Dita gets her Southern on. Valkyrie channels their inner Coney Island.
It kills me that this bill isn't scheduled for Seattle. So far...?
BSP hot tipper Paul and I have been bemoaning the fact that Dita Von Teese has nothing scheduled at this time for the Pacific Northwest, but she’s bringing a round of incredible acts to New Orleans, Dallas, and Houston this month- including her Opium Den number and…a PINK MECHANICAL BULL. Yes, it’s true. And to make those of us way up North even more jealous, last night Dita announced even more special guests for her Strip Strip Hooray! variety show: MC Murray Hill, Dirty Martini, Selene Luna (!!!), Monsieur Romeo (Host of L’Effleur Des Sens), Lada (from the World Famous Crazy Horse Paris), and Medianoche.
Here’s more info from the lady herself:
Dita is bringing her variety show “Burlesque: Strip Strip Hooray!” to the House Of Blues in New Orleans, Dallas and Houston this summer.
New Orleans – July 26th
Dallas – July 28th
Houston – July 30thThe show features MC Murray Hill and some of burlesque’s brightest stars:
MC Murray Hill
Comedian and renowned entertainer Murray Hill, “the hardest working middle-aged man in show business,” is a relentless retro shtick slinger, buster of audience chops and freewheeling ad-libber. Murray’s razor sharp wit and frenetic showman antics led the New York Times to anoint him “Downtown’s New ‘It’ Boy.” Murray has also had a string of recent cameos in HBO’s Bored to Death, STARZ’s Gravity, and BRAVO’s Real Housewives of New York.Dirty Martini
New York Magazine calls Dirty Martini “the sexpot sophisticate,” and the New York Times declared her “one of the best in burlesque.” Featured in the film “Tournee” which premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Dirty Martini is one of the leading figures in the American Burlesque revival.Selene Luna
At 3’10″, Selene Luna is a small package with a very big presence. The New York Times calls her “a polished spitfire,” and the Washington Square News says, “She’s a huge presence and owns the stage during her 5-minute romp.” Luna was an original member of Velvet Hammer Burlesque and is well-known as Margaret Cho’s sidekick on “The Cho Show.”Lada of the Crazy Horse Paris
One of the stars of the Crazy Horse Paris, Lada was hand-picked by Dita to appear in “Burlesque: Strip Strip Hooray!” after they met during Dita’s guest star appearances at the famous cabaret in 2010. As Crazy Horse Paris Creative Director Ali Mahdavi notes, Lada is “the ultimate expression of a Crazy Horse dancer. She epitomizes the essential blend of strength, femininity, and a sense of humor.”Monsieur Romeo of L’effleur des Sens
Representing boylesque in the show, Monsieur Romeo was born in France and raised all over Europe where he worked as a model for Giorgio Armani, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Well-known as the host of the LA-based Parisian Cabaret L’effleur des Sens, “Monsieur Roméo exudes disreputable savoir-faire, seeking women in the audience to help him strip during his solo, and behaving as if anyone who even looks at him is hopelessly corrupt.” (LA Times).Medianoche
Medianoche was born and raised in southern Spain and is formally trained in flamenco and tango dance. She brings a distinctly European je ne sais quoi to venues such as Duane Park, Highline Ballroom, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Hotel Empire. Although always at her best when emerging from Isis wings, rhinestoned flower petals, or her signature red pheasant feathers, Medianoche also dances Argentine tango professionally in theatres and ballrooms throughout the United States.For more information, please visit www.dita.net.
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What can we do to console ourselves until Dita turns her attention back to Seattle and beyond? I’d suggest some homegrown burlesque, including the debut show from Valkyrie Productions (aka Minetta Lane and Violet Tendencies). Trojan Original as The Strongman, The Shanghai Pearl as The Mermaid, Fannie Beaverhausen as The Giantess…? Yes, yes, and yes. Dita Von Teese can cool her bejeweled heels in Texas for another weekend or two while Sideshow Sirens: A Valkyrie Peepshow mixes things up, Coney Island style.
Sideshow Sirens July 15 and 22 in Seattle
I asked Minetta Lane how this show came about:
Sideshow Sirens: A Valkyrie Peepshow is a look at the dark side of the
circus . We are bringing together Seattle’s burlesque stars along with
some of the brightest new talent for this sinister and sensual peek
behind the big top.
Violet and I have always wanted to do our part to foster the ideal of
community in Seattle burlesque. This is the first in our run of shows
designed to entertain audiences by bringing them the newest and
hottest talent along side Seattle’s much loved queens of the stage.
This idea for Valkyrie Productions- and this show in particular- started
during one of Violet’s and my crazy email exchanges while we should
have been working our day jobs. We can get rather ridiculous and over
the top with our ideas, but something fun always comes out of it.
We picked the talent for our first show based on performers we love to
see; the list got a bit long so some of those invites will have to
wait for our next show. We are also open to suggestions if fans know
of a hidden gem or someone they just have to see more of, we would
love to hear about it.
Contact Valkyrie at: thevalkyrieproductions@gmail.com, and get tickets HERE.
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And though both nights have completely sold out, it’s most definitely worth a mention that July 15 and 16 the fabulous Jo Jo Stiletto and her fellow producers bring Whedonesque Burlesque: Seattle Edition to the Theatre Off Jackson. The show’s theme is to die for:
Seattle’s finest geeky burlesque performers are daring to take inspiration from their favorite Joss Whedon shows and characters: Buffy, Firefly, Dr Horrible, Angel, Dollhouse and more. This will be a nerd spectacle of epic proportions. Expect sexiness, silliness, sadness, strange creatures and more. We aim to misbehave!
Hosted by Rebecca M. Davis
Performances by:
Heidi Von Haught
Polly Wood
Mercury Troy
Miss Elaine Yes
Lexi Luthor
Sister Piston
Mae Kim Beg
Electric Fanny
Rip Curl
Whisper De Corvo
Legs Montana
The Norse Goddess
Rachel Jackson of Puppet This
The Fighting Women of Performers’ Forge
Miss Little Piza Paradise
Billy Corazon
EmpeROAR Fabulous (Sat. Only)…AND MORE!
Sister Piston (Photo Geoff Carter)
Burlesque Seattle Press 