Burlesque Festival Heats Up Colorado

For a good time, call the Colorado Burlesque Festival. If you're looking for an authentic tease, the Cher and Christina Aguilera movie version is harmless fun, but there's nothing quite like the real thing when it's live on stage in a crowded theater.

2015 marked the sixth festival in Colorado, but national burlesque festivals and conventions have been around since 1991, with the Hall of Fame located in Las Vegas. In fact, burlesque as we know it can trace its roots as far back as 150 years ago with the can-can girls who danced in the saloons of the Wild West. And the best part? You don't have to be intimidated by how skinny they are! Burlesque dancers do stay in shape, but they actually have healthy weights that make them look like real people, rather than the skeletal remains gliding across the stage in other mediums.

Don't get it twisted: burlesque is not to be confused with stripping. The performers in burlesque and boylesque (yep, that's really a thing... I should know!) do remove clothing in a provocative way, but it's more about the art of the tease. In a way, each act is like a mini-musical. There are costumes, props, and sometimes set pieces, and the dancers interact with the music by essentially telling a story with their movements and their bodies... all leading to a big finish, of course. The tone of these acts can range from the simple and the silly to the smoldering and the sultry. Burlesque will show just enough skin to keep it from being family-friendly, but there's no actual nudity -- just a celebration of the human body in all shapes, sizes, and colors. For that reason, my friends who perform often tell people how liberating and empowering burlesque can be, and I wholeheartedly agree.

I learned a lot about the burlesque industry from my two years as an emcee for local variety shows. I've seen a little bit of everything, and so many of those visuals are indelibly printed on my memory: a routine set to The Doors' "Alabama Song" while dressed as V from "V For Vendetta"; a synchronized duo performing the cats' "We Are Siamese" song from "Lady and the Tramp"; and even a performer undressing while riding a unicycle. Despite my background, this year was only my second time attending a CBF function, but it more than made up for lost time.

The festival itself takes place over three days, offering workshops and events with regionally and nationally-recognized titleholders and award-winners in the burlesque community. The signature event, however, is the Saturday Night Spectacular. Held at the Paramount Theater with an audience of more than 1,000 fans and enthusiasts, this showcase features a wide selection of the many performance styles that fall under the burlesque umbrella. Host Naughty Pierre from Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret -- a sponsor of the event and home to many of Denver's best-known performers -- said from the stage that over 200 acts apply to appear as headliners, and only about 20 of them are selected to take the main stage each year. All of them bring their unique interpretations of the genre, but there are always a few that stand out above the rest.

Best Song Choice

Denver's Kitty Crimson, arriving on stage in an elegant gown and cape, performed a routine set to the slow, throbbing electro-jam "Two Weeks" by FKA Twigs. The contrasts of the traditional burlesque wardrobe and movements with the ethereal vocals and pulsating beats of the modern music made her act fascinating as well as entertaining.

Best Costume

Vivienne Vavoom is credited with bringing the burlesque scene back to prominence in Colorado and the region, and she often performs in classic garb with feather fans for a more vaudevillian style. For her "Elephants On Parade" act, the costume perfectly served two purposes. The couture dress was sparkly, colorful, and nice to look at, but it was also an integral part of the routine (rather than simply being removed and discarded). Inside the matching arm-length glove, her hand became the elephant's trunk and creatively helped her out of the clothes.

Best Homage

Whiskey Darling, hailing from Colorado Springs, gave a performance inspired by the classic comedy "This Is Spinal Tap." Making her entrance shrouded in Druidic robes before revealing brighter attire underneath, she danced to the fictional band's hit song "Stonehenge." In keeping with one of the film's most amusing moments, a too-small replica of the monument was brought onstage; rather than getting upset, it was the perfect size to hold her prop cocktail glass.

Best Boylesque

There weren't many men appearing in the showcase, either solo or in group numbers, but Portland's Russell Bruner had larger-than-life stage presence. A former boylesque champion, he also works in a more vaudevillian vein, knowing exactly how to prove himself as a showman and a dancer before showing just how much fun he finds the act of undressing in front of that many people. Boylesque presents a unique challenge -- modeling a physical form that isn't as curvy or shapely as a woman -- but Bruner brought the right level of frisky, masculine energy to displaying his talents and his body.

Best Solo Act

Shelbelle Shamrock came all the way from Dallas and brought down the house with a sequined tracksuit and a breakdance routine set to Bel Biv Devoe's "Poison." She worked the crowd into a frenzy with flirty glances at the first few rows as well as a masterful blend of burlesque moves and acrobatic precision. This was one of the few acts that had the audience on their feet applauding and cheering at the end.

Best Group Act

The Clockettes, the resident troupe at Lannie's, danced to a medley of Janet Jackson songs ("Nasty," "If," and "Rhythm Nation") and nailed every step of the intricate group choreography. Their spin on the standard reveal of both pasties, instead exposing only the right one in tribute to Jackson's notorious Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," was especially clever.

Burlesque is a truly inclusive art form with something for everyone -- male or female, straight or gay -- to enjoy. Colorado's festival and its showcase challenge cultural perspectives on beauty and self-image by promoting the values of diversity and appreciation. Needless to say, I'm already looking forward to this time next year. Save the date!