This is the most glamorous hobby you can have,” says the young woman who calls herself Shy Kamikaze.
She certainly looks the part, from her sequin-encrusted ballroom dance shoes to her flouncy black skirt and lace-up corset, with a fringe-and-rhinestone-adorned bra pouring over the top. Even her bright red lipstick is slathered with glitter.
Shy’s surroundings this evening are somewhat less glamorous: She’s perched in the corner of a west side restaurant’s dark basement, curtained off from stacks of chairs, old Halloween decorations, and somebody’s bicycle. She’s holding up one of a series of filmy garments strewn about the space, while her friend, Bella Sin, slips skimpy clothes over a nylon body stocking. A trail of stray glitter and feathers falls to the dingy brown throw rugs that cover the concrete floor.
“Wear the shimmery red,” Shy advises.
Bella’s prepping for her next performance at Luxe, the popular Gordon Square eatery where, on a frigid Friday night, her job is to heat up the room with brief hourly burlesque shows. Luxe books one of a rotating group of about a dozen girls to dance on the hour, one night every week.
Bella is one of Cleveland’s veterans in a burlesque movement that started on the east and west coasts in the mid-’90s and picked up steam over the last five or six years — if you don’t count its actual origins some 80 years ago. The art form has been supercharged recently by independent documentaries like last year’s Behind the Burly Q and movies like the audaciously atrocious Cher/Christina Aguilera vehicle Burlesque.
“I’ve got 50 names in my computer of girls who are interested in doing it,” says Bella. “I’m getting e-mails every day.”
Shy Kamikaze is dressed to kill too, but she won’t be performing tonight: She is Bella’s “kitten,” a burlesque term for an assistant who collects the unmentionables shed during the featured performer’s act. It’s how every girl starts — how they observe their more seasoned mentors and how they learn to present themselves. In burlesque, even hobbyists pay their dues.
At exactly 11 p.m., Bella slithers out from behind the iron gate that separates the basement stairs from the restaurant’s lounge. The sound system’s contemporary dance tracks give way to a vintage bump-and-grind, as a wave of cheers and hollers erupts from the mostly thirtysomething crowd. Others eye Bella curiously over their late-night snacks and glasses of wine. It’s clear that some in attendance weren’t expecting a fleshy floor show.
They follow her progress as she dips and whirls down the narrow aisle between the tables and the bar, clad in a red bikini and bra top dripping with fringe, and brandishing two large red feathered fans.
Bella shakes her ample booty at a table of six young men. They hoot and clap and snap pictures with their cell phones. By the end of her dance, Bella has dropped her top to reveal rhinestone-studded pasties. And now she’s “earthquaking” — the burlesque term for shaking everything you’ve got. And Bella Sin’s got plenty.
More than a reaction to pop diva whims, today’s burlesque is a revival and reinterpretation of an entertainment form that peaked in the 1930s and ’40s. It was an era that produced celebrity performers like Blaze Starr and Tempest Storm, who headlined the burlesque-theater circuit — even earned cameos in films — before becoming passé in the increasingly explicit ’60s. By then, nude shows and X-rated films diluted the art of the striptease.
Most of today’s burlesque performers profess a fascination for the old days, when Cleveland’s Roxy downtown on East Ninth Street featured old-style burlesque from its opening in 1931 until well into the ’50s.
Some of the revival seems to be based on nostalgia. The country’s better known burlesque acts, including New York’s World Famous Pontani Sisters, are generally associated with a strand of indie-rock culture that reveres rockabilly, hot rods, and roller derby. Others cast their gaze further back, performing to jazz classics of the ’30s and ’40s.
In addition to a wave of movies and books that fueled a new interest, numerous burlesque expos have cropped up to feed it in places like Boston and (naturally) Las Vegas. And there are troupes all over the country, filled with young women eager to show they can be sexy and entertaining without being crude. Ohio alone boasts Cin City Burlesque in Cincinnati, the Ooh La Las and Viva Valezz! & Her Velvet Hearts in Columbus, and the Rubber City Bombshells in Akron. In Cleveland, there’s Le Femme Mystique, the troupe Bella Sin formed seven years ago — and the one that started it all in Northeast Ohio.
Bella was raised in a Mexican border town, where she learned to speak English and Spanish fluently. Her family moved to Denver when she was 13. There, she fed her obsession with American culture — especially the 1950s.
“Going through books in school, I found Gypsy Rose Lee,” she recalls, naming burlesque’s best-known performer, whose life story was told in the 1959 musical Gypsy. “I started researching and couldn’t stop. Then I saw a live show with Kitten DeVille in Denver at a kind of a Beachland type of place. It became what I called my greatest love affair.”
