This post is coming, in part, from two articles written recently about burlesque. The first is the ‘State of the (Burlesque) Union Address’ from last year’s BurlyCon, as given by Miss Astrid, producer of the long-running Va Va Voom Room (LA, NY, SF), Velvet Hammer alum, and emcee for, among other events, the annual Burlesque Hall of Fame pageant.

(http://www.21stcenturyburlesque.com/miss-astrid-state-of-the-union-address/)

And the other is a tiered system proposed by Chicago impresario, Red Hot Annie of Vaudezilla Productions, producer of the Windy City Burlesque Fest, to determine the levels of performers and their skill sets, and subsequent rates of pay.

(http://redhotannie.livejournal.com/739150.html)

These two articles have opened a conversation about what determines a ‘professional’ burlesque dancer versus a ‘hobbyist’. And it has very little to do with money…

Some people have taken issue with the word ‘hobbyist’. Perhaps ‘amateur’ is the better choice. But no matter the word, we should be looking at the overriding characteristic that defines a ‘non-professional’ versus a ‘professional’. In my long and varied career as a burlesque dancer, I have seen a performer sew one strand of beaded fringe on her bra in the dressing room before the show and call that a ‘costume’, witness another barge into the dressing room and announce to any and all how she didn’t rehearse her act since she performed it four months ago, another sported hairy armpits in front of an audience of 1200 people. (PS—if you don’t shave for 1200 people, when do you shave?)

I would hope the previous statements would make you all shudder and genuinely feel sorry for the audience that had to sit through those performances. I would hope you are not reading this and saying, “So I didn’t rehearse – I had a late shift” or, “I didn’t have time to add any rhinestones” or, “they’ll never see my hairy legs through the fishnets”. Because when it comes down to it, the audience doesn’t care if you had a final, worked a late shift, or had to help Tommy with his science project. They entered in to a contract with you – they paid you to provide quality entertainment. That quality, by the way, is not based on your pay scale, the size of the show, or the price of the cover. And that’s the first definition of a ‘professional’ – someone who performs for twelve people with the same quality and energy as one hundred people.

That level of care goes back to the very inception of constructing a burlesque act. Let me ask you a question: How fully realized do you think you can make a ‘professional’ act in two weeks? Conceivably, if you were an accomplished dancer and spent hours studying one or more dance disciplines, you’d have the skills to build a choreography. If you had taken sewing classes, you could easily construct and embellish the costume that helps tell the story of your act. If you were accomplished at make-up and hair, you could devise a visage for your performance. If you had performance chops from years of performing, you’d have the ability to know how to anticipate the audience’s reaction. Add into those great many ‘ifs’ the rest of your life – like earning a living, spending time with loved ones, eating, sleeping, and rehearsing – not to mention the financial resources available to fund a new act, and it looks to me like it would take longer than two weeks to make an act worth seeing. Second definition of ‘professional’ is someone who spends the time collecting the skills needed to continue doing their art.

But just being an amazing performer is only part of your ‘job’ as a burlesque dancer. Do you have a facebook page with some snapshots? Or a website with your own url, with expert photos and video? Are you as interested as gathering a fan base as buying body glitter? Are you tweeting about your next appearance? Do you even have a Twitter account? If not, why not? Aren’t you proud of the work you are putting into your performance? Psyched to promote the shows you star in? A ‘professional’ understands that tickets need to be sold.

Whew! With all that, it sounds like a full time job!

Well, it is.

And that is the definition of a ‘professional’.

www.PennyStarrJr.com

After spending three years making the documentary, ‘The Velvet Hammer Burlesque’, it was no wonder that Penny decided to pick up the mantle held by her grandmother, Philadelphia burlesque dancer, Penny Starr. Or, as Penny Starr Jr. puts it, ”You can only live with the circus for so long before you want to join!” (She and Penny, Sr. have performed the first and only grandmother/granddaughter striptease act.) One year later, in 2004, Penny Starr, Jr. became First Runner-Up at the annual Miss Exotic World (Burlesque Hall of Fame) burlesque pageant.

