Thru out the last 10 years burlesque has been gathering popularity every day and depending on the location they are to hold shows daily basis like NYC's Slipper Room and others like Cleveland's The Beachland Ballroom bi-monthly. Many people are starting to convert their friends to this amazing tradition of historical live entertainment. Many do not know what to expect or what they are about, We took some time here at OBF to count down 12 reasons to see a burlesque show! - We searched high and low and then we went lower... then we checked craigslist! (Kidding) 
But here they are Enjoy- OBF

Burlesque is not only about tantalizing the audience with risque sensual overly dramatic costuming removal techniques. There is a lot more involved in a burlesque revue, Some actually are called "Varie-Tease" The show producers do not limit their self's to one facet of entertainer they search high and low to find sideshow, drag, variety, vaudeville, comedians, musical acts, singers, ariel acts even spoken word poetry comes to stage. All these act like a pallet cleanser to the audience since every single interaction is different and not to mention the music styles are unique to each act. This makes every show different, every entertainer different and there is truly something for everyone. 

You don't just sit there at these shows and stare at the stage and clap when it's over, You interact with with the performers on stage. The more you encourage their costuming removal the more fun and exciting the show will be, Hook, Holler, Scream, Cat Calls (with in reason) trust us - they like to hear you!
The MC plays a very important role as they guide you thru the journey of a show, They will help you get pumped up between the numbers and they are a bit comedic and sassy, Some can be drag queens hosting they are well rounded in audience interaction. So please the louder you get the better we tease! 

Quick lesson- Burlesque is originally satire comedy, The mockery of every day life. The over the top theatrical dramatic numbers that you can see on stage can go from emotionally moving to comedic, The satire can also be political and in many ways the statements of the Neo Burlesque world can be so profound and moving but yet severely entertaining. 

There is so many characters in movies, literature and comics that these entertainers bring to life. Their are unique in each way not to mention reinventing a classic is amazingly difficult, They really masters at story telling in every way and the reinvention of these characters are truly worth the time at a show. 

Having more then one girl on stage and achieving a well choreograph number is magic! Embrace the unison of woman moving as one creating something very unique to pay attention to TEAM WORK!  Yes, We love group numbers! 

You have had those moments you tell friends about, The "You just had to be there" Moments. Live entertainment is uncontrollable, A beast that cannot be tamed and in those minutes on stage there is the ability to create iconic moments in burlesque history. We are lucky to have photographers capture such moments on film, Moments of passion and expression that will live on as treasures for the rest of our lives as performers images like this are epic to have and as audience great memories to relive! 

Burlesque accepts different shapes, sizes, colors, sexual orientations and life style choices. This has come to some degree of discussion in every interview we have given, Burlesque is Entertainment and forth and foremost we are here to entertain you! Every one is unique from mind and body, Burlesque holds the ability to display every one in their ultimate body beautiful image. Burlesque is timeless and boundaries are there if you set them and we choice to never set boundaries for the acceptance of every single human being that is body beautiful. 
Show It Off! 

Most of the performers make their own costumes, The detail and time placed in these master pieces is incredible. A costume can make or break your number and half of the fun of burlesque is seeing a performer well costumed, We are all different but when it comes to bringing something special to stage you will see every one create immaculate ideas to bring forth to the audience that truly shows their passion and devotion to the craft. Some are reinvented vintage finds, thrift store treasures that come back to life or creations from scratch. All this time and effort for you! 

Nothing says burlesque like feather fans, but trust us when we say prop use in burlesque is quite amazing. They get so inventive from chairs, feather fans, boas to martini glasses. These entertainers have it out for the audience pulling all the stops to really embrace the stage in full. Still there is nothing more beautiful then seeing an amazing fan dance. Simple yet Lavish!  

Men too have joined the racks of burlesque for quite some time now and the boylesque movement is taking the country by storm, They are not just any "male dancers" they are unique characters that can truly capture sensuality and comedy as well as drive woman crazy! Their unique take on burlesque has made this a popular medium for men to join. More power to them! you should hear the audience going crazy when a boylesquer hits the stage! 

