"While walking in, a curtain draws, a light has dimmed, and the show begins"
Feathers, bright colors, low lighting and a packed venue are just about enough to keep anyone interested. I wasn’t stumbling out of one of SA’s favorite Main Street hot spots. I was actually invited to Jump Start Theater in the Blue Star art complex. This was my first official visit to a “Burlesque” show here in San Antonio. Complete with a music soundtrack dating from 40’s big band to 90’s rockabilly, a bit of silly humor, a few props and women of all sizes. Yet the most entertaining act of the evening was the one spinning a hula hoop while showing off her backbreaking yoga skills. That was most impressive. If this doesn’t tickle your fancy & if you don’t want to spend half of your paycheck purchasing brews across the way, there’s a weekly burlesque show just a short drive down Broadway. Dixie’s Bar off Broadway & 410 hosts a weekly gig complete with a full band and exotic looking dancers. If you can get there early enough to grab a table amongst the smoke filled noisy establishment then you’re in luck. Quite the different setting from our previous locale, I still prefer the theatre type setting.
Devil Bunnies
“We’ve been together on and off since 2008 but not until towards the end of last year we actually started focusing on the group itself.” Kassy continues, “We’re working on getting a strong set of girls, currently its 5 of us.” Rose Munoz & Kassy Lovejoy have been working hard to get the word out and in turn they are building up a huge fan base. “The first time is became involved with burlesque was when my best friend was actually a female impersonator burlesque performer in Dallas. I had always wanted to get into it and during that time no one was actually performing burlesque here in San Antonio.” Kassy states “I first got thrown into it during a performance at The Saint. My friend entered a drag queen contest and I helped his as a backup dancer to help him with the whole burlesque routine. The crowds’ response was great and we ended up getting second place.” Soon after Kassy teamed up with Rose & Jessica and they started doing a vaudeville event that included magicians, comedians and performers. When that event went south Rose and the group created “Bite Fest” This year her brainchild will be celebrating its fourth year under a different name. Rose is also working on the first annual San Antonio Burlesque Festival so keep your ears open for news of that coming this summer. “I hoping to get that started in the summer. I definitely want to make that big so we want to bring people from everywhere and have them come down here. There’s so many different styles, so many different groups even just in Texas. I want to be able to work with everybody” Rose says with a smile.
Deathrockets Grotesque Burlesque
“I wanted to do burlesque since I was a little kid.” Rachet Von Nightmare recalls her early memories. “I was raised really alternatively. I got introduced to bands like Bauhaus and KMFDM cause that was what my father was into. So of course the scene that sounds that is very artistic and out there. I started watching Dita Von Tease and have been involved with ballet for around 15 years.” “Bloodfest was really our coming out party.” Presley continues, “The classical style of burlesque kind of bored us a little bit. We finally got to do a lot of blood play. I dance to Manson’s Spade and I drain a heart all over, blood everywhere and it was so fascinating to me. I like that darker side of anything and that’s really the direction that we wanted to take.” “We did a lot of shows at Wax Lounge when we started.” Rachet states. “That’s where our roots are. That’s where we built up our confidence. I never really felt that I had the body to do this but after the first time I took my bra off with my pasties on it felt so liberating.” The duo hails from New Braunfels and they have quickly found a place they feel comfortable letting loose in our big city. “All of our friends and everyone from the scene here have been very accepting of what we do. We’ve been doing shows at The Thirsty Camel, Clicks and Korova” Rachet says.
The Scarlet Darlings
Katie Red & Annabella Lugosi established the Scarlet Darlings in 2009. When they began to search new members, each dancer had to pass a strict audition before joining. This extremely diverse troupe brings in many different elements to their unique style of burlesque. For those of the alternative lifestyle; Boylesque, a male equivalent to burlesque, is a unique feature that separates this group from the rest of the troupes in SA. “We’ve performed at Korova, we do a weekly show at Dixie’s, we just signed on for a bi-monthly show at Nightrocker and we have a lot of cool performances coming up at Overtime Theater and Jumpstart Theatre. We like the theater setting more than the bar setting. “ Annabella explains. “We’ve done so many themed shows. We recently did a late night picture show which was all movie themed performances. Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland we’re among some of the characters we portrayed. It was awesome. We also did a sin & vices show were everyone did their own original sin. This weekend were doing a TV themed show, X-files & Dexter were some of the skits.” “We do incorporate a lot of different things in our show. Like singing, we sing together on stage, we like to use comedy, we’re currently are looking for a comedian to use in our shows.” Blue Carolina continues. “We want more comedy acts actual skits in our show more than just a strip tease.”
Oh Baby Burlesque!
One of the newest troupes to take the scene by storm was founded a couple years ago by the rambunctious Panty Oakley. Making their weekly home at a country rock bar just north of downtown, they seem to be making waves all over SA. “Burlesque is pretty inspiring, we really want to have a positive stage presence & we want to be a positive inspiration for women. I know that everyone is so sick of seeing emaciated models & girls with big fake boobs. Most regular women are not like that.” Panty Oakley wants to send a message that all women are beautiful not just the ones that are worshiped by the media. “Every one of our dancers are really different. Jessica is a graphic artist, Nicole is a working, going to school mom & Dickie used to be in a group called super happy fun time burlesque when he was in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Every last Saturday of the month we do a themed show.” Panty continues, “Its fun, it’s silly, we don’t charge a cover. It’s an hour long show, with a break in the middle, with really wicked amazing drink specials at Dixie’s all the time. This has been our home venue since August.”
Stars & Garters Burlesque
Stars & Garters has been around since December of 2008, complete with five dancer’s two emcees and a dedicated panty wrangler this group puts on a pretty big production. “The burlesque scene in San Antonio has grown really quickly. I stated doing burlesque back in Austin back in 2005 that was joining an already established scene. “Blue Valentine, the group’s founder and leader helps take the show to a more professional level.
”I did my first show in August of 2006 with a group at the Cameo Theater; we were the Not Too Blue Burlesque. We began swapping gigs from here and Austin until about 2008; we called it a burlesque exchange.” Suki Jones giggles, “I had an obsession as a teenager with a musical cabaret and to me it was the progression. Since then I’ve always had an interest in it and then the owner of the Cameo decided he wanted to do it. He helped put together our production since he had previous experience hosting burlesque shows in the 80’s.”
“I lived in Austin for the past 10 years and there was already a thriving burlesque scene there.” Blue valentine remembers, “So after going to many shows and events I wanted to figure out how to be part of it. The problem I kept running into was that it the dancers were always your typical very thin girls and I’m a plus sized woman. So I started Big Star Burlesque in Austin which is an all plus sized burlesque troupe and the only one in the nation at that time. That’s how I kind of became involved in it. When I moved back to San Antonio I didn’t want to stop doing it so I started putting shows together.”
Miss Chevious brings experience to Stars and Garters. “I have been doing dance and theater since I was in elementary school and throughout high school. When I saw the Suicide Girls perform a burlesque show at the White Rabbit a few years back, after that I went to a Goth convention show at Jump Start and I thought that was amazing. Then about a year and a half ago I found Stars & Garters online and I auditioned for them & I’ve been part of their group ever since. Harvey Wallbanger is the troupes emcee and comic relief. “I introduce the lovely ladies, tell some bad jokes and try to be charming as much as I can. Have fun, keep the energy up and keep the ball rolling.
So guys and gals it seems as if the once out-dated art of burlesque is making a comeback, and everyone is welcomed.
G.Tomas Vasquez 2011
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