The Value of Burlesque

Bacon Merkin

In an age where you could Google for 30 seconds and see any sexual antic you please and where you can watch a girl ‘pop her pussy’ on stage for 20 minutes without more than a cost of a beer – why would you pay to go see burlesque? A performance where the closest to full nudity you’ll see is a pair of tiny pasties and if you are really lucky a merkin.

First of all, I want to state that I am a fan of strippers and pornography for the most part. In fact, burlesque dancers are strippers – we both strip but there are differences. I am not saying that burlesque performers are any better than the women that work at strip clubs and porn, I’m just saying that there is so much value in burlesque as an audience member and it provides such a different type of entertainment than strip bars and xxx flicks.

If you just want to gawk at a naked woman and that’s it then burlesque isn’t for you. If you just want to see Victoria Secret model bodies then burlesque is not for you either. So, don’t come to a show expecting that because you will be disappointed. In burlesque a nearly naked woman is usually (not always) the pay off of a comedic, dramatic, cute (insert description here) dance performed by women (and men) of all shapes and sizes whose confidence usually oozes off the stage and captures the audience.

Vermilion and I performing burlesque duo.

Burlesque is all about the tease and the reveal. I like to think of burlesque performances as little skits with characters, plot lines and costumes being just as important as that final pastie shot. Burlesque also isn’t all about the naked person on stage, it’s not all about the performer – it’s about the audience. Audience interaction is one of the biggest differences in burlesque – the goal is to make you feel something other than a boner.

I could go on and on about what I personally believe burlesque is and what it gives to an audience, the best way to find out is to head to ashow and gather your own opinion.

Burlesque is a form of entertainment that knows no bounds and that truly is the appeal.

Burlesque for The Cure

On behalf of The VanDolls, I am very proud to announce The VanDolls last burlesque event of the season as a complete troupe:

Burlesque for The Cure will take place on Thursday, April 21st (it's a long weekend so no excuses!) at the legendary Penthouse in downtown Vancouver. We are very excited for this event, not only do we get to perform at The Penthouse but we get to raise money for Doll Sherry Hymen to represent The Dolls at The Weekend to End Women's Cancers. In fact, 100% of the proceeds of this event go directly to the cause.

The Dolls are working very hard on new numbers to debut at this show so don't miss out! Tickets are available now!

Buy Tickets & More Information.

Burlesque + Hip Hop = Eeekk...Stripper?

Since my only performance in the burlesque world was been a comedic piece, I wanted to try my hand at something a bit sexier. I have my first burlesque gig on December 11th in Surrey (Come watch! Contact me for tickets). It's a Vaudeville show with pro wrestling, metal bands and burlesque and as I picture the crowd as little bit rougher than that at the Wise Hall I thought spicy is the way to go!

Before burlesque, I loved hip-hop dancing. Something about the hard hits and upbeat music is so much fun, I wasn't great at it but I was good enough to enjoy it. So, for my performance on the 11th I wanted to combine my new love for burlesque with my old love of hip-hop. The song I've chosen is Crawl by Kings of Leon, a song that I personally think oozes sexiness on its own. The costume is all black, with bits of leather and spikes, a very 'hard' look.

I've choreographed most of the number and I love it. However, I fear that maybe... just maybe... the costume, the song and the hip hop influence may give off a stripper vibe? Or maybe I am fearful of trying to be sexy when I haven't convinced myself that I have the ability to? I would love to know if any other burlesque dancers out there have done a number of this effect or have ever had this fear? I don't feel like a stripper doing it but I just...don't know.

Would love to hear thoughts and advice!

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