She has performed and/or instructed at a number of legendary venues, shows and festivals, including the Va Va Voom Room, Starshine Burlesque, Margaret Cho’s ‘The Sensuous Woman’, the Slipper Room NYC, Tease-o-Rama, BHoF, BurlyCon and the New York Burlesque Festival.

In addition to dancing and performing, Penny is the founder of the All-Star Burlesque Classes, and produces and directs the Princess Farhana line of belly dance and burlesque instructional DVDs. A centerfold and columnist, Penny has also consulted on such shows as ‘Chuck’ (including a cameo as a bachelor party stripper), ‘Castle’, and has recently taught tassel twirling to the cast of ‘Water for Elephants’.

These four years seemed to have passed quickly, and yet that first show feels so long ago. Since then I have played almost every role a person can in this business. I have been a producer, musician, solo boylesque performer, group dancer, composer, DJ, festival board member, lighting designer, and recently stage kitten.

I love burlesque and it’s hard for me to imagine my life without it. But I know that day could come.

Blue Morris, by Ian West.

“A guest in this community…”

I attended BurlyCon for the first time last year. I learned a great deal and also heard many things that got me thinking about burlesque and my place in it. In a panel discussion, Waxie Moon (a man) said something that pricked up my ears. Appreciating the joy he feels to have burlesque in his life, Waxie Moon gave a heartfelt thank you to the burlesque community and said, “I feel so grateful to be a guest in this community of women.”

When I heard that sentence my heart sank and for the rest of the day I couldn’t help from asking myself this question over and over again:  Am I just a guest in this community?

The remains of that day at BurlyCon were all the more interesting to me. As I walked the hotel halls, attended the seminars, and conversed at the parties, I noticed more than ever before that I was part of a minority. I was one of only a couple men in every class I attended. I don’t know the numbers, but I would guess that BurlyCon was attended by about 95% women.

It’s not surprising. But having worked in burlesque for four years now, I forgot that I am a minority in this business. I had become so accustomed to the company of women, and I have gratefully become so accepted by the women I work with, that I forget I am different…

Burlesque should be run (mostly) by women.

I believe that burlesque should be run mostly by women. It is today, and it should probably remain that way. I am not an expert on burlesque history by any means. From what I have gleaned from others, stripping and burlesque was typically a performance done by women, but a business controlled mostly by men, primarily for the entertainment of men. The intention was different than it is today.

The neo-burlesque movement turned that on its head. Thousands of talented and creative women have taken control of this art form and business and made it new again. The perspective has changed, focusing more on the art of burlesque performance, rather than the titillation of stripping. Many have infused the art with counter-culture attitudes and political statements about beauty, body image, popular culture, politics, sexual politics, humour, and so many other themes it would be impossible to mention them all.

“If you are a man in burlesque, you start out on a guest pass and it could be revoked at any time…”

Also, the audiences of burlesque shows today are mostly women. Based on data I’ve collected from shows I’ve produced, audiences in burlesque are at least 65% female, sometimes much higher. Our ‘Dirty Dancing Burlesque’ audience might have been as high as 80% female.

It’s important that burlesque today remains primarily in the control of women or the art form could change drastically. Certainly the politics of it would change.

And yet, here I am, a heterosexual man who has dedicated a huge part of his life to burlesque. So where do I fit in?

Blue Morris and His Guitars, photo by Flash L'efox

One man’s contribution

When I heard Waxie Moon thank everyone for having him as a guest in this community, I asked myself, “am I just here on a guest pass?” and my first reaction was: “Hell no! I belong here!”

I feel that I offer a unique perspective to burlesque that might not be expressed on stage by anyone else, and part of that unique perspective comes from being a heterosexual man.

When I wrote the ‘Blue and His Guitars’ solo boylesque, I wanted to show Vancouver that a man can do a straight-up sexy striptease without it being tongue-in-cheek, without poking fun at men or men’s bodies, and without it having to be “just for a laugh.”

I find that much of boylesque today aims at humour, which I love, and this is not a criticism of that! I have helped to create and performed in many of these humorous acts myself, and I love them dearly.

