Published on: October 23, 2013 @ 12:40 p.m. ET
Friday, October 18 was my first time watching the Brown Girls Burlesque (BGB) Lovelies perform. In my previous post, I mentioned that my friend and NY-based PR partner Janna Zinzi is part of the troupe, but the stars never aligned for me to see them in action until this past weekend. And, as an arts lover who thirsts for consuming AND participating in ‘less traveled’ art forms, I was thrilled when the BGB Lovelies agreed to stick around to facilitate a DC Tease workshop for the community. I served as the DC event producer for the workshop and secured our studio space, conducted community outreach and media outreach. It’s important to note, when I describe BGB as a ‘less traveled’ art form, it’s not because they just arrived on the scene–women of color have always performed burlesque, but their stories were hidden or omitted from its history.
BGB co-founder Miss AuroraBoobRealis draws strength from heightening the visibility of Brown and Black women in burlesque. In a recent discussion she stated,”Even if I’m performing burlesque in a space where I’m the only Brown body, I always state that I’m a member of the Brown Girls Burlesque Lovelies, so people know I’m not alone, and a fierce collective of women of color exists.”
Washington, D.C.’s NPR affiliate station, WAMU-FM ‘Art Beat’ highlighted BGB’s upcoming shows and workshop on Thursday, October, 17.
While media coverage does not guarantee sales, it does raise awareness among targeted audiences, which can result in education, sales and participation. It doesn’t hurt that BGB has a diverse and devoted fan base! Both shows sold out on Friday, and we had a nice group of participants come out for Saturday’s workshop. One workshop participant arrived armed with her wig and wants to start local troupe. Another participant has followed BGB up and down the East Coast for performances, and another participant kept her HIGH heels ON for half of the 3 hour workshop! In addition to learning about the history of burlesque and sultry combinations, all participants were sent home with a pair of pasties and tassels to keep on twirling!
Finally, XM Sirius host Shawna Renee dropped by after the workshop to interview the BGB Lovelies for a future feature, and I captured some sound bites from the discussion:
Chicava HoneyChild Breaks Down Inspiration Behind Beyonce vs. Rihanna Show
Brown Girls Burlesque’s Jazabel Jade Reflects on Objectification
Miss AuroraBoobRealis of Brown Girls Burlesque Describes Their Fan Base
Chicava HoneyChild On Knowing When a “Dave Chappelle” Moment Occurs
Do you have to be Classically Trained to Perform Burlesque?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about what the Brown Girls Burlesque Lovelies are doing! Also, what is a ‘less traveled’ art form you’d be interested in exploring?
