A cupcake and cocktail reception celebrating Seattle’s Burlesque Hall of Famers.
A Reception
Seattle is one of the most influential and talent-rich burlesque meccas in the country. In the world, truthfully. How did it grow into such a hotbed of performance? For one thing, we have Miss Indigo Blue. The newly crowned Miss Exotic World has been a performer, educator, mentor, historian, business woman, DIY-er, and all around glamour puss for twenty years now. She’s like the patron saint of Seattle burlesque. With her new title, now she’s on display for the entire world to be proud of the way that we are every day.
And she’s not alone in playing a pivotal role in Seattle’s incredible scene. She’s flanked by the likes of other innovators such as The Swedish Housewife (producer of this year’s Titans of Tease Showcase, she’s been developing the night for 7 years, taking only last year off)- a brilliant producer, historian, and performer focused on artists and honoring true creativity; Lily Verlaine- winner of 2nd Runner Up Miss Exotic World, also a producer and brilliant performer- and Kitten LaRue, who did not appear at BHOF but has had a huge influence as a founding member of The Atomic Bombshells, a troupe featuring both Indigo and Lily. Many other early neo and classic performers helped to ignite a movement here- too many to mention in fact.
Then there are the venues. We have West Hall (current home to students of the Academy of Burlesque), boutique cabarets like the Jewelbox (imperative for launching new acts) and The Pink Door. There’s medium size stages such as Noc Noc housing wildly successful resident troupe Sinner Saint Burlesque, and at the high end of the spectrum are grand scale theaters such as the opulent Triple Door and Columbia City Theatre housing larger productions.
Miss Indigo Blue also credits the audiences, growing up with our family of groundbreaking performers in the last twenty years, for making Seattle the burlesque hothouse that it is. We have an intelligent, passionate fan base and some of the best performers in the world. Waxie Moon has not one but two films featuring his work, and Inga Ingénue recently won the Miss Viva Las Vegas title. Our sister cities of Portland and Olympia are making waves, and BurlyCon is growing bigger every year. We even have our own dedicated news blog (that’s right, I’m talking about BSP). How did Seattle grow into the burlesque mecca that it is? We have every element of a fully functional and beautiful community firing on all cylinders.
To that end, Miss Indigo Blue and The Academy of Burlesque are throwing an open reception on July 2 to celebrate the Burlesque Hall of Fame’s Seattle performers. Cupcakes and cocktails will flow, a BHOF slideshow will be shown, and donations to the Burlesque Hall of Fame and the Exotic World & The Burlesque Revival film will be accepted. “It’s everything you need to know about what is fueling the passion of modern day burlesque,” The Swedish Housewife says of the film. When asked how she feels about Seattle’s stellar showing at BHOF this year, she simply stated “It’s about time.”
And now, for what went down in Vegas.
In addition to all the amazing photos popping up online, there’s a ton of video making the rounds- primarily by one Bruce McIntosh of Wild Dog Road Photography. You can see his comprehensive BHOF youtube collection HERE and HERE; below is Bruce’s video from all of our beloved Northwestern competitors, including the title winning performance from Seattle’s burlesque patron saint- Miss Indigo Blue.
Saturday’s “21st Annual Tournament of Tease” competition was held Saturday, June 4 at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas:
INDIGO BLUE (Seattle, Winner of Reigning Queen of Burlesque: Miss Exotic World)
LILY VERLAINE (Seattle, Winner of 2nd Runner Up: Miss Exotic World)
IVA HANDFULL (Seattle, Nominated for Best Debut)
RANDI RASCAL (Seattle, Nominated for Best Debut)
CHARLOTTE TREUSE (Portland, Nominated for Best Debut)
ANGELIQUE DeVIL(Portland, Nominated for Best Debut)
Here is video of the Seattle and Portland performers who were chosen for the Burlesque Hall of Fame’s Thursday night “Movers, Shakers, & Innovators” showcase:
WAXIE MOON (Seattle)
INGA INGENUE (Seattle)
NINA NIGHTSHADE (Portland)
Congrats to all the performers that were a part of BHOF 2011 from far and wide! See you July 2 at the reception!
Burlesque Seattle Press 
If I wasn’t performing in PDX that night, I would be making the trip up to Seattle to celebrate! PNW is a force to be reckoned with.