But I felt that something was missing in Vancouver boylesque. I wanted to show heterosexual, masculine sex appeal without it having to be funny. That was my statement. I know many people got it because they told me so and I am grateful for that.

I mention this as an example because my concept and performance comes directly from my experience of being a man. But of course I have done so many other things in burlesque.

Along with Shaboobie Boobarella and Johnny Bongo and our ‘Pink Flamingo Burlesque’ shows, I feel very proud to have brought live-music back to burlesque in Vancouver. And I am thrilled to see other live music groups start since then and find great success.

I feel fortunate that the shows I have produced have been so successful. ‘Beatles Burlesque’ and ‘Dirty Dancing Burlesque’ were my dreams, my vision, and my passions. This has been one of the best years of my life because of the success of these shows and because I got to work with so many talented and wonderful people who performed and contributed.

I know that these shows and the live music could have been produced and performed entirely by women. But I also know that I bring my experience, my heart, my passion to these shows, and that experience, that heart, that passion, is very much a man’s.

My Guest Pass

With all that I have accomplished, I still can’t help but feel now that I am here in burlesque on a guest pass, because my permission to be in shows, on stage, and especially backstage, could be revoked at any moment. That’s frightening to me because I love burlesque so much. But as Mama Fortuna reminded me, “Whenever you have women taking their clothes off on stage, sexual politics are involved.”

I would say to any man who is new to this art form, who wants to perform in shows, produce shows, or play any part in this business: If you are a man in burlesque, you start out on a guest pass and it could be revoked at any time. This is especially true if people don’t know you, because if they don’t know you, they don’t know if they can trust you.

I have been in burlesque for long enough now that most people know me except for some new performers. I feel that my guest pass is pretty solid. Maybe I have even been upgraded to ‘full member’ by some. I would like that.

But I know that the decision isn’t mine to make. It’s a collective agreement from a community, and that community is, and should be, mostly women.

I feel nervous to publish this article. I hope that I haven’t offended anyone. I am not an expert on anything other than my own experience, and even then I know that I can misinterpret my own life and change my mind often. I would like to hear your thoughts on this, so please leave your comments below or contact me directly.

P.S. I thank Connie Lingus, Mama Fortuna and Voodoo Pixie for their insightful thoughts on this subject which helped me immensely to write this article. And I thank Waxie Moon for getting me thinking about it all.

Blue Morris
www.bluemorris.com

You know the joke, right?  Q:  What’s the difference between a burlesque dancer and a stripper?  A: A stripper makes money.

Of all the things in the world, why do Burlesque?  Sometimes, I’ll get an idea of some historic or cultural icon I’d like to see on stage.  Other times a song really makes me feel something and I want to create a performance to it.  Perhaps, there is a statement I’d like to make.  There could be a  joke to tell.  Burlesque, after all, does have historical roots in satire.   Mostly, I revel in the adrenaline filled rush from dancing, while creatively, teasingly taking my clothes off on stage.  I enjoy providing the audience with entertainment that can bring their minds away from ‘real life’.  Now that I’ve started writing, I’m pretty sure I don’t  even have the proper language to explain that onstage feeling.  Other creatives will know what I mean.

The girly side of me revels in the costumes, crystals, feathers and  glitter.  Ironically, when I first learned in the BGB Broad Squad Institute that many performers make their own costumes, I felt like I would faint.  Domestic nor designer am I.  However, the universe stepped in.  A friend moving to Europe gifted me her sewing machine and glue gun.  I started to experiment.  Now, I have to stop myself from going into fabric and trim shops.  New York City’s garment district is a new addiction.  I LOVE the creativity of figuring out how the pieces will come off and building them to suit.  Attaching crystals is soothing to my soul like meditation.  Thank goodness, because it can take hours.