We in some areas are a tight community or as we like to call it a large beautiful amazing family, The friendships that this scene creates are priceless and amazing. We are a very supportive unique and interesting group of people that manages to come together and support and love one another in every way possible and that translates to the stage!  You are joining a family gathering every time you go to a show and trust us we love you coming to shows. You are not only supporting our family but feeding our souls. It really would be pointless with out you! *Hand us those tissues* 

Burlesque has been present thru out history and reinvented thru time, You are not only attending a show - You are attending an supporting a beautiful tradition in the world. This has been as much as a part of humanity and live entertainment has proven better for your mind, heart and health. Engaging in an interactive event gets your spirit soaring and well it makes you smile! Even in this the age of technology nothing beats live entertainment. This is a classical tradition very different from place to place, do not judge a book by it's cover. Check out a show and find the right one for you then bring friends, Trust us when we say... We will love, adore and be honored to see your faces at a show! After all with out the audience being there what fun is it to tell a story to an empty room. 

Images Courtesy of Eric Paul Owens (Director of Graphics and Photography in OBF), Anastasia Pantsios, Bob Perkoski and Zoe Renne Lapin. Thank you for their time in our shows. 

Every Halloween there is a million parties and this year is no different but you want to make sure you attend the event that will leave you Spooked to Death by a Good Time. 
Dia De Los Muertos -Undead Burlesque Ball bring you a nail bitting, hair curling, spooky, deadly good time this upcoming October 25th at The Beachland Ballroom. They bring you the one and only Queen of the Undead is coming all the way from Chicago, Burlesquer Red Rum bring her unique style of burlesque back to the city of rock and roll. You may remember her from The 3rd Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival 2013 this year on The Saturday Night Main Show, She brought the house down with her detailed high energy Egyptian inspired costume... and really did show us the dead can dance! 
We had the pleasure of catching up with her and this is what we found out about the queen of the dead!

OBF-How did you get started? 
RR-:Making art has always been a huge part of my life but the word burlesque never entered my vocabulary until 2007 when I received a message from a Chicago DJ named the Coffin Banger. He saw some gory pictures of me at a horror con and reached out to see if I did any performing or knew anyone in the burlesque sideshow/horror community. The Coffin Banger was looking for horror themed talent for a big Halloween stage show he was producing in Chicago. Although I was not a solo performer at the time I was interested in helping out in any way possible. The Coffin Banger’s Monster Mash Party was the first burlesque/sideshow event I ever witnessed. I saw “horror” burlesque for the first time and was totally inspired. Performers in the show included Maya Sinstress, Angela Eve, Krysten Korruption, The Amazing Tomas and more.

I never had any dance experience but a foundation of makeup/costume making and improvisation definitely prepared me well for an entrée into the burlesque community. My formal background is in painting and drawing, I graduated from the School of the Art Institute and my MFA thesis project was a horror movie. The movie was absolutely terrible but I was interested in all the objects that resulted through the process of making the movie; the makeup, the props, the costumes, the challenge of improvising and the characters. Through the process of making the movie I thought it was curious that everyone wanted to be the person who died - that is what people remember and talk about. For a couple years after school my colleague Teena McClelland and I launched a company called Death By Design. We would turn an art gallery into a film set, clients would choose a “death” off our menu and we would film them “dying” as a star in their own horror film. From there a continued to seek out ways to get involved in the Chicago horror/independent film scene.

The second year of the Coffin Banger’s Monster Mash Party I met my now husband Sanjula Vamana for the first time! Nothing like seeing someone push bicycle spokes through their face to equal love at first sight! I was married at the time I met Sanjula and was definitely not prepared for how much my life was about to change. Thanks to Sanjula I got to know Maya Sinstress better and she gave me my first chance to perform at the Anti-Valentine Show at Cobra Lounge in 2010. A number of months later I auditioned for Hot & Heavy Burlesque’s Tribute to Spinal Tap at the Viaduct Theater. I am incredibly thankful to these ladies for giving me my first chance.

