Burlesque has always been a risqué business. It’s tasteful, even when it feels taboo. But that illicit treatment of the art form is what’s hindered off-Strip burlesque from becoming as mainstream as it could be in Vegas. While performing in Absinthe (during a furlesque-coded gorilla striptease, mind you) Raquel Reed became acutely aware of this.
“I was thinking about how I would love to link more performers with well-known producers on the Strip and in Vegas. A lot of producers don’t know who burlesque dancers are all over the world,” says Reed, who also produces The Jiggle Room monthly revue at Downtown’s Cheapshot. “I was honestly trying to make a portfolio of people in our industry every year that … get to perform and showcase their art in front of potential producers that could book them. It’s kind of a rarity for us in burlesque. We perform for a lot of patrons, but to perform for people who will actually potentially book us or put us in their show is really big.”
That thinking eventually led Reed to found and produce the Sin City Burlesque Festival, a two-day showcase that will bring more than 50 burlesque performers together when it returns to the Space September 6-7.
Raquel Reed in front of the Space at the 2023 Sin City Burlesque Festival.
“There are plenty of producers who are burlesque performers, but in this city, people who produce larger shows don’t really consider burlesque, at least off the top of their head, and that’s because it’s been kind of suppressed and pushed aside,” says Enzo Cinquegrana, Reed’s husband and co-producer of the show. “We owe a lot to the people that have been holding the torch and keeping the fire lit, but we’re hoping to add to what we see as another evolution of burlesque becoming a more accepted art form here again.”
Cinquegrana, an blacksmith by trade, handcrafted all of the set pieces for the festival, effectively transforming the Space into a neon burlesque cabaret. And both nights will offer varying degrees of seduction.
On night one, patrons will be treated to The Grind, an erotic revue headlined by renowned Vegas performer Michelle L’Amour, followed by a zany variety show hosted by the ever-charming comedian and burlesque star Tito Bonito. The following night, modern burlesque darling and pin-up model CoCo Lamarr will lead the Big Queen Competition, where performers from around the world will compete for the cabaret crown. Judges include Miss Exotic World 2023 Samson Night, Miss Nude Universe 1975 Tiffany Carter and Liinda Garisto, a professional dancer from Magic Mike Live.
“Really, it is the best of the best competing and winging it to live music with a live band,” says Reed. “They just dance freely in this competition. It’s not set choreography, and that’s what makes it special, and that’s what makes it powerful.”
Naturally, the Burlesque Hall of Fame will also be there to support the fest, as it creates a unique platform for burlesque performers to receive their flowers and hopefully their offers. As for the patrons? Reed hopes the festival leaves a lasting and positive impression of the industry.
“I want them to walk away loving burlesque and feeling like they went to a vintage burlesque show, they saw vintage performers, and they were in it, they were feeling the moment of being in that time,” she says.
SIN CITY BURLESQUE FESTIVAL September 6-7, 7 p.m., $65-$160. The Space, sincityburlesquefestival.com.
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