“Boylesque” is not to be confused for a drag show, it’s more like Don Draper taking his clothes off, according to Canberra’s leading burlesque teacher.
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Miss Kitka House of Burlesque instructor Rebecca Gale said more and more men in Canberra are learning the art of “vintage tease without the sleaze”.
“Boys performing burlesque is still a novelty in Australia, we’re still being introduced to the concepts. It’s gaining some momentum in Melbourne but there is also a lot of interest which is growing here in Canberra too,” Ms Gale said.
Ms Gale aka Miss Kitka has been teaching the men of Canberra the intricacies of the dramatic Victorian art form since 2006 and on Wednesday night will revel in the ACT’s first ever all male burlesque show.
“With the burlesque revival in full swing, the role of the male performer has shifted from an MC, comedic ‘talking act’, to one that entertains the audience using the same striptease basics that the female performers use,” she said.
“The girls will be the ones picking up the clothes on the night while our MC Jacqueline Hyde will be on hand to walk the audience through the show.
“From what I've seen since teaching guys burlesque is that it really builds their confidence, we have built a really supportive community. It’s not about making them more feminine it's about showing how masculinity can be sexy and seductive.”
The show will focus on four performances by Chocolutter, CoCo Lox, Beau Peep, Mr Fancy Pants and Midnite Rayne.
“We’ll have our assler there,” Ms Gale said.
What’s an “assler” you ask?
“It’s a performer who is trained to twirl tassles off his butt cheeks.”
Miss Kitka’s Boys, Boys, Boys showcase follows the sold out Briefs show which entertained crowds at The Famous Spiegeltent back in March during the Centenary celebrations.
The boylesque Briefs, the show with the tagline “all male, all vaudeville, all trash”, starred the 2011 Reigning King of Boylesque Mark Winmill – the only Australian to win at the international Burlesque Hall of Fame's Tournament of Tease. He then went on to accompany the worldwide queen of burlesque Dita Von Teese in 2012.
The Boys, Boys, Boys show, which takes place at Trinity Bar in Dickson on Wednesday, May 29 at 7pm, will raise funds for Lifeline ACT.
For more information head to www.boysboysboys.eventbrite.com.au
