Montreal Burlesque Damiana Dolce

Dear Audience, you are so full of awesome that just thinking about last night makes me want to throw up rainbows and unicorns. Thank you so much for coming out for the show!!!!!

xxDDxx
You’ve got nothing to lose but your clothes-

Starlight Burlesque cordially invites you to an evening of top Classical Burlesque entertainment! Featuring Toronto’s most illustrious and glamorous burlesque beauties, rising stars and International guests. Starlight Burlesque was touted to be a must see event! We are always the top spot on every burlesque calendar nation-wide with sell out shows.

Expect only the very best in sizzling Striptease, Vaudeville Variety and Burlesque Pageantry during this glamorous evening in Toronto! Starlight Burlesque offers the beauty and prestige of a bygone era but updated for your modern enjoyment!

August 20th, 2010
at
the Great Hall
(1087 Queen St West)
$25 in advance or $30 at the door

(VIP tickets available, $45 in advance which includes the best possible seating, one free martini and a free autographed photo of Starlight Burlesque)

ADVANCED TICKETS ONLINE ONLY AT:

http://sb.eventbrite.com/

Accompanied live by the George Lake Swing Band

Starring the 2009 reigning queen of Burlesque -Perle Noire (the Black Pearl) from Louisana

Montreal’s Sweetheart of the Striptease – Mlle Oui Oui Encore

Making her debut as the ingénue of Starlight Burlesque – the electrifying Keela Watts!

Plus all of the lovely ladies of Starlight Burlesque…
St. Stella
Emmanuelle La Gitane
Esther De Ville
&
Virginia D’Vine

And of Course, myself, Damiana Dolce

Hosted by the most rib-tickling comedians in Vaudeville…Parker and Seville!

Dress to impress and come with us to a time where vintage glamour and opulence were the every day norm.

DJ’d Afterparty

What is Burlesque?

I’ve lost count of how many times I have been asked this question.

“Oh.. you mean, like, the pussycat dolls?”

Not exactly…

Burlesque

Pronunciation: \(ËOE)bÉ(TM)r-Ë^lesk\

Function: noun

Etymology: burlesque, adjective, comic, droll, from French, from Italian burlesco, from burla joke, from Spanish

Date: 1667

1 : a literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation

2 : mockery usually by caricature

3 : theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts

On second thought…

All kidding aside, while originating much earlier, burlesque probably began to be popularized in Europe and the UK as early as the 17th and early 18th centuries and was introduced to North America during the 1860′s by Lydia Thompson and her troupe, British Blondes.

There are varying definitions, but burlesque was basically a comic imitation of a serious literary, political or artistic form, at least in the beginning. These shows used comedy, parody, sexuality and music to defy the established and/or conventional way of looking at things. The overall formula for a show would have most often consisted of the following:

Part one was composed of women singing songs and performing dances, interspersed with comedy from male comedians. Part two was a miscellaneous collection of acts and sketches including, contortionists, jugglers, ventriloquists, wrestlers, acrobats, etc…. The show’s finish was a grand finale, often a one-act musical performance.

Due to their controversial and rather adult content, some companies would put on Number 1 shows and Number 2 shows, the first being “clean”, the second “dirty”.

Burlesque had it’s ups and downs and it’s own evolution as it slowly changed from a scripted show of variety acts to simple performances focusing mostly on the striptease.

There were many fans, but also many protestors who felt that burlesque was corrupt and immoral.

In the 1920′s and 30′s the legal and social crackdown on burlesque eventually lead to the legendary raid on Minsky’s in Manhattan, and to their gradual downfall of burlesque in general. By 1937 Minsky’s license was revoked and burlesque performances in New York City were banned altogether. Burlesque struggled to survive after that, and eventually faded out completely, and it wasn’t until the mid 1990′s that burlesque crept back out of the woodwork and quickly began to build momentum again.

While in modern day burlesque, there are a number of shows comprised only of striptease, there are still many with the big band, comedians, acrobats etc…

Personally I find that producing a show where the striptease is mixed in between other variety acts helps keep the elements of tease and surprise. But there are several formulas that work, and choosing your line-up will vary depending on your target audience.

Today the burlesque community is flourishing and there are shows everywhere, from Chicago to Berlin to Tokyo. There are a handful of international Burlesque Festivals being hosted in Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Paris, Toronto, Montreal, Amsterdam, Vancouver and London to name a few. All of these boast a rather impressive roster of performers, including Dita Von Teese (Hollywood, CA), Catherine D’Lish (Northridge, CA), Dirty Martini (New York, NY), The Pontani Sisters (New York, NY), Michelle L’amour (Chicago IL), Oui Oui Encore (Montreal QC), Miss Indigo Blue (Seattle, WA), The World Famous BOB (New York, NY),Tanya Cheex (Toronto, ON), Sauci Calla Horra (Toronto ON), Julie Atlas Muz (New York, NY), Kalani KoKonuts (Las Vegas, NV), Diamondback Annie (Los Angeles, CA), Cecilia Bravo (Vancouver B.C.), Miss Sugarpuss (Montreal QC) Immodesty Blaize (London, UK), Kitty Neptune (Toronto, ON), Amber Ray (New York, NY) Bunny Love (New York, NY), not to mention many, MANY more…

Burlesque to me is A sexy, interactive, humourous and theatrical outlet for creative expression and self celebration.

