by Sam Beresky
Daily Lobo
Pasties, panties and scantily clad dancing girls - sounds like a good time.
Sounds like a strip club? Well it's not. It's called burlesque and with local talent, the Lonely Hearts Burlesque Troupe, Albuquerque is in the midst of a burlesque revival.
The Lonely Hearts Burlesque Troupe made a stunning debut last February to a sold-out audience at the Pulse nightclub. The second show will take place this Friday evening at the Sunshine Theatre.
The troupe is made up of a diverse set of 14 ladies - some working professionals, some UNM students.
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Burlesque actually began in France in the 1600s as a mockery of popular literary works at the time. Burlesque didn't become what it is today until America got a hold of the concept. During the 1800s American audiences demanded more scantily clad girls in the mockery and the age of the burly cue or leg show began.
By the 1960s, the art form had all but died, edged out by competitors like television, movies and nudie magazines. Fast-forward to the '90s and the revivals of everything from swing dancing to vintage cars and clothing - burlesque came roaring back into the American id. Today practically every major city has at least one performing burlesque troop.
The Lonely Hearts Burlesque Troupe's lovely Ms. Kitti Lickins told the Daily Lobo about burlesque as an art form.
Daily Lobo: With so many other entertainment choices out there, why revive burlesque?
Kitti Lickins: That's a tough question. I think burlesque is a lot more sensual in some ways than a lot of what's out there. I also think it is just a very interesting art form. I got interested in burlesque when I was about 12.
I saw a special on a Sunday morning about burlesque. I have been sort of fascinated by it ever since, being provocative but not outright raunchy, like "hey look at me, I'm hanging off of a fire-ball."
DL: Strippers often say they take their clothes off only for the money. I know that your troupe is not making any money off this event, so what are your personal reasons for taking your clothes off?
KL: We are not really making any money. I am doing it more because I want people to be aware of this art form and this part of American culture than anything else. I'm definitely not getting paid for this.
I think also a lot of our girls, even when they take their clothes off, are more fully clothed than people expect.
DL: Do you have any inhibitions about taking your clothing off and dancing?
KL: I definitely had a few inhibitions about learning how to twirl pasties, but practicing in front of a lot of people has really taken that away.
DL: With the rape and murder of a teenage girl at the Sunshine Theater happening just a short while ago, why did you choose to perform at the Sunshine Theater?
KL: We had actually booked the venue before the rape and murder took place. Obviously what happened there is horrific and terrible and it speaks to a lot of larger problems in our society.
I think all the girls are very aware of it and it is something that we will be thinking about that night. I'm not really worried about the rest of the Sunshine staff or anyone who is going to come see the show.
DL: Besides being suggestive and fun, are there any other reasons for your stage names? Do you have identities to protect?
KL: A lot of the girls, like myself, are working in professions where knowing that we were doing this could cause us some flack or they are pursuing educations and careers where this could come back to haunt them later on. It is also for tradition's sake - a lot of burlesque dancers had stage names they performed under.
Usually the moniker reflected the act they did most. Lady China typically did a fan dance wearing a bikini with pagodas on it. Nobody really cared what her real name was, that was her stage name, that is what appeared on banners and that is how they knew her.