OBF-: How did your name come to be? 
 RR-: When I was working out my burlesque character the devastating earthquake in Haiti happened, I had friends and colleagues that were trapped there…for weeks so many friends and co-workers were rallying to figure out what to do so it was at the front of my mind every minute. I had always been an ancestor worshiper and dabbled in the religion but when the earthquake hit I knew Vodou needed to be a central part of my character. When working out my burlesque name I made a list of words that came to mind when I thought of Haiti….when I added ‘Rum’ to the list I immediately thought of Kubrick’s “The Shining” and I couldn’t get REDRUM out of my head.

OBF-: How would you describe your self? 
 RR-: Often I feel like a bundle of forces at war with each other. Having the chance to create and play out a character is an amazing outlet for trying to make sense of it all.

OBF-: What do you do in the day? 
 RR-: I work at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago as the Administrative Director for the Department of Fashion Design. I completed my MFA in Painting & Drawing at SAIC in 2005 and loved the place so much I stayed. It is so wonderful to work in an environment where people are incredibly supportive of my burlesque practice. The department has even invited me to lecture a few times and I am working on a proposal for a costume/makeup class to teach.

OBF-: Tell us a bit about your family ? 
RR-: Seriously watch one episode of the Addams Family and you got it!...My husband and I are passionately in love, we are super supportive parents to our little toddler Dexter, friendly and hospitable to visitors, generous with our friends and fans…but often forgetful of how the rest of the world may find our macabre hobbies bizarre and frightening! Our household is full of curiosities…our dining room alone has three real coffins, one of our son’s first words was ‘skull’, and because of the artistic industry we work in we have so many interesting and talented characters passing in and out of our door. Sometimes it feels like a mystery to me how I ended up with the interests I do…but with a mother as a nurse and a father as a police officer we were raised with a tremendous value for life and an awareness of how fragile our time is. Filling our lives with different forms of momento mori helps me to appreciate the time we have and in some ways offers protection against my fears of death and the unknown.

OBF-: What do you like to express on stage? 
RR-: Themes of sex, death and humor are important to me because they are social levelers---we all make the same dumb faces when we have sex, no one can escape death, and no one is above ridicule. They are reminders to be to be humble, to remember where you came from and know that the hard work is never over. I love burlesque as a vehicle for critique and transformation. My husband Sanjula gave me the best advice ever, he said “if you can’t do something better, do it different”. There are so many performers out there that approach burlesque in amazing ways; if I feel like I can’t contribute anything new to a particular perspective I work really hard to give people something they didn’t expect to see.

OBF-: How did you become undead? 
 The choice to become undead was an easy one, fear is the most powerful emotion we experience and horror is a genre rich with mythology and characters. I didn’t see it as a dead end but a realm of infinite possibility, a chance to explore the fine line between attraction and repulsion.

OBF-:Tell us about Chicago and its scene? 
RR-: I found the Chicago scene to be very welcoming and thankful for the chance they took on me. There was a time when I first started that people would ask me to perform - but without the skeleton face – that was a real nightmare for me, I never felt comfortable on stage in my own ‘skin’. It took a little time but eventually people tuned in to my Halloween year round style…so much of that was thanks to venues like the 1901 Gallery Theater. The 1901 Gallery Theater was an independent theater – basically a three car garage professionally set up with a stage, lighting board and sound booth. Known for the most innovative and underground neo-burlesque in the city, the venue was home to so many of us. The venue was shut down a couple of months back by the City of Chicago for not having the proper entertainment license….it was a devastating loss to our community and a real loss for new performers needing a place to earn their pasties. I’m very dedicated to doing shows with Cirque De La Femme, SS Triple X and the Glitter Guild, I’ll never miss a chance to work with Angela Eve, Viva La Muerte and Maya Sinstress. I perform at least once every other month with Vaudezilla, Ties & Tassles as much as I can and Kiss Kiss Cabaret whenever they are in the mood for something spooky. I think we have a thriving scene here in Chicago with a little something for everyone.

OBF-:What do you think of Cleveland? 
RR-: I’ve only ever been passing through Cleveland so I’m looking forward to spending more time there getting to know the local performers and the scene. The Beachland Ballroom is a jewel of a venue!

