The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

The lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the Ritz Theater. Two hundred and fifty bodies leaned forward in anticipation, and two hundred and fifty sets of eyes stared straight ahead at the empty stage. The audience remained suspended in this moment as the silence caressed their ears and the darkness teased their imaginations. Then, in a sudden burst of sound, the band started playing and the tension was broken. The audience erupted into applause as Nadine Dubois stepped into the spotlight, a long silver dress hugging her curves. Dubois strode across the stage, picked up a microphone, and brought it up to her crimson lips.

"Welcome!" she shouted. "Welcome to The Best of Midwest Burlesk! How many of you out there are burlesque virgins? Come on, don't be shy!"

I raised my hand along with most of the audience members.

"Excellent," Dubois cooed. "We promise to be gentle!"

I was hesitant to believe her. As I listened to Dubois tease the audience and tell dirty jokes, my mind filled with questions: How could a burlesque show be gentle? Weren't women going to shamelessly strip for our viewing pleasure? Wasn't it just another sex show?

The very first act caught me off guard. Karen Vieno Paurus entered the stage in a long black dress and overly large, black, feathered hat. She sang. She teased. She left the stage. The act was sultry, but it was also humorous and sarcastic—something I had not expected to see at a burlesque show.

Gina Louise followed with a short and energetic striptease. She wiggled her hips and pranced across the stage. At the end of her song, the top came off, and for a few moments she stood in sparkling pasties. The audience applauded, and she quickly exited the stage. Although her dance was sexy, Gina Louise also kept her act playful, fun, and surprisingly classy. In fact, I got the feeling that the performance as a whole was much more important than the removal of clothing. I was frankly puzzled by what I saw. It was a strange, but immensely pleasing brew of sex and sarcasm.

My puzzlement grew as I continued to watch. Singers, tap dancers, a juggler, and several other performers who did not remove a stitch of clothing mixed with the striptease acts. And even the stripteases were not overtly sexual. Ophelia Flame, for instance, danced to the song "Tequila," wearing a giant tequila bottle and a huge bottle cap atop her fiery red curls. The audience roared with laughter as she peeled away the label and the outfit morphed into a short green dress adorned with a tequila worm. This, of course, she peeled back to reveal a pink fringed ensemble. Finally, the fringe had to go, as well, and all that was left was a pair of lime green, sparkly panties and pasties to match. The performance was silly, but simultaneously sexy. Ophelia Flame's act mirrored the general mood of the show: ridiculous, yet sensual. Burlesque is clearly no ordinary entertainment genre.

With all its vaudeville-style fun and laughter, the glittery exterior of Minneapolis burlesque is deceiving. It is hampered with public misconceptions, legal trouble, and a rocky past that has been hard to overcome. However, decked in tinsel and tassels lies a group of performers hopelessly devoted to their art and not willing to let it die without a fight.


Silly Sexy

"We had a guy at one of our shows," said Amy Buchanan, founder of Le Cirque Rouge (LCR), "that said to us afterward, ‘You know, I didn't even get turned on.' I told him, ‘You weren't supposed to. It's silly sexy.'"

Let me get this straight. Here we have women stripping down to thongs and pasties, and their intention isn't necessarily to turn people on? What is going on here? The more I talked to other performers from other burlesque troupes, the more I heard this kind of answer: burlesque ? just sex.

Now, obviously, burlesque performances include a certain amount of sex. Women take their clothes off in a seductive, sexy manner. The performers, however, do not see themselves involved in a sex show, but rather something more sophisticated, something with a little more substance.

"It's satire," said Corinne Caouette, formerly of LCR. "It's there to make fun of sex symbols and sex. In my mind it should never intend to be erotic. It's about hinting at things, not exploiting things."

Stan the 3-D man agreed. "It's not a hardware show," he said. "It's about the sizzle, not the steak." Stan himself is a testament to the variety show feel of a typical burlesque. Stan brings to LCR his 3-D Shadow Striptease, which involves a screen, a dancer, a projector, and 3-D goggles. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Gina Louise described their show as a "potluck party." Everyone brings their talents to the table. Sure, some of the dishes are more delectable than others, but the variety is always there: from the hula-hoop striptease, to the Egyptian mummy who slowly unravels her strategically-placed bandages. Tap dancers. Singers. Jugglers. Comedians. Ukulele players. Dueling ballerinas. Magicians. And a crazy assortment of costumes to accompany each act.

Many striptease costumes are very intricate, with cleverly made layers so that each one can be removed to reveal an entirely new outfit — each one smaller than the one that came before it. In one show, Tomahawk Tassels (of LCR) wore an American Indian costume that eventually slimmed down to a loin cloth and feather-encrusted pasties. Sarah Holiday (of Dr. Farrago's) wore a dress entirely made of scarves under her vampire-like black dress, and she removed each scarf one-by-tantalizing-one.

