Conference Bios
About B.A.B.E.
Teacher - Beautiful Boas Teacher - Beautiful Boas Teacher - Beautiful Boas Teacher - Beautiful Boas Teacher - Burlesque Bumps 'n' Grinds Teacher - Burlesque Bumps 'n' Grinds Teacher - Burlesque Bumps 'n' Grinds Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease Teacher - Keeping the Tease in Striptease Teacher - Burlesque Bumps 'n' Grinds The Boston Academy of Burlesque Education (or B.A.B.E. for short) is the educational arm of The Boston Babydolls. We offer a wide variety of classes and workshops in many different burlesque skills and burlesque-related arts. Our classes offer something for everyone, whether you're an experienced dancer looking to add something new to your repertoire or if you've never danced before.
About Bal'd Lightning
Teacher - Puttin' the X in X-Fades Teacher - You Put Your Mic Where? Bal’d made his Orchestra Hall (Chicago) stage debut at the age of 4 with a 1/2-size violin and it’s been pretty much downhill into vaudevillian shenanigans ever since! He brings bombastic blasts of bass and uke-electricity to the stage and is often found combining forces with Sunny Sighed to bring the spirit of Broadway to burlesque.
About Baroness Blitzen Von Schtupp
Teacher - Adding Drama with Isis Wings Teacher - Partner Stretching Panelist - Cosplay, Fan Fiction, and Identity in BurlesqueBegan her career under the fine tutelage of LadyMissIris and Miss B. She has performed on stages throughout New England for the past 10 years and is the glittery right hand to Miss Bettysioux Tailor for GBE costume exhibit. She is best known for her geeklesque acts; several which you might have seen here at GBE: Godzilla, King Kong, Alien and Doctor Who.
About Betty Blaize
Teacher - Bra Building Betty Blaize, 6' of Fun... is a veteran of the Boston Burlesque scene. She's a founding member of the Boston Babydolls with a background in belly dance, Indian classical dance and martial arts, and... computer science. She's also the web mistress for this site and an ardent artisan, making a substantial number of costumes for herself and the Boston Babydolls.
About Chakra Tease
Teacher - Yoga-lesque Teacher - Kick Line Basics Chakra Tease, whose favorite philosopher is Socrates, began as a VaVaVette, with Cora Vette and the VaVaVettes. The VaVaVettes performed at Harrah's for Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend and at the House of Blues for the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. Locally Chakra performs at The Clocktower Cabaret. She has performed at the Colorado Burlesque festival for the past two years and was a soloist at the Ohio Burlesque Festival in 2013, performed and taught at the Great Burlesque Expo in Boston in 2015, 2016 and 2017, performed and taught at Southern Fried Burlesque, and performed at the Great Southern Exposure burlesque festival. In 2014 she became the choreographer as well as a performer for D'Sanez Productions "Feel This Moment" variety show. She was in the 2014 California Burlypicks, the 2016 Colorado Burlypicks, and the Golden Legends Champion Challenge in 2016.
About Cherie Nuit
Teacher - Acting is Reacting: Burlesque, the Dialogue of the Body Panelist - Stretching Your Mind Teacher - The Art of Comedy: Breaking the Pattern Creeping out of the darkness, hailing from the mystical land of Baltimore, comes the darling of the night, the girl who's weird in all the best ways! As a classically trained actress with a degree specializing in performance art, Cherie now finds herself as an innovator and boundary pusher in the DC/Baltimore area as well as a co-producer of Hot Night Productions, the show where bump-and-grind meets blow-your-mind! As if producing wasn't enough, Cherie is also a co-founder of Baltimore's Neo-Burlesque troupe Bawdy Shop Burlesque. With her fellow Bawdies they bring an uncompromising commitment to their work. Nothing is half-assed... it's full-assed or nothing! Nothing can stop this vivacious and curvaceous bad-ass as she makes her way across the country! Known for her award winning numbers at the Great Burlesque Exposition, Alterna-Tease Neo-Burlesque Festival, and Great Southern Exposure, Cherie Nuit can also be found performing semi-regularly in NYC as well as nationally. In an article featuring Cherie Burlesque Beat says "This is the burlesque I love: funny, provocative and strange." Audiences, you're not ready for this. Bringing light to the darkness, it's Chérie Nuit, Baltimore's darling of the night.