Research.  The nerd in me loves doing research for a piece.  I created a Josephine Baker number.  I was determined NOT to have it involve a banana skirt.  Quite the opposite, I wear a tuxedo and top hat.  It is actually the most serious, political and dramatic pieces  in my burlesque repertoire.  I gave myself the challenge of creating a piece that depended more on acting than sexy dancing.  Currently, I am researching Ms. Nina Mae McKinney (left).  She is the first African-American movie star.  She paved the path for even the likes of Dorothy Dandridge and Lena Horne.  Burlesque is a polished, shiny creation.  Who would have guessed I’d use my Master’s Degree in Educational Theatre like this?

Now, stripping…  It was the easiest hard thing.  I say that because it is not ‘easy’ work.  I was looking for work that would earn a livable wage, allow me to keep days open and allow much flexibility in scheduling.  Please e-mail me with other options for work that provide all these elements.  There is no story telling.  The job is a sales job.  Story telling or a teasing strip with elaborately planned costuming is not important.  Seduction and sales is.  The product is sexual fantasy, attention and dances.  How clothes come off as a stripper doesn’t require thought or planning in the same way it does in burlesque.  The mindset of a successful stripper has to be entrepreneurial.  Strippers are independent contractors who pay rent in the form of house fees for use of the strip club to sell their product.  Yes, strippers pay the club to work.  Sales is work.  I laugh when people say stripping is ‘easy’ money.  They have visions of some mythical stripper goddess that shows up, fills the purse with $1000  each night, then leaves.  Anyone who has done sales knows how many no’s one has to go through to close a sale.

How strippers and burlesque dancers are compensated is starkly different.  The compensation is negotiated before the burlesque performer ever hits the stage.  In some shows burlesque dancers work for a split of the door.  Depending on the producer’s following that can be as low as $20 – $50.  In my area, I hear burlesque dancers call the producers who pay $100 – $150 the ‘high paying shows’.  My stripper mind can’t help but giggle at that.  $150 would have been a DISMAL night of earning when I was stripping regularly.  I’ve come across many burlesque dancers that have full-time jobs.  For them burlesque is a creative outlet.  In my area, it is not uncommon for ‘full-time burlesque dancers’ to sometimes do 2-3 shows in one night as many days of the week as is possible to earn a living.

I’ve come across strippers who do burlesque on the side, “because burlesque just doesn’t pay that much”.  Quietly, I’ve even come across successful burlesque dancers who supplement their burlesque careers with stripping.  Stripping is quite capable of being a stand alone career from day one.  Yet, stripping carries a negative stigma that burlesque does not.  Though to some people anything involving a woman taking off her clothes in public is viewed negatively, Burlesque is classy in the eyes of many.

For the onlooker, stripping is a more raw and explicit sexual experience than burlesque.  However, to the working stripper, I’d venture to say very little of it is sexual.  It is, quite bluntly, sales.  There is constant negotiation, up selling and add ons (such as VIP Rooms, bottle sales and tips).  There are times where I’d be engaged in conversation with a potential customer and keeping my peripheral vision keenly aware of the floor in case a regular or more lucrative looking prospect arrives.  There is none of this worry in burlesque.  The pay is negotiated or known before one arrives.  One shows up to give a polished, rehearsed performance.  Stripping did not take rehearsal.  It took knowing how men are wired and getting an understanding of why the man you are talking to came into the club.

Burlesque and stripping are sisters but not twins.  One strips when doing burlesque.  One can even choose to be referred to as a stripper if one dances burlesque.  The way in which strippers in strip clubs are compensated make it very different from burlesque.  The historical and performance elements of burlesque make it very different from stripping.  Burlesque is an on stage performance piece.  Strippers are  independent contractors who  must “always be selling” the fantasy of their flirty attention to the customers.  I could do a burlesque show and never engage with the audience one-on-one if I choose.  Both I find liberating.  I found stripping financially liberating.  I find burlesque creatively liberating.  In a world that shames women for being in any way sexual, I think they create affirming and  useful outlets for women to choose to wield sexual energy on their own terms.  Yes, yes, yes – there are situations where stripping can be far from empowering.  That other side of it has been documented ad nauseam in the media so there is no need for me to cover that here.  Besides, ’tis a blog  and I am speaking from my own experiences.

Essence.