OBF-;You were in the Ohio Burlesque Festival, how was your time there? 
 RR-:Sadly my time in Cleveland for the festival was so short. We drove up the morning of the day I was performing. We were a little late hitting the road and then I forgot about the time change…we got pulled over for speeding…then we got lost finding the hotel! We GPS’ed the address of the hotel but kept ending up at some aerospace field…I felt like we were in the Twilight Zone…each time we ran the directions it brought us back to the same vast and vacant field! Eventually found the hotel and got to the venue less then an hour before the show was to start. I was lucky #13 in the lineup. With all that stressed energy I was so happy to get out on stage! The roar from the Cleveland audience was the best thing I’ve ever heard...even at that moment I couldn’t wait to come back!

OBF-: Music tastes? 
 RR-: My tastes vary often. Lately I vacillate between 50s pop and 80s hits…I’m always looking for a popular song that I can twist the sentiment on for a piece or manipulate the meaning.


OBF-: What do you like to eat?
 RR:-If it weren’t for my husband I would probably eat cereal for every meal! If I cook for my self it’s pretty straight out of the box – eating is sadly always my last priority, I have no patience for it. Favorite home cooked meal when it does happen is bratwurst, sauerkraut and spaetzle

OBF-: Is there something about Cleveland you cant live with out? 
RR-: Lake Erie!!! Every year since I was born my family would all pile into a car for a summer road trip from St. Paul, MN to Erie, PA to see the grandparents. Cleveland always offered the first sight of Lake Erie and a real feeling of home. Now Sanjula and I carry on the tradition and take little Dexter out there at least four times a year.

OBF-:Favorite spooky movie..? 
RR-: There are so many spooky movies I love for so many different reasons! All my favorites eventually become performances; John Carpenter’s “The Thing” inspires the next big piece I’ve been working on. What are my favorite aspects of the movie…could it be the fear of complete isolation in the face of disaster? Or the invisible enemy in sub-zero temperatures? How about the terrifying feeling of not knowing which of your supposed friends and colleagues are who they say they are, and not a shape-shifting alien?!?! Can’t wait to show you how I pack that entire story into one burlesque performance! Muah-hahahaha!

Ghouls and Goblins That was Red Rum! 
NOW GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BEFORE THEY SELL OUT!!! 
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The 3rd Annual International Ohio Burlesque Festival will take place the first weekend in August at The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern; located at 15711 Waterloo Rd. Cleveland, Ohio. The event will feature Burlesque, Variety, Vaudeville, and Sideshow performers from around the world. 

Night One Friday: 
Hosted by Gilgamesh Taggett and Mr Scratch from Boston, MA

Peggy De Lune London, UK, The Boston Baby Dolls, 
Donna Denise from Dallas, TX and Bazuka Jo From Chicago, IL. 

International Performer Showcase. 
Dangrrr Doll- New York City, Goldie Candela- Austin, TX, Red Velvet- San Francisco, CA
Ava Adore- Cleveland, OH, Doll Bambino- Cleveland, OH, Lillith Moon- Kansas City, MIFonda Feeling- Boston, MA, Satori Circus- Detroit, MI, Vivian Lashes- Indianapolis, IN
Pepper Mills- Indianapolis, IN, Marci Vousplait- Chicago, IL, Corvida Bleux- Pittsburgh, PA
Charlee Monroe- Pittsburgh, PA, Holly Hock- Detroit, MI, Eliza Sidecar- Cleveland, OH
Jade Jenvier- Canada, Bourbon Rose- Las Vegas, NV, Carmen M'Knoxide- Cleveland, OH
Opiumm Hayze- Saint Paul, MN, Vikki Fahrenheit- Las Vegas, NV

Night Two Saturday:
Hosted by Phat Man Dee and Jaime Moore

Lushes La Moan, Detroit MI. Bella Sin Cleveland
 Bella Sin Cleveland.OH, Lushes LaMoan Detroit. MI,  Smokin’ McQueen North Carolina and Coco Lectric from Austin, TX. 