About CoCo LeBod
Teacher - Flexibility for the Non-Flexible Dancer Panelist - Burlesque vs. the Real World CoCo was drawn to burlesque because of the community's appreciation of the female body- all shapes, sizes, colors, etc. No matter who you are, you are sexy with burlesque! CoCo is a member of the South Florida burlesque troup, Divas and Dolls. When not performing, you can find CoCo studying her first loves- ballet, modern and musical theatre, as well as Pilates
About Dangrrr Doll
Teacher - Nerdlesque 101 Panelist - Cosplay, Fan Fiction, and Identity in Burlesque The Twisted Beauty of New York City, Dangrrr Doll is a multi-award winning performance artist known for her stunning costumes and unique interpretation of burlesque. Hailed as "high concept" and "defiantly weird" by Burlesque Beat, Dangrrr brings classic beauty combined with pop culture savvy and a dose of heavy metal to the stage. A professional costumer by day, this blonde bombshell is the producer of RAWR! Burlesque and the brains behind NYCC's first official burlesque show. Dangrrr Doll can frequently be seen with Wasabassco and at New York’s famous burlesque venue, The Slipper Room. She can also sometimes be found teaching with the NY School of Burlesque.
About Doctor Vu
Panelist - Cosplay, Fan Fiction, and Identity in Burlesque Doctor Vu, The Wibbly Wobbly Boobie Woobie Time Lady of Burlesque, has been making audiences stop blinking and start saying "Oh, yes!" as a Sugar Shaker with Vermont's Green Mountain Cabaret since 2012. Trained in mask work and physicality, she has been acting for several years in classic theatrical productions, Commedia dell'Arte and Interactive Theatre. Doctor Vu's guest performances include shows with Peep Show VT, Burlington Burlesque, and Absinthe and Opium Burlesque. She has performed at the Great Burlesque Exposition in 2014 and 2015, and at the Vermont Burlesque Festival in 2014, 2015, and 2016. While geek may be chic, classic and sultry are part of her charm. Using her salacious curves to entice emotion whether she’s being comical or serious, this hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams wants to leave you feeling Fantastic! You won't want to go as she'll leave you proclaiming "Doctor Vu"!
About Donna Denise
Teacher - Non-Traditional Influences on Burlesque Choreography Teacher - Tassel Twirling Donna Denise is an award-winning burlesque performer from Dallas, TX. Her love of the art of the tease shines through every time she hits the stage. Her style is uniquely classic with a touch of down south sass that only she can bring. Described by her peers as “a stage powerhouse” and “always one to watch,” she proves to be an audience favorite.
About Egypt BlaqueKnyle
Teacher - The Art of Seduction Teacher - Twerking For Assels Teacher - Naughty Peel Burlesque Panelist - Badass Women (and Men) of Burlesque BIO Egypt Blaque Knyle is a Professional Dancer, Model, Actress and Business Woman, whose been dancing since the age of four. She has traveled the world with many dance companies and celebrity artist. Egypt was employed by Disney for years performing in a host of shows such as The Lion King. She was the principal dancer in the "Chocolate Nutcracker", playing the Egyptian Queen and the Snake Queen also playing Nefertiti and Hepseptsut in a production called "Queens of the Nile Now". Egypt Blaque Knyle has worked in the naughty entertainment field for many years exotic dancing worldwide as a Headliner. Now embarking on a new journey Egypt debuted her first Neo Burlesque routine “The Question of You” in the Monday Night Tease Exotic Titty Prince Review after graduating from the Lili’s School for Wayward Girls in 2012. Egypt Blaque Knyle was born and continued to dazzle with her acrobatic sexiness and sultry tantalizing dance movement. With a very intensive background in dance Egypt “Wows” her audience as the girl who put all the B’s in Burlesque. She’s Brainticious, Booblicious, Bodacious and Bootylicious. Artist Statement; I am so excited to begin my journey in the world of Burlesque. Dance is my love all styles from the sassy, nasty to the classy. The Blaque Siren of Burlesque PERFORMANCES Graduated from Lili’s School for Wayward Girls in 2012 Named the Queen of Assels by Los Angeles Producers Member and original cast of the Urban Fairy tails Creator, Producer and Member of “The Bronze Beauties of Burlesque and the Bronze Beauties of the Bay Monday Night Tease (On going performer) Peepshow Menagerie (On going performer) The Naked Show & Tell (Performer and Host) Vacluse Vixens Show (Performer) Saintly Bomb (Performer) Nerdlesque Las Vegas (Performer) Triptease Burlesque (Performer) Hollywood Jane Revue (Performer)
About Freaky Candy
