Brown Girls Burlesque Presents Culture Classics!

Burlesque is a hot topic right now especially with the unimaginative and sensational "Burlesque" movie starring Cher and Christina Aguilera set to hit theaters later this year. But burlesque is hardly a new phenomenon. Just ask the ladies of Brown Girls Burlesque (BGB), a women of color theatrical troupe, founded in 2007 to create a space for women of color to express their individual stories from a cultural perspective that is often left out of the mainstream burlesque scene. They are proudly presenting their 3rd annual spectacular, Culture Classics (A United Nations of Burlesque), this Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23 at the Kumble Theater at Long Island University in Brooklyn.
I had the transformational opportunity to study with these ladies this summer, and in the spirit of self-disclosure, I am doing some stage managing for this event. Let me honestly say how I am in awe of their ability to storytell using sass, sex, and satire. This is not just about women stripping and strutting but they are making statements and exploring issues such as colonization and the otherness of the immigrant, the Brown Paper bag boundaries of Blackness, the Filipina mail order bride, and a Creole woman’s knack for enterprise, among others. The production also includes capoeira, poetry and aerial silks performances from some of the finest artists in NYC. For the grand finale, the ladies of BGB perform a Congolese Can-Can dance with ornate costumes designed by BGB core member Dame Cuchifrita and made by "The Ladies of the Room Bali," a cooperative group of talented Balinese seamstresses. This is truly an international production honoring women and our myriad of experiences.
Today is the final day to get discounted tickets for $20 before they go up to $25. It is well worth it, you will certainly be wowed, entertained and aroused. Be sure to support these brilliant and beautiful ladies as they pay homage to brown women around the world! Check out this video for more information about Brown Girls Burlesque and Culture Classics.

Sci-Fi Burlesque: The Next Nerdy Frontier

The Star Trek convention may have some stiff competition. The self-proclaimed nerdy burlesque dancer and producer Penny Starr, Jr. has created a niche in the burlesque community with her "Supernova A Go-Go Burlesque Show" sci-fi burlesque series. She has been performing in Los Angeles and San Diego for over six years and now is bringing her stage show to home audiences with her upcoming DVD of the same title.

Dancer "Bebe Firely" who plays the "Orion slave girl" reflects on her sci-fi shimmying: "When I become green, I become a different person. Both guys and girls love it. They're fascinated by the whole persona. It's like you're a celebrity." I'm sold.

Check out the full story on AOL "Weird News" and be sure to watch the clip of the "Three Leias." It's delightful whether or not you're a Star Wars fan! (Sidenote: I'm not entirely sure what makes this "weird" news but apparently I'm nerdy that way too!)

You Gotta Have A Gimmick

Set yourself apart from the rest of the pack - get a gimmick.

Can't see the video? Click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRSawe33sA

Private Dancer: Lovers Rock

A gorgeous fan dancer performing a classic burlesque strip tease.

Something to view at Lovers Rock New York City on Monday, February 8th at Norwood.

RSVP is a requirement: NYLOVERSROCK@LADIESLOTTO.COM

Explore the Art of Burlesque

Thirsty Girl & Pontani Sisters Productions and Secrets In Lace present the 6th Annual New York Burlesque Festival September 18th - 21st at four of Gotham’s most glamorous venues! The New York Burlesque Festival is the largest and most adored burlesque event in the world, attracting sold-out crowds and performers who flock to the city from all over the globe. Last year over 2,000 satisfied customers attended this stellar weekend event and it is projected that the 2008 spectacular will have even more! Get ready to feast your eyes on the largest variety of bedazzling entertainment - from the traditional striptease artist to aerialists, hula hoopers to choreographed dance troupes, cutting edge bands to funky DJs, and a fashion show sponsored world famous lingerie designer, Secrets in Lace.

Friday, September 19th at The Bell House (149 7th Street btw 2nd and 3rd Street, Bklyn)
Hosted by Scotty The Blue Bunny

Saturday, September 20th at Le Poisson Rouge ( 158 Bleeckert Street)
Hosted by Murray Hill

Sunday, September 21st at SOB Nightclub ( 204 Varick Street @ W. Houston)
Hosted By Miss Astrid

More info click here

The Sex Workers' Art Show Tour is coming to your town!

L-R: The World Famous *BOB*, Keva I. Lee, Kirk Read

The Sex Workers' Art Show Tour is coming to your town!

The show is an eye-popping evening of visual and performance art created by people who work in the sex industry to dispel the myth that they are anything short of artists, innovators, and geniuses!

The wildly successful cabaret-style show is hitting the road again, bringing audiences a blend of spoken word, music, drag, burlesque, and multimedia performance art. Intelligent and hot, disturbing and hilarious, the performances offer a wide range of perspectives on sex work, from celebration of prostitutes' rights and sex-positivity to views from the darker sides of the industry.

This year's incredible lineup of performers includes international burlesque sensation and winner of the “Best Body in Burlesque” award, Miss Dirty Martini; infamous feminist author of I Love Dick Chris Kraus; award-winning author of the coming-out memoir How I Learned to Snap, Kirk Read; porn star and writer Lorelei Lee; performance artist and comic queen of cleavage The World Famous *BOB*; performer and musical theatre mutineer Erin Markey; fierce activist and rapper Tre Vasquez; internationally infamous drag-subverter Krylon Superstar; dominatrix and destroyer of Asian feminine mythology Keva I. Lee; and tour founder and director Annie Oakley.

Special guest at select locations: platinum-selling hip-hop queen Trina! WHAT!??? The baddest bitch is on board?

The show includes people from all areas of the sex industry: strippers, prostitutes, dommes, film stars, phone sex operators, internet models, etc. It smashes traditional stereotypes and moves beyond "positive" and "negative" into a fuller articulation of the complicated ways sex workers experience their jobs and their lives. The Sex Workers' Art Show entertains, arouses, and amazes while simultaneously offering scathing and insightful commentary on notions of class, race, gender, labor and sexuality!

"The Sex Workers' Art Show is not simply a display of those in the sex industry... but an active force in articulating, shaping, and contesting the meaning of the identity "sex worker" in the public sphere" --Theatre Journal

"Annie Oakley doesn't need a gun. She's armed with fierce creativity, political passion, big brains and exquisite sexiness. As the Sex Workers' Art Show's director, Oakley leads a brilliant crew which serves up whore culture at its most delicious and satisfying." --Annie Sprinkle, Phd

Click HERE for a tour schedule.