Romance delivered Bella from Denver to Akron in 2003. She had just given birth to a daughter when she was struck by the urge to bring burlesque to Ohio.
Her path wasn’t easy. Le Femme’s first two lineups fell apart before making it to the stage. They tried working with rock bands, but invariably were viewed merely as strippers.
(You’ll be forgiven for noticing the many similarities between burlesque and stripping — from the flesh, to the flamboyance, to the ever-present whiff of sex that wafts through the air with each dance. Call one of these girls a stripper, however, and the key distinctions will soon become evident.)
Le Femme Mystique’s first break came when a drag queen invited Bella Sin to take the stage at the Innerbelt, a gay bar in Akron.
“When we reached the gay clubs, they knew what we were,” she says.
Burlesque’s combination of humor and extravagant showmanship hooked Bella from the start. Le Femme Mystique’s events — including an upcoming Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Showcase at Musica in Akron on February 12 — feature DJs and girls who sing, dance, and even perform comedy.
Shy Kamikaze, for instance, is not only an operatically trained singer; she does balloon-twisting and something she calls “naughty knitting.” (For further details … show up for her next performance.)
“We do anything from hula hoops to ballet. We have escape acts. We have girls that try to do magic tricks,” says Bella, adding: “It’s more humorous to do a failed trick.”
Burlesque has always been as much about costuming, props, humor, and routines based on the slow, deliberate removal of garments, as it is about the inevitable “reveal” at the very end — the flash of breasts, usually covered with pasties, from behind a dropped fan or other prop.
Some consider it a reaction to the media’s stringent standards of what constitutes sex appeal. Bella and Shy are well-upholstered women, with full thighs and lush breasts that quiver as they slither — the kind Playboy and strip clubs pass over in favor of toothpick figures sporting immobile plastic enhancements.
Now 26, Bella lives on Cleveland’s near west side and works as a Spanish-English phone operator and makeup artist. Like many in the burlesque biz, she tends to be known by her real name by day or by her stage name by night — but few are privy to both.
“My background is so self-conscious,” says Bella. “I think that’s why I joined burlesque. Women should be comfortable with who they are. I get a lot of, ‘I’ll join your troupe when I lose 15 pounds.’ I go, ‘Girl, look at me.’ This troupe started in 2004 as a plus-size troupe. Then it became a real-woman show. We have girls who are 118 pounds, and we have one who is over 300.”
Shy Kamikaze knew a little about burlesque from clips she’d seen on the History Channel and online. But she was inspired after watching Bella perform at the downtown restaurant View in 2009.
“I was in awe,” she says. “Here was this voluptuous woman onstage. I talked to her a little that night and friended her on Facebook. I started going to her shows and watching her. About a year later, I signed up for her troupe and started kittening.”
In only a few months, Shy Kamikaze — a microbiologist by day — was onstage for the first time, at the gay club Bounce on Cleveland’s near west side.
“I got up there, and I was wearing a green corset and fluffy black skirt, and I had diamonds around my neck. I walked onstage and started singing ‘Sexy Minx’ by Paloma Faith, and everything just kind of clicked.”
Gay clubs are more accepting of the women’s disparate body sizes. It’s one reason Le Femme Mystique performs in so many of them. “They just want to be entertained, and they are hard to entertain,” Bella says. In gay entertainment circles, after all, outrageous tends to be a minimum requirement. “You have to make yourself glamorous and over-the-top.”
A gig in a Warehouse District nightspot was less well-received than those she regularly performs at gay bars. She recalls one patron shouting “Put it back on!” as she did her striptease.
But at Luxe, Bella and her sisters are right at home.
“The Gordon Square Arts District is a performing arts neighborhood,” says Luxe manager Melissa Cole. “This is a small way for us to embrace that. Our mission statement is to stimulate the senses in a myriad of ways, and I think the art of burlesque does that.”
Because Luxe doesn’t promote its Friday burlesque nights, the dancers routinely catch guests by surprise. “We’ve had growing pains, people who weren’t prepared,” says Cole. “But we have people like Bella, who is wonderful.”
Indeed, Bella has trained many of the area’s up-and-coming burlesque performers.
Terra Incognita is a sleek, 31-year-old punk rocker with elegant cheekbones and a blunt-cut bob. She had been modeling extensively for local photographers and filmmakers for almost a decade when Bella spotted her online. Next month, you can see her in She Devil a Go Go, a new film from Cleveland’s Old School Sinema company.