Teacher - Controlling Your Body to Bump and Grind Teacher - Expressivity and Communication Born in Rome, Silvia grew up studying ballet from the age of 5. In 2006 she shifted her attention to belly dance, at first performing in Rome with Azadi, and from 2010 with Leyla Nur in Rimini. In 2011 Silvia became captivated by the dramatic and magical world of Burlesque and started studying in Rimini . The year after, as Freaky Candy, she started performing with the Cirque Burlesque Company and in April 2013 she won the title of “Miss Riccione Burlesque Festival”. Now an established performer, Silvia continued her adventure with the Cirque Burlesque Company, performing at many different theatres across Italy. In May 2014 she guest-starred at the Cirque Burlesque Festival 2014, and in June she was selected to participate in the first edition of Como Lake Burlesque Festival, taking part in the “Queen of the Lake Competition”, alongside many international performers. After that she starts her solo career and to study with International Burlesque Stars. During the next months she performs and co-produces a brand new “Extravaganza Show”, with the “Red Silk Dolls” Company and Burlesque Show with national and international performers, in Misano Adriatico/Riccione. On 19th March 2015 she performs out of Italy for the very first time, in Munich, at the International Opening Show of the Munich Burlesque Festival 2015 ( Drehleier Theatre) . Freaky Candy’s international career begins to advance and on 12 June 2015 she debuts in U.S. at the Classic Burlesque Show of the Windy City Burlesque Festival in Chicago (Stage 773). Once back home from the States she is selected to participate to the Amsterdam Burlesque Award 2015 – 22 November 2015 – Sunday Matinee Show ( CMA Zaal). Freaky Candy produces Show and Workshop with Grace Hall, the Italian Queen of Burlesque, in Rimini and Riccione and Burlesque workshops and courses in collaboration with National and International Performers. Freaky Candy’s acts are a mixture of refined and graceful movements, joined with self-irony and humor. Her performances often involve audience participation, which – according to her – is the best way of letting people discover the exceptional world of Burlesque.
About Gabriella Maze
Panelist - Longevity in Burlesque Teacher - MC1 Sensuality & The Cape Started dancing in the early 1970s My first performance was in Spain loved the Burlesque way of life the people the glamor and most of all the travel .worked all over the Middle East and Europe. Would I change anything in my life no way I am a lucky gal !
About Gala Delicious
Teacher - Costuming Inspiration to Construction Gala Delicious is a dancer, a seamstress, a fiber artist, a cellist, and so much more! She is the producer of Queens of Cups Burlesque, as well as The Tickled Fancy Burlesque co. in Ann Arbor MI. Gala is a favorite performer in Chicago, as well as highly loved in Lansing Michigan. Gala has performed for the artist Nick Cave at the Cranbrook Museum of Art, and produced Pick a Card: a Burlesque Exploration of Tarot at the 1920s historic Michigan Theater.
About Iridessa Blossoms
Teacher - Belly Dance Workshop Teacher - Hot n' Sexy Hip HopIridessa Blossoms is an Internationally known Performance Artist and is making her way around the world one show at a time. She has been stimulating audiences with her unique expression and artistic concepts in variety shows for close to a decade. She is known for her pop n' lock isolations and hybrid style of belly dance. She is multi- talented and her signature style is broad, diverse and ever-changing. While struggling to find her place in belly dance, she found her community while attending the annual burlesque conventions, The Great Burlesque Exposition and Burlycon. She is the founder and former producer of Poppin' Cherries and Eclectic~ Ka and owner of Creative Motion Dance! With her distinguished hips that tease and signature moves that please, she dances effortlessly in an unreal fashion. Sultry and sassy...transforming your senses to a place that is ethereal. Bridging the gap between worlds and transcending time and space, she is a magical goddess in motion! When she is not lighting up the stage you can find her frolicking with fairies.
About Jacqueline Boxx - Miss Disa-Burly-TEASE!
Teacher - Body Communication and Ability/Disability Jacqueline Boxx is the only Tucson burlesque performer who brings her wheelchair, her canes, and her leg braces on stage and makes them both visible and enticing. Her acts are expressive of her experience with chronic pain and limited mobility, and she strives to bring attention through glamour and spectacle to disability. Her extended tagline expresses this intention: Miss Disa-Burly-TEASE.
