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 We're excited about Femme Totale not just because one of our writers is involved *wink* but also because it's the first time we've heard of an event combining juggling, burlesque, pole dancing, and live music in what's sure to be a single night of insanity. These are some top-notch performers by any measure and we can't wait to see the show!

 Add to all that a drag queen host (something missing from far too many burlesque shows) an awesome DJ, and a great bar, and the ingredients are there. We just hope we can handle it when the clothes come off!

Dames Aflame costume designer Stephanie Ludwig (Left) and director Shannon Newton (Right)
photo by Jimiflix

Interview with Dames Director Shannon Newton Plus Photos and Video

My friend, who agreed to speak with me about burlesque on terms of anonymity, recently came back from Atlanta with stars in his eyes and a newfound passion for the South.  None of us really got it until he told us about the Dames Aflame burlesque show that he had caught during his travels:

"You know I think New York women are hot.  And New York burlesque dancers are really hot, just not, well... beauty queen hot.  The Dames Aflame dancers are beauty queen hot.  All of them.  They appeal to men in the way that strippers do.  Which is why, in New York, you go to see naked women at a strip club if you're a man.  In Atlanta, you can go to a strip club — or you can go see a Dames Aflame show."

I  was curious and so I contacted Shannon Newton, who runs the Dames Aflame Dancers in Atlanta.  In a phone interview that felt more like a backstage pass, I got her to give me the inside scoop on why even mega-corporations think that her show is a stand-out.

Interview With One of England's Coolest Burlesque Dancers

Anna Fur Laxis
Everyday Wear
Photo by Candee Photography

On my list of American things -- way above apple pie, which isn't American, and motherhood, which we all know is universal -- is Bettie Page. Page, who passed away in December, is both the most unique and most iconic symbol of the entire so-called "Cheesecake" photography movement of the 1950's.

Recently, Cheesecake, along with burlesque, has seen a big comeback, and I had a chance to chat with one of Page's biggest admirers, England's Anna Fur Laxis, about her Bettie Page inspired modeling and burlesque show. Her sense of humor, fetish, and sexuality channel something that many people don't even know existed back then. So true to Bettie's spirit (not to mention appearance!) is Anna, that it was hard for me to remember that I was speaking with a Brit -- except when she said things like "uni" for university and used the occasional British spelling. Of course, there are a few other super British things she does in this interview, but I can't give away all the surprises!

Interview with Burlesque Superstar Angie Pontani

Seattle residents don't miss Angie and Murry Hill with the legendary Dita von Teese, Tomorrow Night, Wednesday April 1st at 7pm at the Triple Door.

"This is Burlesque" Star Angie Pontani
Photo by Dale Haris

From the first brick laid at the saloon, women – straight, gay and miscellany – have expressed curiosity about what goes on in entertainment venues where other women get naked. But while strip clubs may host a sprinkling of adventurous female patrons, burlesque shows can claim at least half – if not a majority – of women in their audience.

It’s Saturday night and I’m seated at “This is Burlesque,” one of the hottest tickets in the New York burlesque circuit and hosted in the intimate, sensual environs of Soho’s Corio eatery. The energy is as raucous as you would expect even if the patrons are not what you imagined: immediately behind me a decked-out bachelorette party glitters like a Christmas tree, and on every side women cheer the performers on while their dates – mostly men – look on with more quiet appreciation.  On the line to the ladies’ after the show, a modestly dressed woman in her twenties confesses: “This is one of my favorite things to do on a date. It’s much more original than the dinner and a movie thing. Plus you get to see if the guy knows how to have fun.”