 Please feel free to discuss and leave comments below…

Essence  is “an open minded, admitted ecdysiast”, who performs burlesque as a soloist, and with  Brown Girls Burlesque. She is currently Head Chair Dancer in Charge (HCDIC) of ‘Essence Revealed: Sensual Essence Workshops’.

In her solo show, ‘Essence Revealed’, she brings to life many characters and stories from her time as a ‘lapdance engineer’ in the upscale gentlemen’s club scene,

Essence creates safe spaces for women to explore sensuality, and play and talk about all things body image, relationships, sexuality and self empowerment. She is running a Pre-Valentine’s Day Sensual Dance Bootcamp on Feb 1st – 10th and Feb 13th, culminating with a girls night out in New York on Valentines Day. See this page for details.

Visit her website…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

© PEZ Photo. Please do not use without permission.

Dirty Martini

(Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2004,  TOP 50 NO.1 2009, 2010, 2011)

Can brilliance and godlike precedence get boring? You clearly don’t think so and neither do we! For the THIRD YEAR RUNNING you have voted Miss Dirty Martini your NO.1. There will probably be a statue erected in New York later this week for people to dance around and make suitable sacrifices to. What incredible, but unsurprising dominance!

Dirty spent most of 2011 touring with her fellow Cabaret New Burlesque performers, Julie, Mimi, Kitten, Roky and Evie, and naturally they received praise and acclaim everywhere they went. Their tour included a stay in London, and Dirty, Mimi, Julie and Kitten led a very special three hour workshop with us. It was uplifting to see so many excited and enthused performers, savouring every word and pearl of wisdom. Dirty fills people with hope, knowledge and encouragement wherever she goes, and we love watching her teach and answer questions.

Dirty also joined Dita Von Teese on her Strip Strip Hooray! 2011 US tour, performed in Michelle L’amour’s incredible Superstars of Burlesque show, and rounded off the year by performing in Murray Hill’s NYE Extravaganza.

One of our 2011 highlights was her sensational, show-stopping performance of ‘Purple Haze’ on Superstar Sunday at BHoF in June. There was such an energy in the room; she exudes a power and charisma that makes our hair stand up and our hearts beat faster. The footage of the performance is below for you to enjoy.

What else can we say? We don’t need to tell you why this woman rocks – your votes say it all.

Congratulations girl, I am always so grateful for your constant support and friendship H-M x

Our very special, 118 page, full colour, end of year Print Edition – featuring many of the amazing people in this list – will soon be available – reserve your copy now!

Dirty on Film, 2011

We invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

© Don Spiro

Indigo Blue: Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2011

Long live – at long last – Queen Indigo.

When we try to list Indigo’s achievements and the full extent of her contribution, we hardly know where to start. She has worked tirelessly for the benefit of the burlesque community and her students for years, and although she cracked the TOP 10 last year, your votes this year have put her – and the person at NO.1 – way out in front with an incredible number of votes.

We first came across Indigo at Tease-o-Rama some years ago, where we experienced her gift for teaching and entertaining for ourselves. She is the headmistress of The Academy of Burlesque in Seattle, and a Co-Director of Education at The Burlesque Hall of Fame, alongside Jo Weldon.

In 2011, Indigo performed at the Colorado Burlesque Festival, The Toronto Burlesque Festival, The Windy City Burlesque Festival, the New York City Burlesque Festival, Moisture Festival and in Michelle L’amour’s Superstars of Burlesque show in Chicago.

And, as most of you will surely know, Indigo was crowned Reigning Queen of Burlesque at BHoF in June, giving an assured, passionate and polished performance with her usual vigour and charm, in a spectacular costume by the talented costumier, Danial Webster. (Winner’s Interview here…)  When she was announced as Queen, there was such a delighted and affectionate response from the whole showroom, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for her. She has already been the most visible, devoted and proactive Reigning Queen we could imagine, and her ‘Queen’s Edicts’ are both ingenious and hysterically funny, with a supporting cast you may recognise! You can watch them below (the third one is particularly amazing – the effort that went into it and attention to detail is mindblowing!)

