The Australian Burlesque Festival 2015. Canberra tour. Produced by Dolores Daiquiri. The Abbey. 3 Jul 2015
There’s no better way to get the blood circulating during a Canberra cold snap than to see some of the most top-notch, hand picked burlesque acts the ACT, Australia and the rest of the world have to offer.
Since I last reviewed the Australian Burlesque Festival in 2012, it has relocated to its new ambient digs at The Abbey for its Canberra leg of the tour. A much more appropriate venue for this specific art form, the cabaret-style experience this time around is much more cosy and intimate.
There has also been a change in the Master of Ceremonies, with this year hosted by the waggish Aurora. Trussed up as the archetypal French Madame, Aurora is absolutely perfect for the gig, effortlessly charming and wrangling the audience with her theatrical wit whilst keeping the vibe saucy.
Due to a mix up with the show’s starting time, I walk in just as festival headliner Sina King was wrapping up her first act, however, she is followed by ACT burlesque troupe The Sass and Tease Collective so it is nice to start the show with some local talent. Offering up a beautifully synchronised classic showgirl routine, their shimmering gold and blue-feathered costumes and headdresses are simply dazzling – it is like, as Aurora succinctly describes “…a bird of paradise mating dance”.
Melbourne’s femme fatale burlesque artist, The Strawberry Siren, is the next festival headliner to grace the stage, treating the crowd to a rather demure Jessica Rabbitesque fan dance that evolves rather unexpectedly into a glorious tassel twirling frenzy. Next up is Simona Lisa, donning a brilliant green flapper gown and enhanced with matching emerald lighting, she performs a laconic, tightly choreographed vintage striptease to the time honoured tune, The Stripper.
From my hometown of Adelaide is Leopard Lass with a Carmin Miranda-inspired routine complete with fruit basket headpiece and maracas. It is a really fun piece; Leopard Lass is a carefree and confident performer, she just needs to keep up the momentum without losing too much steam at the halfway mark.
A headliner coming from further afield, UK-based Vicky Butterfly certainly has an enviable CV with rock stars lining up to have her feature in their music videos. It is easy to see why she is so in demand with her glamorous Hollywood siren mystique, shedding rose petals in her wake and generally being the epitome of grace with her elegant fan dancing and floaty costuming.
From across the ditch in New Zealand comes a personal highlight of the evening, with Trillion really raising the bar in terms of energy. Caped in a gold Bond Girl style creation and crowned in a magnificent feathered headdress, Trillion’s routine ramps up into a rhythmic tribal number, complete with masterful twerking and butt shimmying that really gets the mojo flowing.
Riding on her tail feathers is an equally impressive act by ‘sin in an hourglass’ headliner Medianoche (donning another stunning headpiece in what seems to be a trend for this year’s festival) coming all the way from New York City. Having a Spanish background with training in flamenco and tango, Medianoche is an accomplished performer and a treat to watch. Oozing cheek and charisma, she is one of the most self-assured, technically brilliant dancers I’ve seen in some time – going out with a bang with her thrilling tassel twirls.
Part two of the festival introduces more of a comedic flavour to the evening, with a wonderfully ghoulish concept piece by the Fancy Piece duo – featuring a quite elaborate set design (made possible with the able assistance of the evening’s stage kitten, Lilly Lovecat). This Tim Burton burlesque act tells the adorable love story between two corpses that rise from the grave, escalating into X-rated territory surprisingly swiftly and leaving onlookers both stunned and in stitches simultaneously.
A tough act to follow, Dolly Cakes is next with, you guessed it, another lovingly crafted head piece fashioned into a leopard’s face. This routine is cute but overall somewhat lacking in wow factor despite the obvious potential of Ms Cakes, and probably needs to be workshopped a little further to get it up to the festival’s standards.
Coming back for a second outstanding round, Medianoche goes with a darker, more explicit neo-burlesque aesthetic that is hot, hot, hot. Her black spider’s web gown and raunchy choreography is undoubtedly the steamiest of the night, unless you take into account The Strawberry Siren’s second appearance that takes place under a shower – Flashdance style. In a Wild West saloon style mashup, the flame haired seductress sucks down a cigar like Joe Hockey and then proceeds to acrobatically remove her underdandies (she was a member of the Flying Fruit Fly Circus) and party like it’s 1999 under the trickling stream of water. Tssssssss.
I don’t need to concern myself with missing out on Sina King either, because she is back for another routine. Going with an intensively sparkly sultanah (feminine version of sultan) theme that includes a phallic flashing light sabre-cum-sceptre. It is a high-octane performance with some cleverly fashioned shadow play, and is all impressively done in a lofty pair of heels to boot.
It’s then time for the production crew to come out and play, with Danica Lee (festival stage manager and production assistant, or “Pussy Wrangler”) strutting her stuff with a sassy swing number. Being the last leg of the festival, the poor love must be a little exhausted and promptly wanders offstage to liberate a glass of wine from an unsuspecting audience member. However, once refreshed Ms Lee eases back into her routine for some exceptional butt shimmies to round things off.
Ending this spectacular evening is festival headliner and Brisbanite, Lila Luxx, who really puts the art into tease with her extensive dance training. Dripping in old world glamour in her black fishtail gown, the subtle synchronicity and timing of her blues choreography is magic.
In comparison to my first experience of the Australian Burlesque Festival, it seems as though it’s only getter bigger, sparklier and more polished as the years go by. Burlesque is clearly as popular in the capital today than it has ever been, and no doubt the current ravenous appetite for the festival will continue to grow. Until next year ladies!
Deborah Hawke
When: 3 Jul 2015
Where: The Abbey, Canberra
Bookings: Closed