“I knew it was going on on the coasts,” says Terra, who works by day as an ad agency art director and hangs out by night at punk bars like Now That’s Class. “Bella’s target audience seems to be gay clubs, and I usually go to punk rock bars, so I wasn’t aware of it. I said it sounds cool, so I’ll try it. I’m not really a dancer, but I can fake it.”
For Aurora Sans, a girl-next-door brunette with a couple of modest demi-armband tattoos, it was about the creative expression she doesn’t get at her day job as an accountant.
“It was a lot of life changes that led me to burlesque,” she says. “I’ve always been a fan of pop culture, and my apartment is like a museum. I was going through some changes in my life — a marriage, a divorce. Your outlook changes, your comfort level with yourself, your confidence, and your sexuality.
“As an adult, my first public dancing experience was as dancing for the Doors tribute band Mojo Risin. I got comfortable dancing on a stage in front of people.”
Terra and Aurora soon left Le Femme Mystique to launch their own Cleveland Burlesque Company. Unlike the gay venues where Bella’s group finds its warmest welcome, Cleveland Burlesque’s multi-act variety show has scored with rock clubs — thanks in part to Terra’s punk proclivities and Aurora’s love of metal and classic rock. In December, the group performed between bands at an Auburn Records heavy metal fund-raiser at the Beachland Ballroom.
Recently, Terra and Aurora parted ways too. Terra is continuing Cleveland Burlesque — which she emphasizes is her production company and not an actual troupe — and doing more out-of-town performing.
Aurora, meanwhile, splits her time performing with Terra and Bella, while exploring a new project of her own that, so far, she’d rather not talk about. Like Le Femme Mystique, Cleveland Burlesque also has a Valentine’s Day event lined up for February 12, at Now That’s Class. They’ll be joined by the local bands Madison Crawl and Lords of the Highway, both of whom are influenced by the jumpin’, bumpin’ music of burlesque’s earlier days.
Bella Sin’s local fame is growing too. She has performed at venues as varied as the LGBT Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was featured in All That Glitters, a documentary on neo-burlesque by Chicago filmmaker Brian Janes. Recently, a young woman snapped a picture of her in front of a Lakewood coffeehouse.
“You’re Bella Sin, right?!” the lady exclaimed.
“It’s really an art form,” says Shy Kamikaze. “Some people have to dance, some people have to sing. A lot of people are drawn to it because they have a passion for getting onstage and entertaining.”
“It’s something you have to have a strong passion for and be persistent,” says Aurora.
“You have to be a go-getter, not just think it will happen to you. I’ve had people e-mail me and say they’re interested, and I’ll say, ‘Why don’t you come and kitten?'”
Not that there’s a pot of gold separating the kittens from the cats. Their performances pay $25 here, $50 there — hardly enough to keep up with the cost of costumes, makeup, and props for a constant stream of new numbers. Bella says that the money has only recently started to cover her satin peacock capes, Carmen Miranda headdresses, and lavish fans.
She has seen a lot of girls come and go over the years, and she embraces each one like family. She is optimistic about burlesque’s future, even as she venerates its past, hunting down old-time stars and researching Cleveland’s burlesque history.
Bella hopes to pull together the first Ohio Burlesque Expo in Cleveland this summer, bringing together performers from around the region and booking a name headliner or two. She’s even got dreams of opening a show bar like the old Roxy, maybe in the space on Detroit Avenue that used to house the Bop Stop.
“Cleveland is a melting pot of awesomeness,” she says. “It should have a venue that does burlesque.”
This article appears in Feb 2-8, 2011.
I drove an hour and a half to see them in youngstown in november, and they didn’t even show up. Check that, one out of 5 showed up and she started 40 min late for a less than ten minute performance with no explanation for the troupe. Dismal. One of the most unprofessional nights I’ve seen.
Yeahyeahmaybe2- That is Cleveland burlesque that had a show in youngstown we are not part of their troupe, We Le Femme Mystique Burlesque has not missed a show for 6 years. You are welcome to come down to Akron and see our review is gonna be a good one..
im terribly sorry this happen to you love
Bella Sin
Le Femme Mystique Burlesque
T13- Sorry you feel that way.. what show did you watch?
@T13 ~ Everyone deserves to have a hobby they choose to devote themselves to, not everybody shares your negative opinion. And since you want to be so harshly judgmental over people you don’t even know, I’m assuming you must have a completely flawless body with a Greek god-like physique? You must be THE picture of perfection; I wish I could see you get the steel balls to get on a stage and bare your soul & body to crowds of strangers for the simple fact that it makes you happy and makes you feel free. Let people do what they love and take a freaking chill pill.
