The Ohio Burlesque is honored to take some time to interview one of the most brilliant international performers out there, Dangrrr Doll resides in New York City and she is traveling all over the world some cities have been as far as Vienna and as near as Chicago. 

What and amazing 3 nights of burlesque, vaudeville, drag and sideshow. It's been a few weeks and the glitter has settled and the costume have been put away and this year was written in the books as the most successful year yet! Performers from all over the world joined us for an amazing celebration of burlesque and remembrance. 

Thursday - Mahall's 20 Lanes Lakewood 
Dolly Moxy kicked off the show with a very adorable piece, later Erik Tate
 killed the audience with laughter with his magical comedy act. 

Sanjula from Chicago and Lilli Paralax from Columbus showcased physical strength and bravery in a lavish beautiful way on stage on the friday night stage. 

Then RedBone Took Your Boyfriend..... Mic Drop*

Matt Knife from New York City recreated the Red Room from a famous David Lynch Classic "Twin Peaks"

Hypnotic Boylesque with flowing red silk fans, Boy did he set the mood for friday's headlining block! 

Red Rum from Chicago ended the night with her Catacomb Saints piece leaving the audience ready for so much more! The costume was detailed to the very last bone finger! 

Friday Night All Stars Cast at The Beachland Ballroom Stage. 

The Saturday Night Gala
The Gala Kicked off with the announcement of our Scroll from Cleveland City Council and our Recognition Letter from The Ohio House of Representatives. 

Mizter Scratch from Boston Hosted The Saturday Night Gala That Kicked off Flawlessly!  
Mika Romantic and Vikki Fahrenheit started the night in style, Red was the choice of color in memory of Dixie for our opening numbers. Siobhan Atomic performed a stunning fan dance in memory of her father.  Miss Theresa brought a character to electrifying light and Honey Merlot serenaded us, Then Poison Ivory showed us her love affair with pudding! 

Feature Cherie Blondell from Columbus giving us good face and a hell of a stocking peel! 

The Boston Babydolls were energetic with their group number, Aya Fontaine followed with a timeless old school burlesque piece. 

Our Headliner The 2013 Princess of Burlesque 
Sydni Deveraux from New York City dazzled the crowd with a beautiful star boa and a heck of a figure! She absolutely left the audience gasping for air. 

The Saturday Night Cast, Festival Crew, Kittens, Volunteers and Production Team. 

The 4th Annual International Ohio Burlesque Festival will like to say thank you to all our friends, fans, staff, directors, volunteers, vendors, venues, sponsors, attendees, print media, web media, promotional team and performers for all their support and attendance to the festival.
Thank you to Ambiance The Store for Lovers for Presenting our Festival! 
 We would also like to thank The City of Cleveland and 
The State House of Representatives for our wonderful awards.
We look forward to an amazing year of volunteerism in representation of The Aids Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. We also congratulate all our Golden Buckeye Award Winners for 2014 ! 

For more images head to Ohio Burlesque Facebook. 
Follow us on Instagram or twitter

Check out These Amazing Images from Cool Cleveland and Cleveland Scene. 

The 5th Annual International Ohio Burlesque Festival will take Place for 3 days at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern July 30th thru Aug 1st 2015.

It's an exciting year for the 4th annual international festival, We are very honored to be receiving a Scroll from Cleveland City Council in recognition of our outreach to the Cleveland Community and our representation of Cleveland thru the 4 years of our international festival. Our staff is beside ourselves with gratitude to our city leaders for this amazing recognition to our efforts to present Cleveland in the best light possible internationally and locally. Our State wide festival is a challenge every year and we are honored and humbled by this award. Our mayor for the second year in a row has welcome festival participants with a written letter to our beautiful city, We are beside ourselves right now and hope that you may join us at the 4th annual international celebration July 31st thru Aug 2nd. Making history this year and we cannot be happier! 

Thank You. 
Ohio Burlesque Festival Staff, Sponsors and Volunteers.

We took some time to speak with the amazing legends of burlesque this Thursday evening via telephone interview. 

We started off with The Satin Doll herself Toni Elling currently living in Detroit, MI. 


