FALL 2010 BIG WINNERS
October 24, 2010
In the world of burgeoning burlesque festivals, the New York Burlesque Festival has both seniority and street cred. Regardless of where the performers are from, they seem to get hopped up on the energy of the city and seriously BRING IT. Where many festivals feel like a party onstage with your friends, the NYBF feels like a poetry slam or break dance battle or some other macho display of skills (still with friends in a fun spirit, of course!). But it does feel as if everyone is working harder to earn it from the audience. After it was all said and done, these performances stood out to us and deserve to be recognized for their innovative style. Assistant writer B.B. Heart helped compile notes on all four nights of performances.
BROWN GIRLS BURLESQUE: COSTUMING Costumes that are simple, inspired and surprising all at once! Imagine a cotton, plaid, ruffly, peasant-meets-showgirl look with top hats...with a multi-cultural can can that gave way to a group corset unlacing extravaganza. Each girl undoing the laces of the girl in front, creating a sexy daisy chain of strings and burgeoning nudity. Revealing international flags and appearing to be having the most fun ever, it all culminated with each of them perched on a nest of discarded ruffle skirts wildly swinging their bras over the heads. The U.N. should really consider hiring these girls to promote world peace.
MADAME ROSEBUD: RISK TAKING This is some of the ballsiest burlesque we've ever seen. Rosebud created a compelling and fucked up character through grotesque exaggeration. Super hard core, she danced to Grace Jones' song "Corporate Canibal" and managed to take even Grace Jones to the next level. It's hard to even describe all of the crazy things that happened but we'll try...there was a "Phantom of the Opera"-type mask pulled away to reveal an entire lace face stocking that then pulled off to reveal a genuine flaming red mohawk. There were splits, giant jumps to landing on knees and the dirtiest butterfly leg moves ever seen. Rosebud was dirty, aggressive and raw and walked the line between sexy and obscene. Thanks Rosebud, for the amazing reveals and wild physicality, all delivered with precision and polish.
LEROI THE GIRL: ENERGY Leroi is literally a one woman parade....and this time the holiday she's celebrating is Chinese New Year. Entering the stage jumping up and down with a giant Chinese dragon head piece, Leroi maintained a ridiculously high level of energy from start to finish. Rampaging playfully in the crowd's face and showing her claws, she was a sexy playful dragon bouncing with exhuberance. This woman is a living confetti canon!
KARL GIANT: TRANSORMATION Make-up artist and photographer, Karl Giant, graced the festival with his presence this year to sell his over-the-top eyelashes, but also found time on Saturday to transform his longtime collaborator, Julie Atlas Muz, into some sort of glamorous Russian go-go dancer posing as Alice Cooper. But visual spectacle was only a tip of the iceberg. The real fun was watching Julie onstage as she put the power behind the style. With a captivating punk fusion of sex and dancing that included whiplashing her pony tail around her head, dive rolling out of her underwear, ripping off her pasties and parading around like Naomi Campbell wearing trashbags. Even still the icing on the cake may have been the song itself, which gave voice to this hilarious monstrosity by repeating over and over in the lyrics: “Fuck you.” Thanks to Karl for helping give birth to Julie's latest incarnation.
SHOUT OUTS TO MY OTHER FAVES OF THE NYBF: Cherry Pitz for incredible acting while staging a scene with Vincent Price. Boo Boo Darlin's slow motion striptease to hip hop was hilarious. Dr. Lucky gets props for putting the ass in class while appearing as Marie Antoinette on her "golden throne." Cherry Typhoon delights every time with her exuberance. And Miss Tickle's genius transformation from a blow up doll.
October 24, 2010
In the world of burgeoning burlesque festivals, the New York Burlesque Festival has both seniority and street cred. Regardless of where the performers are from, they seem to get hopped up on the energy of the city and seriously BRING IT. Where many festivals feel like a party onstage with your friends, the NYBF feels like a poetry slam or break dance battle or some other macho display of skills (still with friends in a fun spirit, of course!). But it does feel as if everyone is working harder to earn it from the audience. After it was all said and done, these performances stood out to us and deserve to be recognized for their innovative style. Assistant writer B.B. Heart helped compile notes on all four nights of performances.
SHOUT OUTS TO MY OTHER FAVES OF THE NYBF: Cherry Pitz for incredible acting while staging a scene with Vincent Price. Boo Boo Darlin's slow motion striptease to hip hop was hilarious. Dr. Lucky gets props for putting the ass in class while appearing as Marie Antoinette on her "golden throne." Cherry Typhoon delights every time with her exuberance. And Miss Tickle's genius transformation from a blow up doll.