Heavenly Spies in ‘Betty’: a moving target review.
The Heavenly Spies in a rare moment of relative rest (POC Photo)
Looking over my review notes from seeing The Heavenly Spies’ current show Betty Burlesque a few weeks ago, I realize it’s futile to write anything more than interesting memory cues and odd word combinations when those girls are on stage (Majorettes and sparkle pants? Upside down ass twitch? Skates and pasties?) Things happen so fast- the girls are nimble as whips and ten times as precise. With such divine moves and heavenly bodies less than a foot from the front row, distractions and some minor whiplash are par for the course.
The Spies also have a way with music- from the fierce shimmy of “Get Some” by Lykke Li to the tried and true sounds of Stereo Total, choreographer Fae Phalen (aka troupe member Agent Rhinestone) deftly pairs choreography to the most kinetic of music. Violet Hour, suspended from high tension cords attached to the rafters, spins in dizzying circles on rollerskates; Kimberly Galore and Coco Capone duet in the same dress- or more specifically, two girls in one dress. In the last group number, the inexhaustible Kimberly Galore does a hand stand and nails a classic booty-quake… upside down.
The Spies have had a fairly constant presence in Seattle since their inception in 2005, producing a couple of dance-heavy shows per year and even scooping up “Best Duo” at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2007 for Agent Rhinestone and James Blonde’s “Spy vs. Spy” number (a choreographed fistfight with pasties and various explosive devices). Though the core members remain the same, vocalist Caela Bailey was added to the mix about a year ago, and new dancer BeBe Danger has just joined the fold.
Betty Burlesque is a sixties-style show consisting of no less than 18 tightly choreographed numbers split into three parts, with probably twice as many costumes. Every Friday night through November 25, the Spies will leave Can Can’s after-work crowd daydreaming about what it would be like if in real life, pretty ladies and handsome gentlemen would impulsively burst into dance routines, shedding their clothing on the street.
For tickets, please visit Can Can on the sidebar at right.
Vocalist Caela Bailey (POC Photo)
The Heavenly Spies in action (POC Photo)
Burlesque Seattle Press 
[…] review HERE, and check out some previous Spies features that I penned for The Stranger HERE and BSP HERE. See Agent Rhinestone with her high-kicking sisters this Friday, June 29 night at Can Can (Photo by […]
Picks of the litter. « Burlesque Seattle Press said this on 06/28/2012 at 3:26 am |