Burlesque
me wearing a corset, garter belt and pasties
Neo-burlesque is a term used to describe the revival of traditional burlesque that began in the United States in the mid 1990s. Its not used as much these days so I will stick with the term burlesque to stay current and keep things simple. Burlesque is a form of striptease where the focus is on the tease. It often combines humour, satire and theatrics with dance. The costuming is amazing. Performing burlesque and seeing shows is one of my great passions.
As a burlesque performer I perform solo and with other Montreal based performers. I enjoy mixing humour with sensuality and exploring sexual and gender archetypes and stereotypes. My performances take inspiration from artful languid striptease, vaudeville shtick, 1960s go-go dancing, and 1980s bouncy pop.
I began as a burlesque performer in 2003 through a collaborative effort of shows with Elsa Lee (aka Elsa Bangz). She was also a porn and live webcam performer. We had the mutual desire to use burlesque as a form of expression just as we did with our more explicit work. We didn’t want to pick one over the other. Despite what many people told us we believed we could do both! We called ourselves The Coral Lees.
From our original website…
An ex-Catholic schoolgirl and an ex-teacher discovered their souls in XXX. This journey in smut gave them the opportunity to see how porn can be about more than bearing skin and explicit sexual acts. It is about being real even when exploring the realm of fantasy. It is about tearing your misconceptions away. It is about reinventing what sexy is, what titillation is.
Being the hardcore queens that they are, they felt it was time for them to turn their attentions to other avenues of pleasure. They saw how stripping had lost its tease. How full frontal had become blasé. They wanted to create something fresh. They wanted to create some bump and grind for a new generation.
So just like their porn, The Coral Lees are not about the status quo. They want to take the standard and twist it ever so slightly; making it their own, while acknowledging all who came before them.Now they are bringing their souls, and their pop sensibility, to the striptease arena. Is it evolution or revolution, or just plain pandemonium?
This postmodern escapade will whet your appetite for sin and silliness. Inspired by the bump and grind essentials from the Girl Shows of old and influenced by the wacky stylings of their pop and punk roots, The Coral Lees are dedicated to bringing some sexual pastiche to Montreal. They are not afraid of brazen, in your face sexuality, nor of coy, playful subtlety. This gang of misfits aims at getting your knickers in a bunch, lodging your mind decidedly in the gutter, and putting a smirk on your face.
It didn’t last long, but I am very proud of what we did as The Coral Lees. It was the beginning of new experience for me and led me to other fruitful artistic partnerships and amazing friendships.
In 2007 I began exploring the vaudevillian roots of burlesque. Miss Sugarpuss, and I together wrote, produced and starred in a series of burlesque plays. They also featured such burlesque and cabaret performers as L. Diablo, Lola Lamb, Marianne Cheesecake, Monsieur E Norme, The Tiny Tease, Bobby Strumphose, Erik Evans and with a special appearance by Anders Yates and Dan Jeannotte of Uncalled For.
In 2008 and 2009 L. Diablo, Miss Sugarpuss and I collaborated under the banner of Team Burlesque on the production of themed shows at the bar Salon Officiel and MainLine Theatre. In 2010 I began exploring macabre burlesque and working with live musicians such as the fellas from Bad Uncle while still enjoying the pleasures of neo-burlesque and vaudeville inspired performances. I performed at the Montreal Burlesque Festival in 2009, 2010 and 2011 as well as the Grand Burlesque Show in 2011. I also began assisting Scarlett James for corporate and special events at upscale bars and restaurants in Montreal. In 2012 I launched a new project called Acme Burlesque which I co-produce with Shayne Gryn and has live music for all numbers. It is my dream burlesque project come true and a whole lot of fun!
