Baring All

Baring All: How does burlesque allow women to explore sexuality and identity?

Tuesday, May 17 • 7 to 9 p.m.

Le Depanneur • 206, Bernard Ouest (@ De l’Esplanade)

Burlesque, a performance art with roots in vaudeville and musical theatre, has become synonymous with striptease and retro chic sensibilities. It’s also becoming an increasingly popular form of entertainment, for both men and women. Burlesque shows are filling clubs and theatres across North America. Women are signing up for “art of burlesque” classes which often function as a workout and therapy session. In this public conversation, we will explore the appeal of burlesque, in both practice (doing it) and theory (watching it). Is it a space for women to explore their sexuality? Is it a form of self-expression? Or a radical means of subverting and challenging cultural identity?

Guests:

Holly Gauthier-Frankel (Miss Sugarpuss) has been heating up Montreal’s burlesque scene since 2005 and hasn’t stopped since! She has performed in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Chicago, and Tokyo! With her Sweet Moves dance classes, and her award-winning one-woman burlesque show, “Miss Sugarpuss Must Die!,” Miss Sugarpuss peddles her saucy brand of burlesque wherever and whenever she can!

Seska Lee began her burlesque adventures in 2003. Inspired by the bump and grind classics and her own geeky sensibility, she dedicates herself to bringing sexual pastiche to the Montreal stage. She is the co-founder of Team Burlesque and can be regularly seen with the band Bad Uncle as a macabre burlesque performer.

Moderator:

Roseanne Harvey is a burlesque appreciator and closet performer. She is also a writer, editor and yoga teacher in Montreal.