Well I love LFMB and think we are awesome! Sorry to those who are narrow minded and cannot appreciate all aspects of art and beauty. To each their own though. We thank each and every one of our fans and supporters and will continue to shimmy, shake and glitterize northeast Ohio with our eclectic group of men and women! <3
VeeTaylor…….im 7ft tall, and 105lbs. i have a swollen gut like an Ethiopian, and fur like a duck billed platypus, so yeah i AM the “picture of perfection”….I wasnt criticizing chicks who a REAL dancers, who are really into that stuff.. i was talking about a certain group of people that are popping up all over the place. Your crybaby response leads me to believe that you are probably part of that sloppy, wasted on a monday night, group. Burlesque just seems like the next chick fad for roller chicks with no lives.
wah wah wah…..go cry about it.
Seems like T13 has some issues – reading all his other comments. Can’t believe no one is taking this guys stuff down. Horrible!
LFMB is a great act . . . keep up the great shows ladies!
The only thing more annoying than the ubiquitous burlesque scene is when publications print articles describing what “burlesque” is. It’s been in the counter-culture for quite some time. Let’s find a new angle. Please.
Rita…exactly. why does everything have to be part of the mainstream? even worse than that is the fact that people who are into it are the ones making it mainstream, thus watering it down, and making it corny.
Not everything has to become an angle on a “reality tv show” or have a mainstream presence. If you really like it so much why make it accesible to everyone by giving yerselves silly nicknames and making it “cute”? Your just gonna be responsible for killing it.
i have to agree with T13, albeit in a slightly nicer capacity.
i have been a huge follower of burlesque for many years, and have seen some of the biggest, best names in modern burlesque perform across the US over the years.
the girls showcased in this article are NOT who i’d personally like to see as the face of “Cleveland burlesque”. i’ve seen Bella and her troupe perform…she’s terrible! awkwardly shimmying around on stage like a baby foal with three broken legs on an icy pond…that’s not dancing. and the lip synching to the song you’re dancing to? leave that for the drag queens.
if you ask me, burlesque has nothing to do with size and everything to do with talent (check out Dirty Martini, who is a curvy woman in every sense of the word, and is also a trained dancer and is AMAZING). i personally am a classically trained dancer. would i do burlesque? you bet your ass i would. but i would hope that people would never tie my name to this group of ladies. i’ll take my talents elsewhere, thankyouverymuch.
also, to the reporter: isn’t there a dance school in cleveland offering burlesque classes? why weren’t they featured? and i know i’ve seen a vaudeville act that is based out of cleveland… i saw them at a show in either Pittsburgh or Dayton. where were they?
Burlesque for me is 1/3 attitude, 1/3 stage presence, and 1/3 sense of humor. i don’t see this in any of these girls. thank god they’re relegated to the gay bars and bullshit punk rock dives in this area.
and T13–if you want to see what the “sloppy titted sweathogs” are really up to in this area, check out any local bellydance troupe…eeeew. bellydance is the herpes of the dancing world.
oh and Belly, please save your patronizing commentary for someone who may give a shit. you need to stop spending so much time behind your computer screen debating people’s opinions, and more time taking, say, a few dance classes.
What angry little people I see picking on girls trying to have a little fun and entertain some folks. I’ve been to their shows and 99.9% of the people there seemed to be having a MARVELOUS time! I’m glad there are those who have assigned themselves arbitors of who should be doing what with their time. I question what people like, “yourmomcalled”, “T13”, et al, have going on in their lives that they can devote the time and attention to composing extensive nasty grams about a tiny troop of burlesque dancers. Pretty sad…
And this is why I love art. You can love it or hate it but it gives us something to discuss. I happen to enjoy the shows and give the girls a lot of credit for bringing us this art form. It is all in the eyes of the beholder and obviously these girls are getting paid gigs so, someone is enjoying the shows! If it’s not for you, then don’t attend the shows, like you don’t by books you don’t like or, see movies you don’t like. Healthy criticism is always welcome but, out right cruelness is not!!
I happen to be an old friend of aurora’s and i applaud all that you lovely woman have put into this…congrats ladies and keep doing what your doing..rather you realize it or not you have a great thing going on here and a wonderful way to express yourselves in a healthy and tasteful manner…keep it up
Burlesque is not mainstream just because the movie “burlesque” came out and every one now thinks is what is all about. Burlesque was the mainstream at one point in time and that is why i love history because it repeats it self!
