn’t come from control, but from surrender.
Through her, I learned that beauty is born in contrast: between innocence and desire, fear and courage, light and shadow.

When I move as Alice, I am not escaping. I am returning to myself, to the wonder I lost, to the softness that still lives beneath the scars. I often say that Alice Wonders was born from darkness, but really, she was born from light the kind of light you only find when you’ve been lost long enough to crave it.

Alice Wonders is more than a name. She is my reminder that even from the deepest silence, something beautiful can emerge. And that sometimes, to find yourself, you must first step into a world of your own making. She continues to grow, just like I do. And maybe she will never be complete. But neither will I, and that’s the beauty of it. I can’t wait what Alice is going to show me, what I’ll be able to learn from her, and what places I discover next.

Thank you for reading my story and the moment before the first curtain rose.
Now the pages turn, and Alice Wonders will take you by the hand to explore her world of magic, mystery, and awakening.

With love,
Lisa.

Explore with me

If you want to explore the stories that live within The Land of Wonders, follow Alice on her journey. Each act, each performance, is another doorway waiting to open.

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