About Jacqueline Hyde
Teacher - I'm All In Knots Because I Flew Here On A Plane For An Ungodly Amount Of Hours Stretching Class Teacher - Best of Cabaret Dance Jacqueline Hyde – the International Bad Ass who is based in Seattle, Washington. She has performed, produced and educated across North America and Europe. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Boston Burlesque Expo, Winner of the Crystal Corset Award at the Jim Thorpe / Pennsylvania Burlesque Festival, Ballroom & Latin Top Teacher Award, 5th Internationally for Dance (Lyrical, Hip Hop and Jazz). Jacqueline Hyde has over 25 years of international professional performance and teaching experience in the entertainment arts. Aside from performing, Jacqueline is principal of the Jacqueline Hyde International School of Burlesque and Cabaret Arts, featuring both in person and online course programs.
About Julie Hennrikus
Teacher - Budgets: Making Your Dreams Come True Julie Hennrikus is the Executive Director of StageSource, and an adjunct faculty member who teaches classes in arts management. She began her arts management career in small commercial theaters in Boston—as a Box Office Assistant and House Manager for Little Shop of Horrors and Ian McKellen Acting Shakespeare at the Charles Playhouse, Company Manager of A. . .My Name is Alice at the Next Move Theater and Box Office Manager and Company Manager of Nunsense at the Charles Playhouse. She worked in several exhibition box offices at the Museum of Fine Arts (including Renoir, Mummies and Magic and Helga). In 1990 she oversaw the box office set up and operations for Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment at the ICA. In 1991 she was hired by Harvard University to create a box office for Sanders Theatre, an 1166 seat concert hall in Memorial Hall. After a renovation of Memorial Hall she was promoted to Program Manager, scheduling Sanders Theatre, Annenberg Hall, Lowell Hall and 16 other spaces. She continued to oversee the box office operations, which was renamed the Harvard Box Office, and tickets most student events on campus.
About KiKi Allure
Teacher - Beginner's Guide to Fan Dancing KiKi Allure is a Classic & Neo-Burlesque performer from Baltimore City. She got her start with the MICA Burlesque Troupe, The GalHaus Revue in 2011. Since then she’s been working the stage from coast to coast. KiKi was awarded 'Best Hybrid' at 2015's Great Burlesque Exposition in Boston and excited to return as a judge for the 2016 expo. She was titled Master of Tassles at DC's Burlypicks 2014 and Second Runner up for Best Act in 2015. She also won 'Best Group' with Kubrilesque at The Great Southern Exposure 2012. KiKi frequently performs in the DC and Baltimore area.
About Kim Carrell
Teacher - Stage Combat for Burlesque Whether the scene calls for swords, wrestling, bare knuckle punches, or working with more esoteric implements such as hammer and trowel, Mr. Carrell works to keep things safe and truthful. From a simple slap to a rapier and dagger duel, it is of the utmost importance that the fights do their part in telling the story. Showing who the characters are, and why and how they fight has much greater impact than an “action for action’s sake” scene. Mr. Carrell has choreographed fights for professional companies and university theatre programs around the United States and in the UK, including: productions of all Shakespeare history plays, “Othello”, “Romeo and Juliet”, Troilus and Cressida”, “As You Like It”, “Macbeth”, “The Pirates of Penzance”, “Little Women”, “The Most Dangerous Game”, and world premiere productions such as “The Blowin’ of Baile Gall”, “Jasper Lake”, and “Training Wisteria”.
About Lottie Ellington
Teacher - Life After Outing Panelist - Badass Women (and Men) of Burlesque Teacher - Burlesque vs. the Real World Lottie Ellington is Virginia’s infamous “Twerking Teacher” who's "Twerk BROKE Hopewell"; Lottie has a unique style, comedic wit and a flair for the dramatic; she revels in keeping the audience on the edge of their seats! ” Lottie began dancing at the age of 4 and continued studying various types of dance throughout her life. She has studied the art of the tease while honing skills as a performer, she has studied jazz, hoop dance, hip hop dance, fan dance, Congolese dance, ballroom dance and belly dance. Her numbers are usually comedic in nature and primarily considered to be a Neo-Burlesque/Nerdlesque performer however she is a well-rounded performer and has been expanding her range of "Classic Burlesque" numbers. Lottie made her Burlesque debut in 2011 and has continued pushing the boundaries of Neo Burlesque. She has performed in the Michigan Burlesque Festival, The Great Burlesque Expo in Boston, Fierce Burlesque Festival, and recently won the title of Burly Pics Michigan’s 2015 Master of Assels.
