Burlesque is not just a wonderful form of sexual expression, but Burlesque performers capture the essence of style and comedy. Although many do dance, they are much more than the typical stripper. Armed with jokes, beautiful costumes, and sexuality, Burlesque Performers entertain us. While not all are considered kinky or in the BDSM community, there is something kinky about Burlesque performers and Burlesque culture.
So, I asked some of my Burlesque friends a couple of questions about the Burlesque community and here are their answers…
Killsey Van HellSin
Killsey Van HellSin is a sideshow and burlesque performer. She embraces fierce goddesses, swamp witches, and pagan sorceresses as her aesthetic influences. In her performances, she staples stuff to her body. Also, she dances and rolls around in broken glass.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KillseyVHSin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/killseyisaverb/
FetLife: KillseyVHS
All other inquiries: killseyvhs@gmail.com
What is it about Burlesque that you love?
I love burlesque because it allows for so much positive creative expression for so many people. It’s incredible and inspiring for me to see how performers take the basic steps of burlesque dancing and create things that are so uniquely their own.
Burlesque has many different styles and themes. What is yours?
My burlesque style really includes a lot of aesthetic influences from high fantasy, a heavy-handed helping of rock and roll edge, and the glamour of vintage burlesque. I wanted to create a barbarian queen for a new age who was fierce, beautiful, and slightly terrifying.
What are some of the major misconceptions people have of Burlesque and Burlesque performers?
Some of the major misconceptions about burlesque and burlesque performers is that there is a lot of divadom and bad attitudes backstage. In reality, all the performers I’ve met are some of the kindest people in the world. A lot of assumptions are also made about burlesque representing a very specific aesthetic, whereas there’s a lot of variety and individuality in the art form.
How has being a Burlesque Performer changed your life?
Being a burlesque performer has changed my life because I had to become very comfortable living my life publicly very quickly. I also feel as though it’s given me a unique space to perform the art I want to put on stage. That is incredible. I’ve also never had the opportunity to interact one on one with audience members the way I have in burlesque, and that gives me so much joy as a performer.
Video interview with Killsey Van HellSin
KikiTHEPuck aka Mx Pucks A’Plenty
kikiTHEpuck is the bad & bawdy burlesque performer who adores all things leather, all things radical & all things queer. Political, potent, and in your face.
Website: https://www.mxpucksaplenty.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/MxPucksAPlenty
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pucksaplenty
Twitter: @MxPucksAPlenty
What is it about Burlesque that you love?
I love that I get to create a narrative with my body, costuming, and music. I love that I can be political, bawdy, sexy, vulnerable all at the same time.
Burlesque has many different styles and themes. What is yours?
I am a neo Burlesque performer. My style changes depending on the act, but I do love wearing boots if I can while on stage.
What are some of the major misconceptions people have of Burlesque and Burlesque performers?
That we get paid a lot. We really don’t.
How has being a Burlesque Performer changed your life?
I have been able to own my queerness as well as come out as non-binary. It gave me the confidence to be comfortable in my skin.
Video interview with KikTHEPuck
May Hemmer
May Hemmer is known as “The Sassiest Thing in New Orleans” and has been dubbed the “Cocoa Barbie” by Vita DeVoid of Florida. This lady has a larger than life personality and has been gracing the stages with nerdlesque, neo burlesque, and much more since 2011. A member of the Storyville Starlettes and The Bluestockings, she performs regularly at Burlesque Ballroom, Big Deal Burlesque, and many more independent shows and private events around NOLA.
Links: www.mayhemmer.com
Instagram/Twitter: @themayhemmer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/may.hemmer,
https://www.facebook.com/mayhemmer504/
https://www.facebook.com/hausofmayhem/
What is it about Burlesque that you love?
I love the creativity with it. I’m allowed to be whatever and whomever I wish to be on stage. I can create characters that can tell a story, entertain, and/or make people think. I’m also a cosplayer and a big nerd, so when I realized I could bring some of my favorite characters to life in a different way, I was even more in love with the art form.
Burlesque has many different styles and themes. What is yours?
Nerdlesque. I do have classic and neo numbers, but nerdy burlesque is where my heart is.
What are some of the major misconceptions people have of Burlesque and Burlesque performers?
One of the major misconceptions that I’ve endured is that we want to be solicited. May Hemmer is a persona. She is another side of me that I may not always portray in my muggle life. However we may seem, it’s not an invitation for people to think they can touch us without consent or proposition us.
How has being a Burlesque Performer changed your life?
It has opened me up a bit more as a person. Shockingly, I am an introvert in many incidences and can suffer from horrible social anxiety. This helps me express myself and learn to open up more. I’ve been through a lot over the years and this has helped me express myself in several ways. If anything, it’s taught me to embrace the real me and not be afraid.
Video interview with May Hemmer
Memphis Muerte
From Greensboro, North Carolina, Memphis Muerte combines southern sass and Puerto Rican passion. She is the founding member of the Discordia Dames and head producer of the Discordia Days Burlesque Festival. Full of bumps, grinds, wiggles and jiggles, Memphis Muerte.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MemphisMuerte/
Twitter: @DiscordiaDames
What is it about Burlesque that you love?
What I love about burlesque is the fearlessness it has instilled me with. Being a big-bodied person, we are often told that we’re not valuable to anyone unless they have certain kinks or desires, if at all. Being a part of the burlesque community has helped me see that this is not always the case and there is much to be gained by confronting fears.
Burlesque has many different styles and themes. What is yours?
I am a traditional neo burlesque, which is an oxymoron, I know. I like using newer songs and aesthetics but tend to use more classic choreography. I like the glitz and glamour, but I also love high energy and irreverent ideas.
What are some of the major misconceptions people have of Burlesque and Burlesque performers?
Probably that we’re all loud and oversexed. I may look like a sultry sexpot on stage, but as soon as the show is over, all I want is a taco and bed. I am pretty calm and quiet in real life and I would rather sit at home with my friends playing video games and drinking wine from a box than gallivanting around town.
How has being a Burlesque Performer changed your life?
It’s given me the strength to be me. I grew up with a single father and anything remotely feminine, let alone anything sex-positive, was utterly villainized. Burlesque gave me the permission and the strength to be the feminine and sensual idea of myself I had been fostering inside my brain since my early adulthood. In short, I’m happy, and burlesque gave me the chance to be that.
Video interview with Memphis Muerte
So…
What have we learned from all of this?
Since I was a kid, I loved the art of Burlesque. I love the theatrics, the sexuality, the pageantry, the humor, and the costumes. Most importantly, I love how people in Burlesque embrace their sexuality and individualism. Another wonderful aspect of the art form is that most of the companies are owned and run by women. Each one of these women in this article have found of sense of peace in their performance art and sexual expression. Their passion is inspiring, entertaining, and beautiful. Every time I went to a Burlesque show, I saw something unique and sexy. So, support your local Burlesque performers. Support the magnificent sensuous art form. I’m willing to bet you will always be pleasantly surprised what you see.