A new angle yes maybe that would be nice, Like every fundraiser we have done as LFMB for the last 6 years and every community outreach program we come to their aid .
yourmomcalled your name is “pinch and squeal” or “Danielle M” are you picking on me because i’m not that great of a dancer like you are? to each their own but don’t hate on the style that is different than yours and you decide to hate on mine… I have been working hard to better my self.. and you know what if that is what you see that is just fine it makes me stronger to know my weakness, but then again you have not been seen a show of ours to know what we do and how we work hard to try to do it.
T13- no ones is going to cry about anything and or run away from it.. the girls work hard on everything. From their costumes to their music and dance. If roller girls do that on monday more power to them.. getting on that ring is hard and you know that if i could i would but again one of the things i can’t do but i support them.
I don’t hide behind a computer, i go outside with my head held high and promote what i think is good and amazing.. big girls or small girls are welcome to come with us any day and empower their self’s.
Burlesque is for all young or old and the fact is that if you hide behind a name online to make a point it makes you a coward and not to tell them in person is one of the reasons why i think people hate on others.
If you are doing something good and you think you are no one should make you think different they should give you your weak points so you can better yourself….and why should you limit your self to some thing in particular when you know you can do more… lip sync why not… why just the drag queens?
We make up for things here and there for the sake of art, but the truth is that when you are not included in something you are going to hate on the ones that are around.. maybe if you were not stuck on your self and think you are better then every one else you would have been there and every where…
PEOPLE.. is support to be a community of support not of anger and hate i have a dream and im working hard to make it happen for those that want it as much as my self. Hence why LFMB is still here for the last 6 long years!
We are happy and confident and empower people to do what they love… but having anger and attacks to people or a person does not get you no where…. it only makes you look worse.
Cleveland is a great melting pot of people and those people are all different just because you cant “dance” or at that create a costume does not limit you to reach what you adore. i adore burlesque and history and my city and my local nightlife… i do not claim to be the best but i claim i work hard and do what is right to do in my mind .. and if that is not your idea ok we get it but you can’t deny that in the end of the day the haters will keep on hating and the people that are happy doing what they do will go to bed with a very big thankful smile.
Why ..? because instead of wasting our time hatting on others we work hard to be a better person and in the end do what we love and others will see that to..
Every one is welcome to be happy for others success.. but is people that have such a high opinion of their self that end up being the reason why nothing will ever happen to our local community.
i have read articles after articles of burlesque, books, videos, movies and other media that tells me im doing some thing right… and i don’t have to be classically train to know I’m at least entertaining.
sorry if this offends any one but we have worked very hard to do what we do… we should be working together instead of against each other.
I happen to know this girl well,
Since 2004 she has been collecting and researching burlesque and anything that is like it or related to it. I have seen her spend hours if not days in libraries and museums looking up every single inch of history.
This has been her life for so long to have people like you T13, Yourmamacalled and rita_d call her out like that.
Her ambition has taken her all over the country not to mention she has gain recognition for it, Other performers and bookers adore and respect her.
I have worked with her in many projects and the countless hours of hard work and dedication she has placed on the table are heroic!.
Her life is surrounded by burlesque, history and activism for her local community, When she puts her mind up to something she puts her self in it as well. the sacrifices she has made for her art are greatly ignored and not accounted for in many ways…. I have seen her practice for many late nights and seen the toll this has taken on her body, mind and soul!
for people to attack another person for their hard work is insulting her very life work, i’m sure you have all had a dream and followed it with your hearts and made it happen. That is what she is doing at this very moment she is somewhere in this town trying to inspire something better in people.
She has a great giving heart and not to mention her personality alone on stage and off makes her deserve this small token of recognition, that is why you should all think before you post something negative about her and her girls… Other troupes were acknowledged in this article and i trust the writer of this story did her part in talking to all the girls she could.
But when every weekend you have a show, Every night you have work, family and your hobby. You would tend to think “boy she is sure doing some thing and working hard towards it?” would you not?
She has been seen doing so much and putting her self out there like this to make the art well known.. I applaud her greatly!
Congrats Girls you have earned it!
Now, Yourmamacalled: You are a bitter person and just because some one got a little token of recognition don’t hate on them or post such immature things about some one you don’t know. The burlesque school was not here when she started… let alone having some one to couch her… she learned by her self in those gay bars and punk clubs you dislike so much. spend some time in her shoes and see that she might not have the feet… but she has the god darn heart she needs to make those feet do what ever she wants them to do!
The sad part is what she posted above…
Lady Sin; You see the best in people and you are an amazing person do not bother with those who belittle what you do.. In the long run love you are still in your happy place and will always be in our eyes Cleveland’s Burlesque Queen!!!
