A New Festival for Bristol is Revealed
Teaser show – 5th September 2013
Bristol Burlesque Festival – 17th – 18th – 19th October 2013
Bristol’s history of modern burlesque and cabaret dates back to over a decade, when the city saw the start of its own neo-burlesque revival, and the makings of a strong burlesque community that continues to grow each year. Like some renowned burlesque cities, such as America’s New York, Bristol has developed its own brand of burlesque, much like the locally produced music and arts.
The shows and performers are deeply artistic, full of attitude and often off the wall weird. It is a city that boasts some renowned southwest performers, who are known both nationally and internationally, and a plethora of cutting edge shows.
It was the inspiration they take from the city’s diverse and rich arts scene that led the festival’s producers to create Bristol’s first ever burlesque festival. Organiser and locally based performer Tiger Tiger, explains – “We wanted to create an event that would showcase amazing local talent as well as bring in non-local performers that audiences might not always have the chance to see, who also embody the same attitude and style as burlesque in Bristol.” Her co-producer, international performer Tuesday Laveau, adds that burlesque is a wide genre and that it was important to her to “create a show that I would want to dance at”. With performers having applied from all over the UK and beyond it’s clearly an event many want to take part in.
The festival is excited to be presenting performances from celebrated UK headliners Diva Hollywood, Khandie
Khisses and Lilly Laudanum as well as a variety of amazing performers from all over England, Wales and even from as far afield as Canada!
A main aim of the Festival has been to bring the local burlesque scene together in celebration. To do this, they were keen to work with other local artistic individuals and
organisations such as Dawn Wilkins Photography, Dr Sketchy’s (Bristol branch) and the Pink Kitten Dance School.
Tiger explains “we felt it was important to get involved with other organisations who support the local burlesque community and who we in turn wish to support, in order to ensure they are around for future generations of performers.”
It is Dawn Wilkins, photographer and designer and one of the Festival’s sponsors, who is responsible for the Festival’s Bristol-centric artwork. Tiger and Tuesday wanted to create an image for the Festival that related the event immediately to Bristol and the city’s cultural setting. With that in mind, they collaborated with Dawn recreate renowned Bristolian Banksy’s Flower Thrower with Tuesday as the model and the flowers swapped
out for a tub of glitter.
The Bristol branch of the International anti-art school, Dr Sketchy’s, will be taking by hosting a Saturday afternoon burlesque event as part of the Festival. Dr. Sketchy’s is the setting for life drawing classes with a difference. Fusing classic drawing techniques with contemporary trends and styles, it allows artists to express themselves in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Dr Sketchy’s was founded in New York City in 2005 by Ms Molly Crabapple, and since then has spread to more than 100 cities in 16 countries – with
Bristol being a recent new addition. Bristol’s branch was established in 2013 by renowned burlesque performer and freelance photographer Lou-Leigh Blue, with the
Festival being only one of many Dr Sketchy events in Bristol this year.
The Pink Kitten Dance School is one of the Festival’s sponsors, with performers and teachers from the School will be taking part in some of the Festival’s shows. Pink Kitten
offers alternative and fun forms of fitness and dance, such as pole dancing, aerial work and burlesque. It is a strong and well established part of the local scene, having been
set up in 2004, at which some well respected local performers teach. The school is run by Tabitha Tease a burlesque and pole performer of many years experience, and is a real female business success story!
Bristol Burlesque Festival will be host to a variety of burlesque and cabaret acts, most modern, but with some classical nods thrown in, including many modern interpretations of traditional vaudevillian burlesque.
Expect to see: theatrical epics; tap dancing; exotic
acts – think Isis wings and beds of nails; Boylesque performers representing for the men folk!; whip cracking (literally); the beautiful, the grotesque and everything in between!
With burlesque festivals already an established part of the performance scene in the United States, they have taken off in a big way in the UK in the last couple of years.
Such events are a great way to celebrate local culture and creativity, at the same time as opening up burlesque and cabaret to new audiences – the Bristol Burlesque Festival
plans to do just that!
The Bristol Burlesque Festival events are as follows:
Teaser Show:
Thursday 5th September at Smoke and Mirrors, City Centre
A taste of what to expect in October.
Live Music, Live Girls, Love Burlesque:
Thursday 17th October at The Exchange, Old Market
A decadent evening reviving traditional burlesque with a Bristol twist!
Down & Dirty Divas
Friday 18th October at The Polish Club, Clifton
Edgy, Lynchian and a bit sexy.
Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School
Saturday 19th October (afternoon) at Smoke and Mirrors, City Centre
Life drawing with a burlesque twist from this anti-art school!
Exclusivity
Saturday 19th October (evening) at Smoke and Mirrors, City Centre
An intimate final show, with only 50 tickets available, this is an exclusive show for the
burlesque connoisseur.
Tickets are available from Bristol Ticket Shop and more information can be found at bristolburlesquefestival.co.uk