Tassels, twirls and teasing at RVA Burlesque Festival
Burlesque performers at Strangeways Brewing during night one of the RVA Burlesque Festival. Photo courtesy of Pink Bat Boudoir Photography.
Maeve Bauer, Contributing Writer
The RVA Burlesque Festival celebrated a feathered-filled, three-day run at different Richmond Venues — Strangeways Brewing, Ember Music Hall and The Byrd Theatre — with performances from more than 40 burlesque artists nationwide that lasted from April 10-12.
This year’s featured artists were Nami Flare, Android Allure, Marie La’Pearl and Phoebe Nyx, according to the RVA Burlesque Festival’s website.
This was Richmond’s fourth burlesque festival, but the art form has been around in the city much longer, according to Scarlet Starlet, one of RVA Burlesque Festival’s co-producers.
“Our goal for the festival is to promote the growth of the burlesque scene and the performing art scene here in Richmond,” Starlet said.
RVA Burlesque Festival brings in artists from out of town to show what the Richmond scene is like to artists and show audience members what burlesque is like across the United States, according to Starlet.
They chose artists from a panel of eight people, performers sent in videos of their act and 50-55 applicants were picked out of a pool of around 250, according to Starlet.
“We definitely want to celebrate representation, whether that be in race, in age, in body size. We just like to celebrate a wide variety of different types of people. Definitely LGBT-inclusive as well. Burlesque is for everybody,” Starlet said.
Starlet said that they narrow down the applicants based on the costumes, content, reveals, polish, execution and stage presence.
Marie La’Pearl, one of the festival’s featured burlesque artists, is from Virginia Beach and creates performances that capture her Puerto Rican heritage, according to La’Pearl.
“I really started getting inspired by my culture, and being able to showcase my culture and possibly bring attention to some of the stuff that’s happening in the island,” La’Pearl said. “The fact that you can use burlesque not only to make people laugh, make people have a good time but also bring social awareness for certain things is beautiful.”
La’Pearl said her main goal was for audience members to see the beauty in different cultures.
“We can still be from completely different backgrounds and still see each other as human beings, and see that there is good in every culture in the world,” La’Pearl said. “Instead of looking for the negativity, maybe it’s time to look for the positive now.”
La’Pearl said she was a fan of the art form long before becoming a performer but was intimidated by the lack of body and cultural diversity. Eventually, La’Pearl took a class and hasn’t looked back.
Those interested in the art shouldn’t hesitate to try it out, according to La’Pearl.
“I kick myself for waiting. I waited about four years before I actually took a class. Don’t give yourself any excuses. Bodies change, I know that a lot of women have this thing of, ‘Oh well, I’m not comfortable,’” La’Pearl said. “Bodies are going to change. We’re going to age. You have to find a point where you’re going to love yourself at every stage in life. If that’s holding you back. Don’t let it.”
This was La’Pearl’s first year performing at the RVA Burlesque Festival, but not her first time performing in Richmond. She said Richmond’s scene is very inviting and friendly.
“I mainly perform in the Norfolk area, but every once in a while I come up here because the scene up here is great,” La’Pearl said. “Unfortunately, we live in a somewhat conservative state. Richmond, though, the crowd is always inviting and loving. As performers, we need that a little bit because if you pump us up, we’re going to give you a show.”
There were many vendors selling burlesque accessories and more at the festival. One vendor was Ember Alert, a performer at the festival who was also selling merchandise.
Alert is a New Orleans-based performer who was at the RVA Burlesque Festival last year. She said she loved it so much that she came back for more.
“I do a lot of burlesque festivals across the world, and this one has more of a family. I love the people, I love the performers. It doesn’t feel weird or cliquey,” Alert said.
She said she has been doing burlesque since 2013 but has been dancing her whole life. She naturally fell into the dance aspect of the art form, according to Alert.
Alert said she likes the theatricality of burlesque compared to other forms of dance.
“You’re playing a character; all of us have a stage name. We’re taking on a separate persona from our daily life — you can mold it into the different character you’re bringing on stage as your persona. It’s like acting on top of the acting,” Alert said.