You have earned it Cheers!!!
Girrrllll,
When you get the fags involved this is gonna hurt just a bit,
Listen bioches!
Bella MuthaFreaking Sin is my girl and nothing is gonna bring this hot bomb girl down, Girl can move and she can dance shaking what her mama gave her.
now you hateful bastards, If you don’t like my girl or my bars… then go F**k your selfs.. What now gays bars suck ? baby i suck cock… but please i’m a drag queen an the best in female illusion and you are trying to say we are a lower level of life? You know what Yourmamacalled- i would not tip you shit since you are bitter old and hateful!
That is right bioch, you can’t take the truth that this hot bioch can walk the walk and talk the talk… GIRRRRLLLLLLL! please spare me your hate speech for another time you cracker a** bitter low class life loser!
Gay Club are amazing and not just there to entertain your self when you have a fag or two come with you to pay you compliments..
My girl Bella has been walking on them heels and dancing on them for a long time so pay your respects your ungrateful little wench! for all of yall!!!!
Please let the hate at home and leave a girl do what she do best… she is AMAZING!! so please take your darn stick out your a** and start loving life and art we are all here with a set life and this girl got it….
She has been to every one of my shows and not to mention has loved every moment of it.. she can lip sync if she wants to.. why cus she is good at with a freaking banana head dress in her head and dressed to kill!!
I LIVE to see her shows and not only that to talk to her and hang out.. why you ask… cus she is the most amazing freaking woman in this town..
Now take a class on manners you crazy cracker and get a life instead of attacking some one else you loser.
Now girl go get them heels on and walk it!!! take a bow and shimmy them breasts for is your time to shine and make us proud….!!!!
Dragmama2
Opinions are like assholes, everyones got one. If the haters put as much energy into something that could improve their lives or their city, as they did into hiding behind their computer screens tolling for things to slam… well, this world would be a much different place. Que sera sera.
More than shaken tailfeathers and earthquakes however, these ladies contribute to the art scene. They provide an outlet for their adoring fans, a place for vendors to share their creations, and perhaps most importantly they also raise funds for local non profit companies and social services.
This scene is a reflection of those who choose to stand up, be brave, and contribute to their community. They are improving themselves and their city one shimmy at a time. If you don’t like it, stay home, its that simple.
I booked Bella for a gig in Detroit. I’ve been involved in the burlesque scene for years now and can say as a performer, she is a powerhouse. She knows not only how to work her body but a crowd as well. There is honestly no room in this industry for sizeists, sexists, ageists, or racists. If you don’t like the show then don’t come. it’s pretty simple. Talking poorly of another performer, especially one local to you, is tacky and reflects poorly on your character. It also makes you sound jealous and desperate. If you are a former patron of the show and didn’t like it that’s fine. But why feel the urge to jump behind your keyboard and insult people? If you don’t have anything nice to say then keep it to yourself. Why make it your personal goal to insult a woman or women in this case, because you weren’t 100% satisfied with the way she took her clothes off in front of you? Not cool guys.
Last I checked— Burlesque = la joie de vivre! For those who don’t translate french well, its the joy of life! We are born to rot, and we have little time to have fun with our corpses! Being a woman sucks enough to have other women shooting eachother in the kneecaps. Part of taking clothes off is showing your “self” off, some of us have big sloppy titties, and some of us have mismatched grapes… but the point is if the performer has fun with themself– that is all that matters. When you start caring what the crowd thinks, you might as well, just become the crowd. BTW- welcome to Cleaveland.
I know a couple of these girls and they are amazing people, they love what they do and just because they aren’t a size 0 or one those “real dancers” with fake tits, a coke habit, and their own parking spot at the free clinic, doesn’t mean they aren’t beautiful…both inside and out.
Joshua – then why are you her friend and why did you read this article and why did you take the time to comment?
All of the photos in that article are mis-credited. My pic in the red feathers was done by Rob Gladys of Fractured Photography. Aurora’s photo in the leopard corset was also done by Fractured Photography. The group photo was Jeannette Palsa and Herb Ascherman and the pic of Bella as a clown was Eric Paul Owens. Just giving credit where due…
Terra Incognita
Thank you Terra correction where made, There might have been a mix up on the images in the editing, Rosie I love you…
I love what i do, These girls love what they do…. If you are going to be a small person then be one… no one needs to be bullied specially ones that have the passion we do.
My hat is off for all of you girls… good job!!! You are all inspirational…
To all you small minded people…… Stick it.. giggles**
LOVE YO CLEVELAND YOU ARE AMAZING!