She also produced another successful BurlyCon this year, which – for those who don’t know – is a fantastic annual weekend of workshops, panels, social events and classes. There are no shows at BurlyCon – all the time is devoted to education, feedback, discourse and socialising. Indigo deserves Top 10 recognition for BurlyCon alone, in our opinion. Nothing quite like it has ever been made available before, and received such an incredible response.

We are so happy to see how loved and appreciated she is, and the incredible number of votes she received. She deserves every single one, and more. Thank you Indigo and congratulations all over again x

You can enjoy a fascinating, in-depth interview with Indigo, and find out more about her ‘Chartreuse’ costume, in our very special End of Year Print Edition – reserve your copy now!

Indigo on Film, 2011

Fantastic performance of ‘Chartreuse’, the act she took to BHoF ’11, at the Colorado Burlesque Festival 2011… (Click for video)

We invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

© Allen Lee Not to be used without permission.

Jo Weldon

One of the great burlesque intellectuals of our time, and one of the best teachers you could ever hope to learn from; Jo Weldon is held in high respect and great affection by the global community, and you have voted her at NO.3 for a second year.

Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, Jo is one of the most gifted instructors we could possibly recommend. Every subtle gesture and sensual movement is described and explained, every detail of performance has a significance and effect.

In 2011, Jo’s appearances included a special performance at the New York Burlesque Festival, where she was also awarded a Golden Pastie as the performer “most likely to be caught in a sexting scandal”. Jo also appeared as a special guest at the Gypsy Rose Lee Centennial celebration in New York, where she performed a tribute to Gypsy. She continued in her role as Co-Director of Education at BHoF, and led sessions and panels at BurlyCon 2011.

Jo began a very important and moving project in 2011, called Pink Light Burlesque, which provides free classes for breast cancer patients and survivors. In December, Jo produced a special Pink Light showcase, which featured the students and instructors, and was dedicated to the late Diane Naegel, who hoped to be a part of this project, but lost her life to breast cancer complications in September. (Love and miss you Diane x)

Jo has worked with and supported this publication for a long time now, and we want to thank her again for everything she has contributed, and continues to contribute, to burlesque and our community.

Jo on Film, 2011

Jo at the New York Burlesque Festival 2011… (Click for video)

We will continue to count down! In the meantime, we invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

©Kaylin Idora. Strictly not to be used without permission.

Michelle L’amour

(Reigning Queen of Burlesque, 2005)

Michelle L’amour – stunningly sexy, beautiful, agile, intelligent and inspiring in every way. Adored by men and women alike, Michelle exudes a sexual energy and strength on stage that stirs her audience into a frenzy. We have rarely met a woman who is so innately comfortable with her nudity and manipulates her flesh with such devastating effect!

Michelle’s 2011 appearances include performances at the Windy City Burlesque Festival, the Colorado Burlesque Festival, the Montreal Burlesque Festival, and a tantalising tango at BHoF on Superstar Sunday – which she also produced this year. In April, on her birthday, Michelle asked us to publish an online debut of her sensational new act, ‘Shower with Affection’, which you can enjoy below. She also treated us all to another Superstars of Burlesque show in Chicago, which boasts the most mindblowing, world class line-up we could possibly imagine!

Her empire is going as strong as ever – Naked Girls Reading is still spreading across the globe, the Everleigh Social Club continues to offer mysterious, sensual delights, and the students  keep selling out the excellent courses and classes available at Studio L’amour. In addition to all of her existing products and businesses, Michelle has brought out a new DVD – Tease ‘n’ Tone, which offers the ultimate burlesque workout. Believe us when we say this is no gimmick – this is a serious and effective workout (we know, we have tried it!), but Michelle makes it so fun and rewarding.

With a powerful, sensual beauty, and intelligence, determination and talent in abundance; Michelle is destined to be one of the great, celebrated legends of striptease…

You can read more about Michelle’s new DVD, and her views on health and fitness in our very special End of Year Print Edition – reserve your copy now!