International Performer Showcase.
Kita St Cyr- New York City, Hazel honeysuckle- New York City, Aya Fontaine- Las Vegas, NV
Twiggy Stardust- Cleveland, OH, Red Rum- Chicago, IL, Fuchsia La Fae- Denver, CO
 Sandy Sue- United Kingdom Lola Vee- Memphis, TN Fantasie D'Light- Cleveland, OH, 
Luna Legare- Ann Arbor, MI, Cherie Blondell- Columbus, OH
Chakra Tease- Denver, CO, Pepper Sunshine- Minneapolis, MI, Jezzebel- Chicago,IL
Betty LeRoux- Columbus, OH, Money Magnolia- Louisville, KY, Peach Roulette- Columbus, OH
Tea- Bloomington, IN, Dahlia D'Luxe- Cleveland, OH, Beelzebabe- New York City

Tickets Information
Advance $17.00 / $20.00 Doors
2 Day Pass $30.00 Advance sell only
 Reserve Seating 
VIP Seating Sold Out* 

Friday Night Ticket Link
Saturday Night Ticket Link

2 Day Pass! 

Welcome our sponsors:
Presenting Sponsors 
Ambiance The Store For Lovers
Tidal Cool Creations 
Bounce Night Club
------
Sugar Kitty Corsets
Jakprints
Cleveland Music City 
The Beachland Ballroom 
Space:Rock
Le Femme Mystique Burlesque
Author Michelle Fox 
Colorful Rainbow Designs 
Yelp Cleveland! 
Darling Waste 

The Buckeye Burlesque Academy will take place August 3rd at 10:AM

CONTACT INFORMATION 
OBF Press
[email protected] 
216-264-9965 

OUR SOCIAL MEDIA INVITATION

Our Facebook Fan Page

As is tradition, Every year we raise money and awareness for a Non-Profit Organization that impacts our city, state and country. This year we have chosen Equality Ohio. This Organization is seeking equal rights for all and we are joining forces to promote acceptance with in our community as well as support for the cause.

We will raise awareness and money for this cause thru our festival weekend Aug 2nd and 3rd 2013
Burlesque With a Mission For Community!  

The 3rd Annual Ohio Burlesque Festival honored to present to you!
THE CHARITY Of THE YEAR! 
                                                                    EQUALITY OHIO

We are taking a moment to steam up the day with an exclusive interview with Ms Peggy De Lune from London, UK! 
The headliner for the upcoming- The Roxy Remembered February 23rd 2013 at The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern. 8:PM and TEASE in PIttsburgh PA April 6th 2013 at Cattivo, 8:PM

Let's get to know this burlesque goddess! 

When did you start performing? 
I started performing burlesque professionally in July 2011, so just over a year and a half ago. But I have been performing since I was 11 really. I was in a pre-professional ballet company and went to Royal Ballet School for a summer, then I studied acting at a performing arts boarding school called Interlochen Arts Academy and then went to Drama Centre London to train as a classical actor.

What do you like about burlesque? 
I like that it is an art form in which I can utilize all the skills I've trained in over the years and the ability to create whatever you want and whatever inspires you. I love the cheekiness and burlesque really focuses on the truth of sexuality, which to me is not just being glamorous and sexy, but being funny and having a sense of fun and cheekiness. You can do anything with burlesque! 

Where are you from? 
I am originally from Akron Ohio, but "Peggy" is really from London - she was born and created from my influences and training there, so I feel as a burlesque dancer I come more from the UK scene than the US scene. 

how did you find your self in burlesque? 
I saw my first burlesque show when I was at drama school in a cool bar in an old underground Victorian bathhouse in London and after that I started getting more into it. I was always told at drama school that I needed to work on my sexuality and confidence instead of just being the funny one and I don't think I got there at all until I started taking burlesque classes. After I graduated I started taking classes at Burlesque Baby because I wanted to participate in the showcase. Sharon Kay, my mentor, saw me in the dress rehearsal, pulled me aside and took me under her wing. I started performing professionally from then on, my first professional show was Delicious Battle of Burlesque and I was Runner-Up. 

Where have you been ? 
I've performed all over the London circuit, including the Duchess Theatre on the West End with The Hurly Burly Show. I've performed throughout the UK and I've done a month and a half with The Hurly Burly Show in Johannesburg South Africa. I loved doing Hurly Burly Show, but I had to miss out on a lot of great festivals, including New Orleans Burlesque Fest, Stockholm, Paris, and Ohio - so this year it's happening for sure! I'm excited about 2013 - I've already got plans to perform at Milan Burlesque Awards, London Burlesque Festival, Wales, Paris, Pennsylvania Burlesque Festival, Great Burlesque Expo in Boston..... stay tuned to find out more!