But don't call them strippers. Burlesque performers see themselves as separate from the stripping industry. The exaggerated costumes, playful variety of acts, and the humorous overtone of burlesque clearly set this genre apart from shows one might see at a strip club. However, misconceptions about burlesque performers still abound, and, according to Buchanan, the girls get offended when people insist on calling them strippers.

Heather Wilson (a.k.a. Foxy Tann), founder of Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma'ams, agrees that many people still don't see the difference between burlesque performances and stripping. The distinction, however, is clear to her. "A big difference between strip clubs and burlesque," explains Wilson, "is that we don't just perform for the highest bidder. The show is always for everyone. And we don't try to hoover out your wallet."

"It's a hard concept to grasp," says LCR Houseboy Garron Haubner. "It's not a band. It's not the circus. It's not any of these things that we're familiar with, and I think that's a good thing. I think we need different."

Clearly, burlesque is an entertainment genre that causes some confusion. Its ambiguous nature can also cause legal problems, and the troupes often have trouble booking a venue with the proper licensing to host a burlesque show. Despite all that, however, it may be that burlesque is simply something that the Midwest has not yet fully embraced.

The Potluck Party Heats Up in Minnesota

Apparently, our cities, known for their "Minnesota nice," had once been a destination for some "Minnesota naughty." According to Mia Jennings (a.k.a. Mia Malone), founder of Dr. Farrago's, "The Twin Cities has a strong history of burlesque." Jennings chatted matter-of-factly about gangsters like Al Capone bunking down in the seedy gambling halls of St. Paul and catching some quality burlesque entertainment on the side. Notable entertainment venues such as the State Theatre and the Orpheum once housed throngs of semi-nude dancers shaking their tassels for the wilder crowds of the early Twin Cities. Burlesque thrived up until the ‘40s or ‘50s, when it was buried under strip clubs and lap dances.

In recent years, burlesque has made an international comeback. From Tokyo to London and from NYC to Seattle, people all across the country and the world are again embracing burlesque. What caused the sudden upsurge of this seemingly forgotten form of entertainment? Performers like Gina Louise and Ophelia Flame argue that the appearance of burlesque-type movies, such as Moulin Rouge (2001) and Chicago (2002), had something to do with it. Other performers have purported that burlesque has mirrored the GBLT liberation movement. Still others assert that burlesque never really went away in the first place. One thing is certain, though. Burlesque is still relatively unknown in many circles.

"It's still largely an underground thing," said Gwendolyn Rae of LCR. "People around here don't really know about it." Although it has been going strong in several cities across the United States and even has its own annual convention in Las Vegas, called the Miss Exotic World Pageant, burlesque is still shrouded in mystery in the Midwest.

Despite their underground nature, however, burlesque troupes have been attracting local audiences since the birth of the first modern-day troupe in the Twin Cities area, Le Cirque Rouge. Buchanan was a singer and songwriter when she founded the troupe in 2003, but had no experience running a burlesque revue. Her enthusiasm and love of old-time variety shows, however, inspired Buchanan to hold auditions and cobble together a show. With dancers, a band, and a venue finally secured, Buchanan's LCR started cranking out three weekly shows. "It was the wildest time of my life," she reminisced. "We were on fire, and we did three shows a week for ten months straight. By Saturday night we'd walk in and wouldn't even say hi to each other. It was just like, let's party again!"

Le Cirque Rouge served as a welcome outlet for many Twin Cities ladies with pent-up raw talent. For others, this was a chance to finally bring something they loved right to their front door. "I was just personally so excited to have found my tribe locally," explained Laura Libby (a.k.a. Ophelia Flame), "I had found that nationally at Exotic World, and to finally have that come to Minneapolis was very exciting. It was also inspiring to work with a collection of very talented people, some of whom became my close friends."

Eventually, Le Cirque Rouge split into several smaller troupes. The first splinter group was Dr. Farrago's. Jennings broke away from LCR because she was not content with its classic feel and wanted to create something edgier. "I wanted to use more modern music," said Jennings, "that made my blood simmer with excitement, energy, and passion—such as electronica or techno-type music."

Jennings separated quietly from LCR, but shortly after her departure the group endured an ugly split. Several disgruntled performers protested against Buchanan and her loose management style. They demanded change and kicked Buchanan to the curb, forcing her (and those who chose to remain by her side) to find a new venue. The performers that took over the old venue continued performing burlesque shows under the name Lili's Burlesque Revue. Despite their messy divide, both troupes got back on their feet and are still up-and-running today. (For the dramatic details see our video documentary on the split.)

