I am so excited to introduce you to these amazing Brazilian Burlesque Performers! Two of them have traveled and performed in the US, but the others you will be just getting to know.
Although we’re on opposite sides of the equator, Brazil and the US have always had a fascinating cultural exchange.
I’ve been to Brazil many times, but in 2016 I travelled twice to perform Burlesque!
I am especially excited to introduce you to my dear friend and colleague Delirious Fenix, who will be the Artist-In-Residence at the Academy of Burlesque for 2016 this October!
Enjoy getting to know these amazing people, os meus amigos, “A Familia Tradicional Burlesca”.
Marquesa Amapola – Sao Paulo
With an infectious laugh, a Rubenesque ripe pear shape, and a unique and inventive look, The Marquesa Amapola is creating epic routines that blend religious observation, pun, double entendre, and fashion forward costuming (she is the muse of and travels with her fabulous hatmaker (chapeleiro) Eduardo Laurinho, who all by himself is walking inspiration). The Marquesa’s act “A Vaca Profana” takes the sacred milk of the cow and squirts it, well, everywhere. And her Tea Parties are not to be missed. She’s only been performing for a few years, but she is sure to be a force to be reckoned with!
Aurora D’Vine – Sao Paulo
An incredible Pin-up model and vintage enthusiast, Aurora D’Vine is the Real Deal. She literally wakes up like that…flawless. Beyond her impeccable appearance and vintage-inspired acts, she’s also a historian and has been conducting interviews of Brazil’s near forgotten showgirls of the classic era, “Vedettes”. Her acts evoke the adorable, the sexy, the vintage, the impossible-to-imitate. Even in her era-accurate pieces that have very little striptease, she’s a compelling and talented entertainer
Sete de Ouros – Sao Paulo
One of the instigators of The Burlesque Takeover and a co-producer of the PopPorn annual event, Sete De Ouros is the Brazillian answer to Paris is Burning – all wrapped up in to one super-sexy fierce queeny faggot of epic proportions. With gender blending and political performances that push the envelope of art, sex, humor, and entertainment, do not forget that this artist is serious. A trained museum professional and performance artist, he was lauded by Marina Abramovic in 2015 for his homage, “The Lapdance Is Present” to her “The Artist Is Present”
Black Rainbow – Sao Paulo
Known as “the dark side of burlesque” in Brazil, Black Rainbow’s fetishy acts give only a tiny hint of the actual fetishist within! Her background is in “real” stripping. She discovered burlesque when it first went mainstream in mass media (thanks to that infamous movie), as many did, and fell in love with it when she was invited to join The Burlesque Takeover. She is also the Winner of the Sexy Hot Prize in 2015 for Best LGBT Actress for the movie “Jujubas” from XPlastic with supporting performer Sweetie Bird and the Creative Director of her own alt porn producing company, We Porn
Delirious Fenix – Rio De Janiero
The co-producer of YES, Nos Temos Burlesco, the Burlesque Festival in Rio De Janeiro, Delirious Fenix is a trained theatrical professional and professor of theater, makeup, dance, and Burlesque in Rio. She has been an integral part of cementing the connections across Brazil that have become “A Familia Tradicional Burlesca”, and is actively working towards a network of traveling Burlesque performers in Brazil. A staunch feminist and activist, Delirious employs gender bending in her acts featuring “Grag”, and illusion in her “The Empress Wears No Clothes” act. A frequent collaborator with videographer Fabiano Cafure, Isabel has also been instrumental in connecting influential artists from many generations in the developing Burlesque Scene in brazil. You may never have heard of her, but fans in New York and Seattle will have the chance to be introduced to her in October of 2016 when she travels to the US for her Artist In Residency at the Academy of Burlesque in Seattle. And if you’re at BurlyCon this year, reach out and say “oi!” to her!
YOU SHOULD KNOW Miss G – Curitiba
If you are in Vienna or New York, you may have encountered this ethereal entertainer. Spiritual, political, intellectual, Miss G is an academic and an artistic creator and the co-producer of YES, Nos Temos Burlesco. Miss G has received academic grants to travel and study in New York with Julie Atlas Muz, and in Vienna (thanks to the non-profit KulturKontakt Austria) She also brought Julie Atlas Muz and Dirty Martini to Rio to perform in a Burlesque show about Meat: “Carne Segunda”. Her acts are high concept pieces that evoke Brazilian traditional spiritual practices and wild powerful female sexuality.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: Sweetie Bird – Las Vegas
Most recently relocated to Las Vegas, NV, Sweetie Bird is the quintessential millennial nerdy alt-porn star and intellectual revolutionary. Co-founder of The Burlesque Takeover and PopPorn, Sweetie is fully bilingual in English and Portuguese (and possibly Vulcan) and is an endless and determined student of the classical and neo-burlesque forms. She studied and performed in New York with Dr. Lucky and has attended BurlyCon since for several years. She can be blamed (or take the credit) for being the most continuous conduit between Brazilian and American Burlesque artists in the last decade. It could be argued that she single handedly (or tasseledly) built the connections between the performers across the vast landscape of Brazil. She is truly a bi-national treasure.