@terra incognita I wrote what I did to let Scene know they are honoring someone who isn’t worthy. Perhaps she did bring burlesque to Cleveland, but she is still a dud as a person. As far as being her facebook friend, while I find most of her posts either self-centered or over the top sexually repulsive, it’s like watching a trainwreck, you just can’t turn away.
Hmm Joshua shows your class and maturity level. Last I checked no one asked you what you thought of her personality. The article isn’t written about what little Joshie J thinks about her so lets be big boys and girls and try and stay on topic shall we? Third of all, don’t you remember kindergarden darling? If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Looks to me you’re jumping on a bandwagon of negativity. Sheep. And you want to talk about HER not having a life…
“Love Me Or Hate Me”
Yeah,
It’s officially the biggest midget in the game.
I dunno.
Make way for the S.O.V.
[Chorus (x2):]
Love me or hate me, it’s still an obsession.
Love me or hate me, that is the question.
If you love me then thank you!
If you hate me then f**k you!
I’m fat, I need a diet.
No, in fact I’m just here lying
And I ain’t got the biggest breast-s-s, but I write all the best disses.
I got hairy armpits, but I don’t walk around like this.
I wear a big baggy t-shirt that hides that nasty shit.
Ugh!
Never had my nails done.
Bite them down until they’re numb.
I’m the one with the non-existent bum,
Now I don’t really give a….Ugh!
I’m missing my shepherd’s pie
Like a high maintenance chick missin’ her diamonds.
I’m missin’ my clippers lighters.
Now bow down to your royal highness.
No! I don’t own a corgi.
Had the hamster – it died ’cause I ignored it.
Go on then, go on report me,
I’m English, try and deport me!
[Chorus (x2):]
Love me or hate me, it’s still an obsession.
Love me or hate me, that is the question.
If you love me then thank you!
If you hate me then f**k you!
I’m that funky little monkey with the tiniest ears.
I don’t like drinking fancy champy,
I’ll stick wit Heineken beers.
Whoops, might burp in ya face,
A little unlady-like,
What can I say?
Well oh gosh I’m not posh, me, I wear odd socks.
I do what I’m doing, yeah!
So everybody’s entitled to opinions,
I open my mouth and shit I got millions.
I’m the middle kid, the riddle kid,
I’ll make you giggle till your sick
Cause my nose jiggles while I spit.
Yeah I do have some stories
And its true I want all the glory.
Go on then, come on support me,
I’m English, try and deport me!
[Chorus (x2):]
Love me or hate me, it’s still an obsession.
Love me or hate me, that is the question.
If you love me then thank you!
If you hate me then f**k you!
Love me or hate me
Love me or hate me
So I can’t dance and I really can’t sing.
I can only do one thing,
And that’s be Lady Sovereign!
So I can’t dance and I really can’t sing.
I can only do one thing,
And that’s be Lady Sovereign!
[Chorus (x4):]
Love me or hate me, it’s still an obsession.
Love me or hate me, that is the question.
If you love me then thank you!
If you hate me then f**k you!
[x2:]
Love me or hate me
Love me or hate me
Love me or hate me
I can only do one thing,
And that’s be Lady Sovereign!
These ladies put on one hell of a show, the naysayers should check it out before casting stone.
i think this would have been a decent article if it had been about Bella Sin. Bella, of course, does deserve a lot of credit and recognition, but if this is supposed to be about burlesque in cleveland, i view it as a poorly written article. Terra Incognita and Aurora Sans deserve a lot more than the small mention they got. They are a HUGE part of the scene as well. Terra, for example is nationally known. also, i am really disappointed by the fact that you have neglected to mention the work these burlesque ladies are involved in (which has already been pointed out in other comments). i feel the article is not a clear depiction of what the burlesque movement is really doing for our city and the amazing charity and many other wonderful things these ladies contribute.
also, the issue of the copywrite infringement becomes much bigger than just a “mix up of editing”, such as Bella, suggests when they are used without consent and the copywrite names are cropped from the photographs used. Rob Gladys with Fractured Photography is among the list of top photographers in the cleveland area, and is an expert when it comes to this style of photography. i am in disbelief that Scene would do such a thing!… highly speaking of one form of cleveland art while stepping on and stealing from another. two thumbs down to you Scene, from a woman who supports and loves cleveland burlesques and personally knows and respects many of these ladies. I have definitely lost respect for Scene.
Thank you jen,
Meghan, Thank you for your respectful comments-
The print magazine was incorrect all the names were send correctly, I check is a simple mistake… that is all every one makes them.
