Burlesquire photo courtesy SinnSavvy Productions
Beautiful boy burlesque troupe Burlesquire has been heating up stages around Portland for some time now, but they are finally busting out with their first solo and full-length show tomorrow, Saturday the 4th and Hawthorne Theater (1507 SE 39th Ave).
And, as you will come to see tomorrow, when this Burlesquire piece runs in the arts and culture section, I have begun to do some writing for local gay rag, Just Out.
Whatever your opinions on the drama surrounding the big JO, it is an important part of Oregon queer culture, and who better than me to lend a hand to its resurrection and evolution (if I do say so myself).
But onto the good stuff…dancing…and sneak previews of print editions…(Is it wrong to quote yourself?)
Wintertime. Red Cap Garage. Rainy and nasty outside. Hot, sweaty, packed and also nasty inside. Three scantily clad and slightly genderqueer boys take the stage. Gold lame and tattered black tops move in glorious gyration that is both skillful and sexy. All jaws, male, female, whatever, drop to the floor. This is the scene of the emergence on Burlesquire.
From these initial short performances with other burlesque and dance troupes the men of Burlesquire have blossomed. Finally we get to see their glory in a full-length show that is all their own, Mannequin, Saturday the 4th and the Hawthorne Theater. The two hour production will feature interspersed acts as diverse as top-rated drag entertainer Sabel Scities, female hip-hop burlesque duo D’Ames, C.C. Slaughters-based trio The Superstar Divas, and dance companies Unseen and Lyrik. Hosted by Burlesquire’s own Miss Genesis Wild, with on deck stylings from DJ Robb, Mannequin will feature Portland’s newest sensations with appropriate fanfare.
But for Burlesquire, it’s less about spectacle and more about showcasing their truly talented choreography in a way that is incredibly sensual without being overbearing. Somehow all audience members, though they may want to cheer, often end up simply breathing quietly and heavily, eyes wide until the final breathtaking denoumont wakes them from their stupor and the crowd erupts in applause. This pace might be quite difficult to keep of for a full production but if anyone can manage the feat, it is Burlesquire.
Even in a town where performance art is often edgy and original Burlesquire intertwines post-contemporary movement, burlesque, and even a bit of irreverence in a way that makes the shows feel fresh and inspired. You may have seen dancing in Portland before. You may have seen art. But if you haven’t seen Burlesquire, you haven’t seen anything yet.
