This post was written by DCist contributor Salima Appiah-Kubi.
Warning: Some links contain nude photographs.
This Saturday some of the leading ladies of modern burlesque will be taking it off for a good cause. Warehouse Theater will present Burlesque…As It Was, a night of classic striptease benefiting the Exotic World Burlesque Museum and Hall of Fame in Helendale, California.
Produced by Kitty Victorian, the force behind much of D.C.’s burlesque scene, the benefit will help finance the museum’s move to Las Vegas. The museum, started by former dancer Jenny Lee, holds a vast collection of burlesque memorabilia, from Gypsy Rose Lee’s opera gloves to a heart-shaped couch owned by Jayne Mansfield. The site also plays host to the Miss Exotic World Pageant every Memorial Day weekend.
Victorian will be joined by several sexy sultresses of the stage, including Bloody Belle, Miss Indigo Blue, and Nasty Canasta. “The burlesque community is very tight knit. You meet people going around, doing shows, networking,” said Victorian on putting together the line-up. “It’s just such a great benefit that people want to give.”
Winner of a Golden Pastie from the New York Burlesque Festival, Nasty Canasta inserts a little performance art in her striptease. The show’s biggest name, however, is Miss Indigo Blue. First runner-up at the last Jenny Lee Tassel Twirling Contest (think: baton twirling, but for the voluptuous and bouncy), the sultry dancer is known for turning the silly into sexy with an act that pays homage to pop culture icons like Wonder Woman. Get jigg-ly with Miss Indigo on Saturday afternoon during her master class in tassels. And forget the bra – you don’t want to get a cramp!
These contemporary ecdysiasts will be performing classic burlesque routines in the style of Gypsy Rose Lee, Lily St. Cyr and Baltimore burlesque legend Blaze Starr, some of the many women celebrated by the museum.
“Expect Las Vegas-type style,” Victorian said. “Feathers, glamour, rhinestones and classic tease.”
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