What is the best thing you like about performing? 
No matter how you feel or how exhausted you are or what is going on in your life, nothing works like Dr. Theatre. As soon as I'm onstage, I feel good, a different side of me can come out and it's the greatest rush in the world. I love getting to travel and meet new people every night and I love when people come up to me after a show and say I've inspired them or that it was their first burlesque show and it wasn't what they expected. And I would be lying if I said I didn't like the attention! 

Who do you admire in the burlesque circuit? 
Other performers I've met in the UK have been a great inspiration for me, I always try to surround myself with people that drive me to do better. I am obviously inspired by some of the burlesque legends, but I think we all are or else we wouldn't be doing it! I did a workshop with performers of The New Burlesque when they came to London last year and I have to say that Julie Atlas Muz is my number one inspiration and also Dirty Martini as well. Polly Rae amazes me because she created The Hurly Burly Show out of a little monthly showcase to a huge show without losing herself and her aspirations to work on new projects like Between the Sheets. I admire Laurie Hagen greatly - she is not only an amazing burlesque performer, but an incredible host, a ridiculous singer and dancer and one of the loveliest people in the world. I also have recently discovered my love of Imogen Kelly. I also really admire people like Bella Sin and Miss Oh! in South Africa who are really helping to grow their local burlesque scenes. 

What are you inspirations ? 
I would love to travel to Australia to perform and also would be a dream to perform at BHOF. I love burlesque and I would love to headline my own touring show like Polly Rae has done with Hurly Burly and I would like to eventually do more with film, like The Burlesque Assassins film. I want to keep performing and see where it leads to! 

What are your thoughts on the historical side of burlesque? 
I love the Neo-burlesque performers that are out at the moment and I think burlesque is definitely evolving and changing, but I also believe you need to know where it came from. It's the same with acting, I think if you study classical theatre and you can do the classics, you can do anything and I feel the same with burlesque. I was lucky enough to get to work on a film with Steve Coogan last year about Paul Raymond, the King of Soho who really brought burlesque to popularity in the 50's in London. The American scene is great about honouring the history of burlesque and I hope I will get a chance to go to the Burlesque Hall of Fame sometime soon. These women were really feminists of their time, they bulked what was expected of them and went traveling around the country, doing their own thing and being independent. They came up with such inventive performances and their legacies are something that should be documented and remembered. I think reading up on the history is very important, especially local history. Cleveland was a major entertainment hub back in the day and I believe had the most burlesque houses out of any other city in America at one point (besides NYC) - 
Think we had at least 5!

Tell us about london and its burlesque scene?
It has become very mainstream in London - you can go out almost any day of the week and find a burlesque or cabaret show. It means there is a lot of competition, which is great because I think that is what has made it such a strong scene - all the performers push each other to do better. Costumes are a big thing in the UK and you see some incredible creations. It's great that so many people have been exposed to burlesque and there are so many different types of burlesque happening in London, not just classic showgirls, but comedy acts, musical acts, circus inspired acts, drag, performance art, everything! There are lots of big clubs and a lot of traveling to great shows throughout the UK and some really cool performers and lovely people! People to check out: Laurie Hagen, Polly Rae, Betsy Rose, Kitty Bang Bang, Rubyyy Jones, and The Folly Mixtures. 


What are you looking forward to at the show?
I think it is absolutely fantastic that Ohio Burlesque Festival is honouring the rich Burlesque history in Cleveland and I really admire them for bringing awareness, not just to the burlesque revival, but also our burlesque roots. When I told my grandpa about it he said, "Oh yes, I went to the Roxy a few times!" I am so excited to see what is going on here in the Cleveland scene - it's my US debut so I am very excited!


Tells us where to find you online ? 
My website is www.peggydelune.com so check it out!
I also recommend performers and enthuists join www.retrotease.net and I also have a page on Facebook and Twitter. 

Can't wait for the show? get tickets now via wwwbeachlandballroom.com this show will sell out so get them while they are available. The best burlesque show in NE Ohio brings you a night of school glamour and history!