About Maggie McMuffin
Teacher - Lazy Stripper Techniques: Eye-Fucking for Beginners Teacher - Big Hair, Don't Care Maggie McMuffin is a trained actor, holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After years of combining nudity with other theatrical genres such as rock musicals and cabarets, Maggie started burlesquing in 2010. Initially a stage kitten for Montana's premiere burlesque troupe The Cigarette Girls, she quickly began work as a performer. In 2013 she headed for Seattle, finding a home among the growing Nerdlesque community. Drawing inspiration from past and present pop culture, Maggie combines comedic flair with the gritty dance moves of 1970’s strip clubs. Known as The Pelvis of Justice, she's here to hip-thrust her way into your heart.
About Matt Finish
Teacher - Ballet for Burlesque Teacher - MC2 Bumps, Grinds, & Beyond Matt Finish 'The Golden Boy of Burlesque' (Tucson, AZ) is one of the co-producers of The Arizona Burlesque Festival and Don't Blink Burlesque. He is also the Burlesque Hall of Fame's reigning Mr. Exotic World 'King of Burlesque'. Matt has 27 years of dance training including a B.A. from UC Irvine and his M.F.A. from The University of Arizona. He also performed with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (NYC), where he toured internationally. www.facebook.com/xomattfinish Twitter: xoMattFinish Instagram: xo_matt_finish
About Mika Romantic
Teacher - Classic Struts and Vintage Movement Mika Romantic is a burlesque performer and model based in eastern Pennsylvania. She studied at the New York School of Burlesque in Spring 2012, since her debut she's been a traveling performer being welcomed to a variety of shows and venues along the East Coast. Romantic co-produces the burlesque troupe, "The Looking Glass Revue". A classic burlesque group who have entertained at venues such as: Hark Rock Cafe and The Social Film Loft at Sundance Film Festival. Along with her troupe, she has produced private events in the local area and taught burlesque workshops that focus on women's confidence.
About Mimi maShuga
Teacher - Makeup Tips and Tricks for Every Showgirl and Boy Teacher - Costuming on the Cheap: Recycle and Reuse Panelist - Stretching Your Mind Mimi maShuga has graced stages across the Northwest with her own twist on sexy sass and a ridiculous sense of humor that is nothing short of infectious. She's known in her hometown as "Boise's Jewish Lesbian," because she seems to be the only one. She's a scintillation sensation and pushes the sexual comfort levels of all involved. Watch out ladies, she may just make YOUR man blush, and make you wanna trip down the yellow brick road with a sparkly unicorn.
About Miss AuroraBoobRealis
Teacher - Introduction to the Art of Political Burlesque Miss AuroraBoobRealis a.k.a. DawN Crandell lights up the night stage with her unique mixture of raw and earthy, wild and fearless burlesque! She is an interdisciplinary performing artist creating in the intersections of burlesque, dance, theater and poetry. Central to her existence in this world is the fact that as a person she cannot and will not separate herself from her art, her race and her political beliefs. She is the co-founder of Brown Girls Burlesque, and most recently the brand new super troupe brASS: Brown RadicalAss Burlesque. She has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College with a focus in performing arts, and an M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College with a focus on 20th Century Black Radical Artists and the intersections of dance, poetry and theater. Aurora first stepped on stage when she was five and never looked back. She has spent the last twenty plus years as a professional performer wowing and inspiring audiences world wide sometimes clothed, sometimes not. By day she is a certified fitness instructor teaching Zumba, PiYo and a class she co-created called Core and Balance.
About Miss Mina Murray
Teacher - Stalking the Stocking Teacher - Miss Mina's Tea Party After the job market for glamourous archaeologists dried up, Miss Mina Murray abandoned her Ivory Tower and turn to the art of the striptease. She is a co-founder of The Boston Beautease (formerly The Boston Babydolls) and Headmistress of the Boston Academy of Burlesque Education (B.A.B.E.). Known as "The Educated Ecdysiast" and "The Martha Stewart of Burlesque", she recently published "Miss Mina Murray's Little Book of Better Burlesque".
About Mr. Scratch
Teacher - Hire Me! Getting Booked. Scratch is the founding chair of The Great Burlesque Exposition and the director and producer of The Boston BeauTease (formerly The Boston Babydolls).
