The world of nipple pasties, feather boas, and glitter may soon have its own festival in Ottawa.
The Ottawa Burlesque Festival will see its genesis in September 2014 if donations and sponsorships come through.
According to organizer and burlesque performer Helvetica Bold, the timing hopes to bring in festival-goers who will already be visiting Montreal, Toronto, and New York for their own burlesque festivals in September.
Boasting workshops, conferences, and performances, the festival trails behind Canada’s major cities—Vancouver’s festival began in 2006, while Montreal’s began in 2009.
And although Bold said she’s happy for Vancouver and Montreal’s early start on the international burlesque scene, she said the reason for the delay is the city itself.
“When it comes to art and culture, Ottawa is usually a few steps behind some of our bigger Canadian cities.”
But Bold said she has hope for the scene. She said although Canada’s larger cities may have reputations of superiority, the city’s seven burlesque troupes have much to offer.
“I think our Ottawa brand of burlesque deserves a spotlight on the international stage,” Bold said.
Devil Dolls troupe member and fellow Ottawa Burlesque Festival organizer Bella Bearcat said the scene has “exploded,” and shared the same belief as Bold, who said burlesque has benefitted from the ubiquity of social media and the Internet.
When she began performing in 2002, she said Ottawa didn’t have a scene.
“The Internet then wasn’t how it is now,” Bearcat said.
“When you searched burlesque you would get the Pussycat Dolls, and back then the Pussycat Dolls were an actual burlesque group, but performing in Vegas at the Roxy before they became a pop group.”
And even in 2006, when Bold joined the scene, there was still a void.
“There was no burlesque in Ottawa at the time, so it was a really awkward process getting into it.”
Now, the scene is becoming more prominent, especially with weekly performances at various nightclubs from different troupes.
But still, burlesque retains a stigma.
When Ottawa Burlesque Festival organizer Donna Dee Dead went to a fabric store to fashion some nipple pasties, a sales associate dismissed her as a stripper.
“Whenever I tried to say ‘performer,’ she replaced the word with ‘stripper,’” Dead said.
Although there was disdain in that fabric store exchange, Bold said genuine burlesque formers typically do strip.
“It’s part of the act,” Bold said.
While Bold said she respects stripping as a profession, she said there are significant differences between the two.
“Burlesque is a catch-all term for a variety show,” Bold said.
“I think aside from the variety show aspect, the biggest difference is strippers make a lot more money, and most burlesque performers don’t identify as sex workers but as burlesque performers.”
It’s also more theatrical and comedic, according to Bearcat. “It’s more about the actual taking the clothes off as opposed to being naked and sexual.”
“When I first tell people I’m in a burlesque, they immediately think stripclub or they think the movie Burlesque.”
Bearcat said she enjoys the aspect of converting the apprehensive into fans, and said she hopes the same response will be elicited with the advent of Ottawa’s first burlesque festival.
“It’s going to be fantastic. Ottawa is such a festival city, so why not have a burlesque festival.”
