{"id":807,"date":"2025-10-22T18:43:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T18:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/?p=807"},"modified":"2025-10-22T18:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T18:43:08","slug":"alice-wonders-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/2025\/10\/22\/alice-wonders-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curious Whispers that created Alice Wonders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-x-large-font-size wp-elements-3c527a78a6e57b3dc2e26d7be4eea49b\">The Curious whispers that created Alice Wonders<\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-4353a83a7b99eb090248be52063c9c82\">Beneath every spotlight and every shimmer of glitter lies an untold beginning.<br>Before&nbsp;<em>The Land of Wonders<\/em>&nbsp;came to life, there was simply a woman searching for herself, for freedom, for purpose, for a way to feel again.<br>The&nbsp;Alice Wonders origin&nbsp;is not just about creating a stage persona. It is about rediscovering joy, rebuilding confidence, and remembering what it means to live through art.<br><br>This is the story of how I found her.<br>Or perhaps, how she found me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-362ec2d689dd5679621bc7001a455d5f\"><strong>The spark<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-b4d55a78fd5be0af7929bc18b147115e\">There was a time when the world around me had gone silent.<br>I did not plan to create Alice Wonders. She appeared quietly, like a whisper in the dark.<br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>I sat there thinking,&nbsp;<em>I want that<\/em>.<br>Not just the glitter or the costumes, but that freedom. That sense of belonging in your own skin.<br>I wasn\u2019t that woman yet, but I wanted to be.<br><br>The desire wasn&#8217;t new. I was 11 when I first saw&nbsp;<em>Moulin Rouge!<\/em>&nbsp;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&#8217;t ready to show Alice to the world. But when it finally happened, everything clicked into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-c9be1ffe413f5a27032da48274d03c9e\"><strong>The first whisper of Alice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-a3a03bf1fe9db07e25bb8d2a002e9395\">I knew then that I wanted to create something, someone, that embodied what I longed for.<br>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\u2019t yet say.<br><br>Her name came naturally.<br>One of my favorite books has always been&nbsp;<em>Alice in Wonderland<\/em>. The story of a girl stepping into another world, curious and brave. The name \u201cAlice\u201d felt like home, close to my real name, but freer, softer.<br>\u201cWonders\u201d 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.<br><br>At first, she was just an idea, a reflection of who I wanted to become. She was a mask.<br>A way to perform with confidence, to hide my fragility behind sequins and smiles.<br>But somewhere between the stage lights and the silence backstage, I realized something else.<br><br>I created Alice, but sometimes I feel she created me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_3658-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Alice Wonders performing on the edge of Veilmoon Forest\" class=\"wp-image-888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_3658-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_3658-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_3658-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_3658-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_3658-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-3aa1fd600ea830abd1013765d0c7a12f\"><strong>The awakening<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-a22bebab6a27bb4af95671ee3fca09d5\">The first time I stepped onto the stage for Alice\u2019s debut act was thrilling, and terrifying. It was at Boom Chicago during the Student Showcase. A course with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rasa-lila.nl\/amsterdamschoolofburlesque\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.rasa-lila.nl\/amsterdamschoolofburlesque\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amsterdam School of Burlesque<\/a>, 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.<br><br>I wanted everyone to meet Alice and experience that feeling of pure freedom. Because that&#8217;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.<br><br>When I stepped onto the stage for the first time as Alice, I didn\u2019t feel like I was performing. I felt like I was&nbsp;remembering. The doubts and fears just fell away. There was no separation between us. On stage, I wasn\u2019t the anxious, doubting version of myself. I was curious, playful, sensual, and alive. Alice didn\u2019t question her worth. She didn\u2019t shrink. She didn\u2019t apologize for taking up space.<br><em>It wasn\u2019t just an act, it was a&nbsp;becoming.<\/em><br><br>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&nbsp;reflected back: people smiling, cheering, connecting, softening. For a few wild minutes, we shared the same dream.<br><br>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\u2019s when I knew this was more than a performance; it was&nbsp;storytelling, it was a kind of healing, a quiet rebellion.<br><br>Alice became the part of me that had always been waiting to wake up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-728771183ba73036f87cf77755fe8b9a\"><strong>The Land of Wonders unf<\/strong>urls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-0af5707218992fc178410175a37f8bad\">The&nbsp;Land of Wonders&nbsp;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?<br><br>At first, it was just a feeling: the scent of peonies and ylang-ylang in the air,&nbsp;twilight that never fades, and a quiet hum of magic beneath the trees.<br>Over time, the places revealed themselves:&nbsp;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.<br><br>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&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"669\" src=\"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2025-09-30-om-12.50.18-1024x669.png\" alt=\"The Land of Wonders with VeilMoon Forest and Moonlit Butterflies\" class=\"wp-image-105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2025-09-30-om-12.50.18-1024x669.png 1024w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2025-09-30-om-12.50.18-300x196.png 300w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2025-09-30-om-12.50.18-768x502.png 768w, https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scherm\u00adafbeelding-2025-09-30-om-12.50.18.png 1494w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-1cb96dc2594fe88e2335614187e884b1\"><strong>Alice as my teacher<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-e6d2d597672b6deb9df0fe595aab0230\">Looking back, I see that&nbsp;Alice was my way of healing.&nbsp;She pulled me out of darkness, not by erasing it, but by teaching me to dance with it.<br><br>Alice became my mirror, my muse, my teacher. She reminded me that beauty isn\u2019t perfection, it\u2019s&nbsp;presence. That strength doesn\u2019t come from control, but from&nbsp;surrender.<br>Through her, I learned that beauty is born in contrast: between innocence and desire, fear and courage, light and shadow.<br><br>When I move as Alice, I am not escaping. I am&nbsp;returning&nbsp;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&nbsp;light&nbsp;the kind of light you only find when you\u2019ve been lost long enough to crave it.<br><br>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\u2019s the beauty of it. I can&#8217;t wait what Alice is going to show me, what I&#8217;ll be able to learn from her, and what places I discover next.<br><br>Thank you for reading my story and the moment before the first curtain rose.<br>Now the pages turn, and&nbsp;<em>Alice Wonders<\/em>&nbsp;will take you by the hand to explore her world of magic, mystery, and awakening.<br><br>With love,<br>Lisa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-fbe339aca29643359ff52c6e83be6d8a\"><strong>Explore with me<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-colibri-color-6-color has-colibri-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-2f94aff71838a118db587dbd0c3d9c6a\">If you want to explore the stories that live within&nbsp;<em>The Land of Wonders<\/em>, follow Alice on her journey. Each act, each performance, is another doorway waiting to open.<br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/land-of-wonders\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"208\">Explore the Land of Wonders<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/burlesque-acts\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"447\">Discover Alice\u2019s acts and stories<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alicewonders.showgirl\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alicewonders.showgirl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Connect with Alice on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beneath every spotlight and every shimmer of glitter lies an untold beginning.Before&nbsp;The Land [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13,14,12,15],"class_list":["post-807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-behind-the-veil","tag-alice-wonders","tag-burlesque","tag-land-of-wonders","tag-the-origin-story"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/409654582_740451691449325_8853564929801678263_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":894,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807\/revisions\/894"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alicewonders.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}