About Private Tails
Teacher - Showgirl Self Defense From dancing and acting, to directing and producing--this Tease Queen has been titillating audiences since 2005, and was named Miss Congeniality at the Caribbean Burlesque Festival and The Washington Blade's Best Burlesque Dancer in 2014 and 2015! Her mission is to #INSPIREandELECTIFY as she has performed in 21 cities, 9 states, 3 countries, and 1 District. She is the Producer of DC's Open Stage show UNFASTENED DC (unfasteneddc.com). She is The Woman who Ignites Pleasure fuses for Sport, there's #nothingprivate about these tails... Miss Private Tails!
About Red Hot Annie
Teacher - Dirty, Sexy, Smooth Floorwork with Red Hot Annie Teacher - Dirty, Sexy, Smooth Chair Dancing with Red Hot Annie rawing on over a decade of performance background, Red Hot Annie turned her attentions to burlesque in early 2008. Over 600 performances later, her award-winning blend of candid comedy, shameless sexuality, and character-driven storytelling has made her one of the most recognizable and visible faces in Chicago and throughout the world. Whether she's painting, sweeping a set of luxury feather fans through the air, or gleefully twirling a pair of tasseled pasties, Red Hot Annie is sure to make the wieners boil! In July 2008, Red Hot Annie paired up with Dick Dijon to form Vaudezilla (voted Best Burlesque by Chicago Reader 2011 & 2014), a production company that has become a major force in Chicago by setting a new standard for burlesque cabaret shows. Annie opened Vaudezilla Studios in 2009, and she and her crew of top-notch teachers have established the studio as the premiere destination for Chicago burlesque and performance instruction. She also has been and remains one of the Executive Producers of the Windy City Burlesque Fest since its inception in 2010. A constant presence in Chicago burlesque, she has also traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad, with regular appearances in France and the United Kingdom. Red Hot Annie has headlined many national festivals, and has been nationally recognized with being voted #34 in the Burlesque Top 50 for 2010 and winning "Best Novelty" at Texas Burlesque Fest in 2012.
About Red Velvet
Teacher - Badass Women (and Men) of Burlesque Teacher - Stretching Your MindRed Velvet, a life-long dancer, has performed in musical theater and burlesque throughout the U.S. and internationally. Red Velvet is proficient in various dance forms and teaches classes in burlesque, cancan, and Isadora Duncan dance. Red Velvet is co-artistic director of a monthly show, DIVA or Die Burlesque, and is artistic director of the cancan troupe, The Velvettes. She has performed with the award-winning Hot Pink Feathers and award-winning Flaunt Follies, Bombshell Betty’s Burlesqueteers, Alegria Samba Dance Company, and was artistic director for the dance group Pretty, Pretty Please. Her burlesque performances have won Judge’s Choice at the 2019 Arizona Burlesque Festival, Most Classic at the 2016 Great Burlesque Exposition and Most Humorous at the 2014 Great Burlesque Exposition. She co-created five full-length burlesque/cabaret/theater productions: Rebel without a Bra, At the White Rabbit Burlesque, Hotel Burlesque, Just Another Zombie Holiday Show, and Dollhouse Monsters. She loves bringing her crazy ideas on stage for your enjoyment. Come and Try a Slice of Red Velvet!
About Roman and Jennifer
Teacher - Ballroom to Burlesque Roman and Jennifer are former professional Ballroom Dance instructors and Competitors, they were regional professional finalists in Theater Arts (OH and TX 2012, 2013), Open Smooth (2013) Closed Smooth (2012) Open Rhythm (2012), International Standard (2013), and Mixed Novice (2012), as well as numerous awards won with their students in pro/am competition. They have spent the past several years combining dance styles such as ballroom, with contemporary ballet, dark jazz, tribal, and Japanese Butoh, to create their own unique dance style, danced by no one else. Entirely improvisational, their dance transcends labels and has become voyeuristic performance art. They have performed professionally throughout OH, being featured dancers with The Rick Brunetto Big Band, as well as The Otterbein Symphony. They have been featured as solo dancers at the Urban Garden Room in NY and at events like the Columbus Italian festival, Columbus Arts Festival, Dublin Irish Festival, Cleveland Fashion GlamJam and many more. Being no less active then in dancing, they are also prolific painters, photographers and art models. Their work have been featured in a number of magazines, journals and exhibitions.