Scene is a respected publication and we shall leave it as such…. I still will love them no matter what ..
I think if i was not in the cover it would not have been a big deal as it is now.. but i tend to think that when you do a story is in the point of view of the writer..
There was many articles in the plain dealer about Terra, Aurora and Danielle and those did not even mention other troupes when they spoke about local burlesque revival … and to be fair.. no one seems to post on those…. so harshly as here..
It has been a hard road for all of us… this gives us props for the best of what we do .. but please stop picking and just celebrate the art in your city regardless of who is in it.. support each other and learn from each other..
We are trying to build a community not a war!~
Bella, I wasn’t talking to you. My comment had nothing to do with you, and does not require your validation. Thanks.
Anastasia and I have already discussed ways for Scene to correct the misuse of the photography. My comment was a public announcement. When you get a job as a Scene editor, let me know. Until then, Scene and the photographers who have been offended will be working it out, without your help, love.
xoxo
You little girls are so bitter to see some one doing good for their self’s, Nice job you bitter ugly people. I can’t believe this is going on in Cleveland it just makes the city more look worse thanks to you ugly woman.
This is no joke, Look at all you ….. “Shut Up” I’m sure you are perfect and you need to just make sure other people know lies about this person. You truly need a hobby.There is no reason to attack a person you don’t like in public like this regardless of what you think of her. Classless !! Distasteful!!!
Terra – I think bella was just agreeing with you and what you said… I’m just saying… you don’t need validation of course but you are quick to respond with a rude comment about your work ethic and savior of these photographers?
Surely, This images were emailed with the correct name and there was a mistake and you are blowing it out of hand! Don’t you think.
Another thing… Saw you at LUXE last night and let me give you a hit… Stay being the camera you make a better model then performer. You just are boring as a burlesque performer… just boring. Sadly you “just fake dancing” any way!
This is done Cleveland, Leave this issue alone you sad excuse of a opinion is not needed to be heard…
You girls are mean girls and sadly this is how bully’s start with sad horrible things to say because they want to feel better about their selfs and bring others down.
Then you wonder why men think woman are crazy!
H
xxx
Unfortunately this isn’t the first (and probably won’t be the last) time Scene has completely botched photo credits and stolen intellectual property. They deserve to get sued into oblivion. No surprise here. This is what happens when you fire half your staff in a short amount of time. Don’t count on Scene to ever get a story straight.
The performers caught one break, though. At least Anastasia Pantsios didn’t do the photos. She can make even the best-looking people look hideous.
Lord, these comments are silly.
Firstly, the day you care about how much someone else weighs is the day you have wayyyy too much time on your hands.
“Well, but this person is FLAUNTING it!” you reply indignantly? Yeah, they are. Because even though you may not like their body…evidently plenty of other people do. You are not required to watch.
Second, this article wasn’t about anybody’s personal life. So if you take issue with one of the performers personally, that really doesn’t apply here.
And finally…you don’t like burlesque? You think it’s bullshit? Ok. Cool. I think football is bullshit. The papers should not stop running the sports section just because I don’t like sports. Because again, OTHER PEOPLE STILL DO. Scene tries to cover a broad spectrum of interests. Maybe you could read a different article.
I have full respect for those who stated their opinions respectfully…even when I don’t agree with them. But this highschool cattiness is silly. We’re better than that, Cleveland.
As a very thin and svelt performer myself, I have seen some of the Burlesque performers all over and I believe there are some very skilled Burlesque performers out there, unfortunately Bella Sin is NOT one of them. I have had several people tell me in the scene they feel plain out bad for her. It is a shame that this magazine chose her for the cover, someone as stylish, beautiful and a wonderful performer such as Terra Incognita would have been a better representation, someone with class and wears things tastefully. I am not personally attacking Bella, as I have merely seen her perform but what a shame to Ohio, when you go to NOLA or Van Couver you witness stunning women, that Miss Terra Icognita holds very close to in act and style. I am so so so so sorry Cleveland that you chose to put someone who really makes the art of Burlesque look VERY tawdry on the cover of your magazine. If you look at some of the other groups, Box Car, Cin City, Sex Kitten Purr-lesque, these women are all in great shape and can dance. Why does Ohio wish to invest their time in these women who are porr representations of Ohio Burlesque? I encourage you all to check out some of the best, Cin City, Terra Incognita, and Sex Kitten Purr-lesque, these women are professional singers and dancers.
I actually wasnt talking about “Bella” at all. i dont know her, and ive never seen her show. im just talking about the few “wannabes” i have seen or that i do know. No offense, Miss Bella.