Applications from burlesque performers across Canada and the United States are now being accepted ahead of Ottawa’s first Capital Burlesque Expo, a weekend-long event to be held April 5 and 6 at the Bronson Centre.
Organizer Koston Kreme, a fixture of Ottawa’s burlesque scene, says the expo will feature many of Ottawa’s burlesque performers, but the event is meant to bring acts from different cities too.
Burlesque is a performance art involving elaborate costumes and striptease. It began in North America in the 19th century but popularity faded in the late 1940s. The art form was revived a couple of decades ago but it just now becoming more mainstream.
Kreme says in recent years, out-of-town performers have discovered Ottawa is a burlesque hub. Adding new performers to the mix keeps the scene vibrant.
“We’re looking for stage presence and confidence more than anything. To me those are some of the most important things in burlesque,” says Kreme.
Set to headline is Amber Ray, a New-York based performer known for pageantry and costumes, and Roxi D’Lite, a Windsor-born performer crowned the queen of burlesque in 2010.
D’Lite, from Detroit, says this is her first time in Ottawa.
“I’m very excited to get down and dirty in our nation’s capital. I hear you’re all a bit conservative over there, I think you’re all hiding something. I plan on bringing it out,” D’Lite said.
Bella Barecatt, a Centretown-based burlesque performer, says the expo will allow for more collaboration between artists.
“It’s a great opportunity to see and be inspired by different kinds of acts because when you’re in a certain community, things might get stagnant and inspiration might get low,” says Barecatt.
Barecatt says audiences and performers have been impressed with the calibre of performers touring Ottawa, and that local acts have been performing outside of Ottawa whenever possible .
Much of the city’s burlesque scene is centralized around Centretown and the ByWard Market, says Kreme, partly because many of the performers live in those areas, and also because the venues, such as Babylon Nightclub, Barrymore’s Music Hall, and Ritual Nightclub lend themselves to staged performances.
The Capital Burlesque Expo will feature vendors, workshops and a main night of performances.