About Sailor St. Claire
Teacher - The Art of the Performer Bio Teacher - Burlesque, Broadway & Hollywood Teacher - Doin' It Live: Working with Live Music Panelist - Badass Women (and Men) of Burlesque Sailor St. Claire is a curvaceous redhead with learned mind and an A+ anatomy. With her scintillating wit and copious charms, Sailor channels academic excellence into burlesque bravura. Since 2009, The Showgirl Scholar has been putting her knowledge of the literary canon to more-than-scholarly uses, crafting elegant and erudite stripteases that offer audiences an education in the humanitease. Sailor performs with Sinner Saint Burlesque and co-produces Naked Girls Reading - Seattle. She is also the producer of Tuesday Tease, Seattle's only monthly burlesque revue featuring live musical accompaniment by Pervana. Sailor can also be found as a soloist on stages throughout Seattle, and makes regular trips to San Francisco to appear at the (in)famous Hubba Hubba Revue, Little Minsky's, and Red Hots Burlesque. She also frequently performs in Portland, OR, and has appeared internationally at Kitty Nights West at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, British Columbia and in the UK at Gutter Lane at Edinburgh’s Jekyll & Hyde Pub. She has been featured at the Ohio Burlesque Festival, the Alabama Burlesque Festival, the Great Southern Exposure Burlesque & Variety Pageant, and the Great Burlesque Exposition in Boston, where she was awarded the 2014 Legend’s Choice award by April March, The First Lady of Burlesque.
About Scandal from Bohemia
Panelist - Introduction to the Art of Political Burlesque Panelist - Stretching Your Mind Scandal from Bohemia, the Weapon of Ass Destruction, has been getting ridiculously naked or nakedly ridiculous since 2007. Since then, she has performed in the United States, Canada, France, and Italy as well as being named Most Humorous in 2010′s Great Burlesque Expo in Boston, Most Unexpected Reveal, and Grand Supreme at 2015's Seattle Burlesque Games. Whether her acts involve ten foot long stuffed snakes, tomato soup can shimmy belts, or inappropriately placed bologna, audiences will leave shows understanding that Naked Is Funny.
About Scarlett Letter
Teacher - The Game Room Teacher - Cosplay, Fan Fiction, and Identity in Burlesque Panelist - Burlesque vs. the Real World Panelist - Longevity in BurlesqueScarlett Letter has been dazzling the world since 2004 and stunning them even longer. A long time fixture of the Los Angeles Burlesque scene, Scarlett has graced stages across North America and Europe and has won several awards along the way. Also a costumer and producer, Scarlett is known for a dark cold beauty reminiscent of Hollywood Noir and the classic Hitchock heroine.
"With 4 feet of red hair and miles of bad intentions"
About Scarlett O'Hairdye
Teacher - Craft Foam, Hot Glue and You! How to Make Almost Anything! Panelist - Cosplay, Fan Fiction, and Identity in Burlesque Teacher - Beyond Hot Glue and Desperation. Scarlett O’Hairdye is Seattle’s Superhero of Sparkle! A long and varied performance history boasts a performance in the first Nerdlesque Festival as well as the Ultimate Grand Supreme winner of the 2014 Seattle Burlesque Games. Scarlett comes from a background of anime convention cosplay and musical theater. She sold her personal dignity for a bag of magic beans when she was a child and never looked back. Her costumes? Lavishly accurate. Her ideas? Nearly infinite. Her cheese biscuits? Famous in the Seattle burlesque scene. Her hair? Really, really, ridiculously red. She creates fanfiction on stage with nearly every act… And she can probably kill you with her brain. Scarlett is the woman behind Unnatural Redhead Productions, producing sold-out shows around Seattle since 2012. A true Jill-of-all-trades, Scarlett not only produces themed and general revues, but also theatrical projects incorporating burlesque. She’s written, directed, set designed, and made props for The Venture Bras! and Planet XXXpress: A Futurama Burlesque! She also mixed the entire soundtrack for Showgirls of Beast Island! A full-length, badly lipsynced, burlesque B-Movie. Also a professional burlesque costumer, Scarlett has been creating elaborate and screen-accurate pieces for other performers in the Seattle area since December 2012. Notable clients include drag queen Mama Tits, Reigning Princess of Burlesque 2013 Sydni Deveraux, producer and performer Vixen Valentine, and producer and performer Sailor St. Claire. Scarlett was nominated for a 2014 Seattle Gypsy Award for Excellence in Costume Design (Smaller Theater) for her work on Girl You Know It’s True, produced by The Stay Up Late Show and Theatre Off Jackson.