On the other side of the river, Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma'ams started their own troupe based out of St. Paul. Wilson began her performance career as an emcee at the Gay ‘90s drag show during the late 1990s. She always had a flare for the theatrical and thought she might give burlesque a try. In 2005, Wilson started her own troupe with the goal of creating a bolder form of burlesque. The troupe has been together for three years now and has enjoyed a short, but wildly successful career. In fact, they were crowned Best Troupe at the 2006 Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas and will be touring England this Spring.

At the dawn of the 21st century, Minneapolis once again has emerged as an unlikely hub of burlesque activity. Today there are a wide variety of burlesque revues to choose from. The split of LCR, though messy at the time, attributed to the diversity of the burlesque scene that we see today. "Although I didn't really like it at the time," says Haubner, "[the split] was really good for burlesque in general." It allowed people to explore different avenues of burlesque and created a truly diverse burlesque scene, with something for everyone.

For traditional, upside-down-style burlesque, the original Le Cirque Rouge offers a classic fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants feel. Lili's, on the other hand, tries to deliver a more formulated, organized style, while conserving the classic vaudeville flavor. "Classy?" says Wilson, "That is so not me." And she's not lying. Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma'ams have a louder, bolder, sassier feel than any of the other troupes — not to mention they are the most racially diverse. And those craving something more modern will appreciate Dr. Farrago's experimental and contemporary style. With a touch of gender-bending and leather, Dr. Farrago's takes the cake for pushing burlesque boundaries.

Burlesque seems to be alive and well in the Twin Cities. Why then, are some people completely oblivious to the burgeoning burlesque scene that is seemingly all around them?

Look Who's Watching

"My main audience consists of adults from every walk of life," says Jennings." We have an audience that's straight, gay, transsexual, business men and women, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, hippies, freaks, college students..." Although burlesque audiences are fairly diverse, there is still one major demographic that remains relatively unrepresented. "We still have to tap into the suburbs," says Haubner. Suburbanites, it seems, are still too afraid to venture into the city and explore some of the alternative entertainment that is offered.

Despite recent news coverage (The Star Tribune published a cover story on burlesque in 2005), there is still an unusually high level of ignorance about burlesque. Perhaps people are simply leery about what a burlesque show might have in store. "The very general public thinks of burlesque as being The Pussycat Dolls or the Suicide Girls, or even the infamous burlesque performer BOB," explains Caouette, "LCR is and was never anything like that. Mainstream burlesque seems to be a lot about mockery and emulation of ‘50s bombshells or pin-ups, and we were more influenced by art, dance, and costume of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, as well — more vaudeville than ‘50s pin-up."

And yet, the stereotype persists. Caouette goes on to tell a story about a couple of men who demanded their money back because the girls were not "taking enough off."

To be completely fair, "burlesque-ignorant" folks aren't entirely to blame for their lack of knowledge about the nature of burlesque. Advertising by the burlesque community is largely word-of-mouth. Most people that show up are often the heard-it-through-the-grapevine type. "People show up not knowing what to expect," says Buchanan, "We get a variety of people-jocks, college kids, average Joes, people from the strip clubs. They'll come up to me at the end and say ‘I had no idea this was here. I love it!'"

The troupes do advertise, but they often count on this type of enthusiasm to spread the word about what they're doing. There are a few exceptions, however: Lili's Burlesque Revue has been advertising their pants off through promotional flyers, printed ads, and their website to rein in a more suburban crowd. It seems to be working. Their performance at the Ritz sold out two nights in a row—all two-hundred-and-fifty seats.


Trouble in Paradise

Many performers, however, are concerned about the bad rap that burlesque has been getting lately. Troupes have been running into legal trouble left and right, but much of the difficulty stems from the fact that "burlesque" is not a legally defined word. The city simply does not know how to deal with such a show, and as a result, the troupes find themselves getting in trouble — and unclear as to what wrong they have committed. For instance, The Independent was fined when Lili's performed there in 2006. The venue received a citation, even though the dancers were careful not to strip down to anything beyond bras and panties. "I received a call from one of the managers of the venue who was very confused about the citation," explains Dubois, "The only thing I ever heard after that was that they were fined because our name was on the poster: Lili's Burlesque Revue — the word being the offense."