And in answer to your earlier question, no. I don’t “mean, like, the pussycat dolls”.

Definition of Burlesque courtesy of http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Burlesque Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

A loud and resounding thank you ever so much to everyone who came out to be a part of the show as Blue Light Burlesque proudly participated in Montreal’s St-Ambroise Fringe Festival!

I was fortunate enough to share a stage graced by
the talent and beauty of the famous Mlle Oui Oui Encore,
her partner in crime, Blue Eyes,
the sexy rock and roll magic of Vincent C,
Zafirah the belly dancer who oozes sensuality out of every pore of her body,
our handsome and charming MC, Peter J. Radomski,
the dynamic duo – Miss Rouge à Lèvres and French Kiss,
the adorable Stella Luna and her partner Milton Clark,
the ever so delicious Miss Miah,
the stunning and statuesque Lady Josephine and the saucy but Fuhrious Nina.

What a talented, creative, sexy gang of artists!
What a wonderfully interactive, supportive and sexy audience!
I couldn’t be happier or more proud.
I love my job.
xxDDxx

Blue Light Burlesque Soirée thème “Mad Men” : sortez vos plus beaux habits, votre attitude et venez boire un martini en notre compagnie le 19 mai!
***********
Dress your 1960s best, and join us with a Madison Ave. attitude and a
martini in hand on May 19 at Cafe Campus

Great News!! There is another fantastic Burlesque show on it’s way!

21 Avril 2010
Café Campus
Portes : 19h00 Spectacle : 20h00
Les billets sont en vente dès maintenant 20$ + frais de services
Café Campus , 57 Prince-Arthur E. _________514-844-1010
Sur le Réseau Admission ________________514-790-1245

P.S. achetez vos billets en avance, le spectacle est souvent complet…

***************************************************************************************************

April 21, 2010
Café Campus
Doors: 7pmShow: 8pm
Tickets are on sale now!20$ +service fees
Café Campus, 57 Prince-Arthur E. ________514-844-1010
Through the Admission Network ________514-790-1245

For more information visit http://bluelightburlesque.com

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Blue Light Burlesque is the leader of Montreal’s burlesque revival movement with Mlle Oui Oui Encore as its main ambassador. For information on the classes she offers:

http://ouiouiencore.com

http://bluelightburlesque.com

Cours de danse strip-tease burlesque avec Mlle Oui Oui Encore fondatrice du Blue Light Burlesque.
Session de cours de danse burlesque et
enterrement de vie de jeune fille burlesque!

http://ouiouiencore.com

http://bluelightburlesque.com

Pour l’émission de Samantha Brown Great Weekends “Montreal” pour Travel Channel, juillet 2009

“Les soirées de strip-tease de la troupe Blue Light Burlesque sont déjà cultissimes”
Sylvain Cormier, Le Devoir

“Their show is not to be missed”
Angelica Le Minh, NightLife Magazine

“Mlle Oui Oui la reine du striptease à l’ancienne”
Fabien Deglisse, Le Devoir

“Blue Light Burlesque, véritables pionniers du néo-burlesque en terre québécoise”
Jean-Christophe Laurence, La Presse

A big huge thank you to everyone who made it out to the Valentine show on Wednesday night. It was too much fun and you were terrific as always.
We had a fantastic review (in French) on Radio Canada which you can listen to here if you like. It’s near the end of the show.
For all of you who missed the show or just couldn’t get enough, we have a repeat performance this Wednesday the 17th of February.
Cant wait to see your beautiful faces there!
xxDDxx

Un gros merci a tout ceux qui sont venu au spectacle de la st-valentin mercredi.
Ce fut, comme toujours, une soirée du tonerre remplis de joie.
Vous pouvez entendre Radio Canada ensencer les prestatations a l’adresse suivante le coeur vous en dit.
Avis aux malchanceux, ou ceux qui en demande davantage, le spectacle sera présenté une fois de plus au Café Campus ce mercredi 17 fevrier.
Au plaisir de vous revoir avec votre plus beau sourire.
xxDDxx

Thanks to all of you who came out to Cafe Campus for Blue Light Burlesque’s last show of 2009, Wednesday night.
The audience was beautiful and if there were awards to be handed out they would be for the boys dressed in vintage sailor uniforms, Mr Handsome with his suit and fedora and gorgeous wife in her tea cup hat.

All the acts were fabulous as usual and there were a few firsts also.
While I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Madame Oui Oui Encore a few times in the past, this was my first time performing in a Blue Light Burlesque production and the pleasure was all mine.
Guest performer from Barelona, Melitta Honeycup was loveliness on the hoop and I for one had never seen Blue Eyes naked before this week. Whew!

So! A special thanks to Oui Oui Encore, Blue Eyes and the rest of the cast of Blue Light Burlesque, Leggs Amore, Miss Rouge-à lèvres, Fuhrious Nina, Coco Vanille, ChatChat, Lady Josephine and Miss Miah, Peter J. Radomski, Babette and Janette!!!.

And an even bigger thank you, once again, to all of you who attended.
You were all fantastic and heaps of fun and we look forward to seeing you at the next show!
DDxx