Michelle on Film, 2011

We will continue to count down! In the meantime, we invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

© InaGlo Photography

Anna Fur Laxis

(1st Runner Up, BHoF 2011)

(Hmm… Still no sign of that fully poseable Anna Fur La-ction Figure™  we asked for last year! It could come with a little magic playset now too, couldn’t it? Mattel? Anyone??)

You have voted the magical and innovative Anna Fur Laxis back into your TOP 10 this year.

She has travelled extensively in 2011 – from the Milan Burlesque Awards, to Spain, to the Grand Burlesque Show in Helsinki, to perform at The Wet Spot in Leeds… And to Las Vegas, where she won a whole new hoard of international fans after competing for the title at BHoF with the fantastic performance you can watch below. In a post-BHoF interview, she told us a little about how it was put together and the long hours of construction, practice and rehearsal. She has described the deafening response after the first quick change, with the success of the entire act resting on that moment, and we couldn’t fail to be moved by the time, passion and investment she has put into this act.

Anna performed another unique and exciting act – ‘Laxis of Evil’, at Neil Kendall’s Halloween Ball, and it’s another demonstration of Anna’s range of skills and ideas that make her so distinctive and entertaining.

What will she (and her devoted and equally amazing husband and wingman) produce in 2012? Can’t wait to find out…

You can read about Anna and her incredible ‘Prestige’ act in our very special End of Year Print Edition – reserve your copy now!

Anna on Film, 2011

We will continue to count down! In the meantime, we invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

(©Marc Beauregard/B2 Photographique)

Roxi DLite

(Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2010)

In at No.6 – the bold and beautiful, Roxi DLite!

Click here to read a very recent in-depth interview with Roxi…

Roxi has an incredible confidence and natural talent. She delivers striptease with swagger; combining assured feminine sensuality with powerful physicality. And she has had another impressive and successful year.

Roxi landed a lead role in upcoming movie, Burlesque Assassins, which finished filming in 2011. She was also immortalised as a comic book character in ‘The Goon’, by multi award-winning artist, Eric Powell, which will be distributed by comic book giants, Dark Horse Comics.

She gave a sensational farewell performance at BHoF in June, and she also produced her first show, Boom Boom Burlesque, which was was so successful that she produced a second follow-up show a short time after. Julie Atlas Muz, and Trixie and Monkey were among the performers who starred alongside her.

Roxi is also an extremely gifted photographer. It is easy to pick her images out – they have a distinct style, clarity and tone, and manage to exude softness, warmth and strength all at once. The photos she has taken of herself, and her fellow performers this year are just fantastic. We are hoping for a big photo book in the future Roxi!

Roxi sits comfortably in your TOP 10 for a third year running.

Roxi on Film, 2011

We will continue to count down! In the meantime, we invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…

Please feel free to leave comments below, and discuss the results on our TOP 50 Facebook page, or on Twitter with the tag #burlesquetop50

© Kaylin Idora Please do not use without permission.

Coco Lectric

Didn’t we tell you this gal was special when she zoomed straight in at No. 13 last year? She has clearly made an even bigger impression on you in 2011, because she has cracked the TOP 10.

A classically trained dancer, singer and actor, and ridiculously beautiful; Coco is a founding member of The Jigglewatts Burlesque, in Texas, and the headmistress of The Austin Academy of Burlesque. She also co-produces the Texas Burlesque Festival.

In 2011, Coco competed in the Miss Viva Las Vegas burlesque contest, and competed for the title at BHoF in June. She also returned to hand over her ‘Queen of Burlesque’ crown and give a fabulous farewell performance at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival.

Coco performs with charm, confidence and purpose in every movement and gesture. Every smouldering stare and dazzling megawatt smile leaves you in no doubt that she lives for the stage, loves what she does, and means business. She has worked incredibly hard to help put Texas on the burlesque map, and stands proudly alongside other savvy and tireless burlesque businesswomen, rolling up their sleeves for their own cities and states.

Coco on Film, 2011

We will continue to count down! In the meantime, we invite you to browse 21st Century Burlesque Magazine, or join our Top 50 Facebook Page…

Comments can be left below…