According to Minneapolis legislation, a venue with a Class A license can host stage shows, skits, vaudeville, theater, etc. and can have amplified music, an unlimited number of performers, and "all legal forms of entertainment (including adult) dancing." But even Class A license holders are subject to some restrictions. One problem: the dreaded "underbreast." In Minneapolis it is unlawful at most venues for females to expose the underside of their breasts or even any part of their derrieres. Burlesque revues have gotten around this legislation by creating triangular-shaped pasties and wearing sexy, but not-so-revealing panties. The troupes, however, did not realize that such exposure was an offense until they got fined. "We at Lili's are rather in the dark on the licensing issue," said Gina Louise, "Most of our knowledge is based on what we have read in the news and what we can gather through talking with friends in the restaurant, bar, and entertainment industries." As a result, most of the troupes have been fined on several occasions without realizing that they were doing anything wrong. They have learned what the laws are (or what laws are being enforced) by trial and error, because it is nearly impossible to find concrete legislation that directly applies to burlesque.

Despite their efforts to comply with city regulations, the troupes are still occasionally fined. Some of the instances of "law-breaking" have been so nit-picky that some performers are wondering if burlesque is being unfairly targeted. For instance, Wilson lamented that new Class A-type venues in Minneapolis now have to sign a waiver stating that they will not host "semi-nude" performers. It is actions like these that cause performers such as Gina Louise to question the motives of the city. "We have heard that in order to receive a liquor license, the Bedlam Theater had to sign an agreement saying they wouldn't present shows with nudity or partial nudity," she said. "Are the rules the same for other theaters, or not? Is burlesque being targeted, and if so why? If Ground Zero is allowed to host Bondage-and-Go-Go, as they have for so many years, why can't we do our burlesque show in any 21+ venue across the Twin Cities? And what about drag shows? How are we any different? Yes, a burlesque show is for grown-ups, but so is everything else that happens at a bar."

Today and Tomorrow

Sometimes not much makes sense in the topsy-turvy world of burlesque, but at the end of the day what really matters is that the performers are simply in love with what they are doing. "It's like an addiction," says Gwendolyn Rae, "I always need to have it. Of course there are ebbs and flows in your ‘addiction' and sometimes you're fielding more than other times, but it's always going to be a part of who I am. I think that when you're a character, that character inside you never dies."

More than one performer commented on the familial feel of their troupe. "LCR is definitely family," says Buchanan. "We all hang out together, celebrate birthdays together, cook dinner together. We get in fights and make up."

They are a tight-knit clan, those marvelous burlesque performers. "Everyone knows everyone else," says Wilson, "it's a pretty small community."

Despite the relatively small number of performers, there is great diversity among the men and women that do burlesque. These people hail from all over the state (and nation). They grew up in both conservative and liberal households. They are ordinary people who work as teachers, writers, nurses, yoga instructors, etc. They have bachelor degrees and master's degrees from a variety of schools. They have families and children of their own. And not a single one of them is ashamed of what they are doing. "It's really empowering," says Wilson. "Women come up to me after the show and tell me that I have given them a new confidence. I show them that you don't have to be stick-thin to be comfortable in your own skin."

Who would have guessed that burlesque could be something that lifts women up and empowers them? A month ago, I would have never believed it. But as I watched show after show and talked to performer after performer I began to understand what they were talking about. The women up on stage do not hide their flaws; they flaunt them. Curves are acceptable. Small boobs are acceptable. Feeling sexy in your own skin is acceptable. I went to one of the shows with a good friend of mine. Afterwards she turned to me and said, "You know, I was actually a little afraid to come tonight, but I'm so glad I did. This show made me feel surprisingly confident in myself. I feel like if I wanted to, I could be up there doing that."

Maybe as more and more people delve into the mysterious Twin Cities burlesque scene, they will discover what my friend discovered: a form of entertainment that is not only fun, but surprisingly comfortable. Maybe those semi-naughty suburban housewives-the ones who take belly dancing classes or host dirty bachelorette parties-will venture out of their townhouses to join in on the fun. Maybe people will forget what they have heard about burlesque and will go see it for themselves. Maybe the city will consider the purpose of burlesque shows instead of harshly critiquing their aesthetic. Maybe.

What is the future of Twin Cities burlesque? Truthfully, nobody knows. Gwendolyn Rae would like to see it go more mainstream. Foxy Tann hopes that it will become a destination, and not just a sideshow. Gina Louise dreams of a burlesque scene that isn't so mainstream that it's boring, but popular enough that you can make a living by doing it. Garron the houseboy is afraid that it will die out soon, since it's not exactly a "money making venture." Nadine Dubois thinks that the new golden age of burlesque is yet to come.

Although the future of burlesque is uncertain, its present is clear. The troupes are alive and kicking, and they're not ready to stop twirling their tassels any time soon. The burlesque scene, however, is still one of the best-kept secrets in the Twin Cities. "When other cities are booming and burning with Burlesque fever," says Jennings, "we are left behind." It is about time more people caught the fever.

Be sure to check out our three accompanying videos by Chistopher Kelleher.

Still having trouble sorting out the local groups? Here's a chart to help you pick your next show: