“What I love most about Burlesque is getting onstage and embodying a persona that is completely unlike my day-to-day self,” explains Siri Williams, a first-year Arts student. “Offstage, I’m a fairly conservatively-dressed—for school anyway—goofy, girly, fine-art-and-academics-inclined type. Onstage as Holly Allnightly, I get to be all those things I’m not in my normal life. I get to be sexy, seductive, womanly and outrageous. In addition to that, I have rarely experienced such a tight, supportive and encouraging group of women as the girls in my troupe. That’s really an amazing thing.”

Siri got involved in burlesque when she moved to Vancouver a year and half ago. No stranger to the performing arts, she has dabbled in classical music, theatre, musical theatre, ballet, jazz and tap, however none of these satisfied her.

“I saw my first burlesque show and I was hooked. I was invited to join Girls On Top (GOT) Risque Cabaret a year ago, and we’ve all been shaking it together ever since!”

Unlike other performing arts where one has have an extremely well-trained and well-proportioned body, burlesque requires neither.

“Burlesque is a great medium for women in that you will literally see women (and occasionally men) of every size and shape you can think of. It’s a beautiful thing to see everyone out there loving what they’ve got, no matter how skinny or curvy they may be.”

However, being so comfortable in one’s skin does take some getting used to. “We have a motto in Girls On Top and that is: ‘There is no room for shame when it comes to sexuality,’” says Siri. “Being so totally and utterly comfortable in your own skin that when you’re up there dancing on stage in say, just pasties and a shimmy belt, that you feel exhiliration and joy rather than self-consciousness or embarrassment—every Burlesque dancer and every woman needs to take that message to heart and truly believe it!”

“There’s a huge amount of humour, a sense of expression in sexuality and a connection with the audience that goes into each number that I think it’s hard to find in any other medium.”

Join GOT Risque Cabaret for their fundraiser at Darby’s Pub this Friday. The money raised will be sending the ladies of the group to Las Vegas to compete in Miss Exotic World 2010. They promise a night of Burly Q fun including performances, games like knicker twister and pin the pasties on the Burlesque dancer (on a cutout of course).

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