About Scratch
Teacher - The Vocabulary of Theatre Panelist - Burlesque vs. the Real World The Founding Chair of The Great Burlesque Exposition and the co-founder of The Boston BeauTease, Scratch is a well-known and well-respected M.C., producer, and teacher.
About Shimmy LaRoux
Teacher - By the Numbers: An intro to Google Analytics Panelist - Burlesque vs. the Real World A Chicago burlesque performer and model, Shimmy LaRoux is your bad girl with good home training. Bringing a combination of refined charm and exotic good looks, Shimmy is able to channel classic Hollywood, be playfully cheeky or serve fierce diva realness. Shimmy LaRoux is sassy, classy…but never ashy!
About Sunny Sighed and Bal'd Lightning
Teacher - 1+1=3 Duet Dynamics Sunny Sighed and Bal'd Lightning are a tantalizing and titillating musical duo. Sunny brings years of musical theater training (including study at the Shenandoah Conservatory, from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude) to the burlesque stage as a tool for expressing her quirky and humorous vision of the world. Crowned The Baltimore Beauty Pageant's 2014 Queen of Crabs by Trixie Little and Mr. Gorgeous, her latest project has taken the form of Bawdy Shop Burlesque. Bal’d made his Orchestra Hall (Chicago) stage debut at the age of 4 and it’s been pretty much downhill ever since! Together they combine the heart of humor and satire with the mind of technology and connect your Broadway theatrical experience to the boudoir. A unique and sexy experience you won't want to miss!
About Trixie Santiago
Panelist - Badass Women (and Men) of Burlesque Raised on a steady diet of classic musicals and golden age science fiction, Trixie Santiago combines elegance and a sense of limitless possibilities. Inhabiting the space between yesterday and tomorrow, dress and undress, dreams and reality, she brings audiences along on a journey of ecdysiac transformation. Trixie is a frequent performer at WTF Queerlesque. She has also performed at Rogue Burlesque's "Lucky 13" amateur burlesque competition, the Newcomers' Showcase at the 2014 Great Burlesque Exposition, and the Royal Court's New Talent Showcase.
About Vixen Valentine
Teacher - The Art of Burlesque Storytelling Panelist - Stretching Your Mind Teacher - Longevity in Burlesque Vixen Valentine is the Mistress of Misbehaving and the learned the do’s and do often’s of burlesque in her hometown of Seattle, WA, USA. With a background in acting, physical theater and vocal work Ms.Valentine brings a strong sense of play, bright mischievousness, musicality and sensuality to her carefully crafted routines. Vixen Valentine has performed internationally in shows and festivals across Europe including the Munich Burlesque Festival (2014/2015), Como Lake Burlesque Festival where she was awarded Most Comedic (2014), Strasbourg Burlesque Award (2015), and the Geneva Burlesque Festival (2016). She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Physical.
About Voluptuous Vanessa Vixen
Panelist - Longevity in Burlesque Vanessa a "mature" gal who doesn't want to quit.... burlesque that is! She started her burlesque experiences about 4 years ago through classes with the Boston academy of burlesque education . Their classes led her to the Great Burlesque Expo where Vanessa has performed in the newcomers showcase. She has been a stage kitten for: the Great Burlesque Expo, Boston The New York City Burlesque Festival 2014, 15. Key West Florida's Burlesque and Pole Competition 2014. Perrformances: great burlesque Expo 2013-14 TeaseDay club Somerville Massachusetts Student Recital Showcase, Boston Academy of burlesque education Providence Rhode Island, Corrine Southern's Speak Easy show. Key West Florida's Burlesque and Pole competition performer 2015. Nurse Betty's in New York City and Boomers Bar in Las Vegas Nevada.
About Willy Barrett
Teacher - Delsarte for the Torso Panelist - Longevity in Burlesque Teacher - Tiger and the Lamb: Burlesque Archetypes The world’s foremost teacher of, and pioneer in, reconstructing the Delsarte System of Expression, used by the early theater choreographers to create the Broadway styles (including the Ziegfeld Follies). Joe's teaching has taken him around the world and he is proud to have taught Delsarte at the National Centre of Dance in Paris, at the Juilliard School, and also at numerous Middle Eastern dance festivals across the US. A great lover of burlesque for many years, he created and regularly performed a stripping gorilla burlesque for several years in Ohio in the late 1980's. Now he looks forward to teaching at the Great Burlesque Expo every year that he can and lends his support to the revival of this beloved, charming art.