Show Director Bella- Miss Elling, It's an honor to take the time to talk to you today. Tell us, what do you remember about Cleveland? 




Legend of Burlesque Toni Elling- "I worked at the Jewel Box Revue in Cleveland.
It was a show of female impersonators. They were beautiful... that was 50 years ago it seems, 
they wore some beautiful costumes.. they sure do still wear them. 
I remember the host most of all she was beautiful and full of energy.
 I also came to Cleveland to meet Duke Ellington, you see i was helping him write a female drum beat.  I came to the club directly after sending my bags to the hotel and I waited for him in the bar, I was there in 1954 ... I was shucks... 26 I think but am not sure" She did let out a big laugh. The song Toni Elling is referring to is "A Drum Is a Woman" that was released in 1954. 
The club she is referring to is The Theatrical in The Old Short Vincent. 

Toni has received the Legend Of The Year Award at 
The Annual International Burlesque Hall of Fame Reunion and Competition in Las Vegas, 2014.

Show Director Bella- What a treat is to be talking to Val Valentine via telephone interview. She is currently in Toledo, OH. Miss Val Valentine, tell us, what do you remember about Cleveland? 

Miss Val Valentine - "Irma the Body and I were good friends. 
I remember the first time I ever saw Joni was at The Roxy Theater in Cleveland, backstage, in the late '50s.  She was making a costume. I remember Jesse Myers was the manager for the theater and it was owned by Fran Bryan and Frank Engle at the time. It had the narrowest walkway in all the business... if you fell in the orchestra pit they would never find you. It was small compared to the other theaters in the business. The stage manager was a woman. Her name was Maddie. Then there was Johnny, he was the stage hand. I have scrap books full of ads of The Roxy." 

She remembers while working in Toledo when she was told that Cindy Parker had died in a car accident around Cincinnati. "You see she was from Kentucky and she was driving up to do the show," Val says.  This news shocked her and Rose La Rose who were good friends with Cindy.  

Val Valentine is going to be performing at The International 
Burlesque Hall of Fame Reunion and Competition this year. 

Show Director Bella- Camille 2000 currently lives in Florida, what do you remember about Cleveland?

The first time i went on the road to be a feature is when i danced at The Roxy. It was in the late 60s and early 70s and  Maddie was a sweet old lady she was the manager at the time, it was a big stage with a skinny walkway. They had a foyer and  pictures handing up. They still had a live band when i played there as well. After The Roxy i went to Toledo with Rose La Rose to play up there these places were the Bryan and Engle circuit they called it. 

Camille 2000 performed in multiple theaters in Cleveland after The Roxy closed it's doors. She has some ads shown below that she was kind to give us. 

Tonight we are full of joy. We are prepping last minute details for the show tomorrow night. 
We really hope you join us for a great time. 

The time to honor our burlesque past is finally upon us, The 4th Annual Roxy Remembered is May 16 2014 at The Beachland Ballroom. 
This year is the year we complete our budget for our historical marker and launch our indiegogo funding campaign! 

Let's get you upto speed -
Summer of 2013 We met with The City of Cleveland Department of  Landscape Committee  after countless months of over night work making our presentation with fellow historian Jessica W. and 
Ohio Burlesque Director Bella Sin. 
We managed to received an appointment to be placed on the schedule for the city to review our project. The very meeting it self was nerve wracking but worth every moment. 

After making our remarkable presentation, Our project was successfully approved!
What was next? 
Funding; The marker will be an independent structure with need of maintenance and if ever defaced we would need a replacement. Ordering two markers would be the best corse of action but another big expense would be in the installment of the marker.  They (installation company) would to dig 10 feet in to the grown pending the (Oops) crews evaluation of the site to make sure no wiring or other under ground blocks are in the area where we would like to put the marker. 
Above you can see the mock up of the marker in the corner of E 9th and Vincent Street to your left is the paper work we prepared for the meeting .

How big is the marker and what is it made of? 
The marker is made by a company called Sewah Studios Inc and it's made from Cast Bronze and it's dimensions are 39" Height x 43" W and what holds it is an Aluminum pole that is about 7"-10".
Below is our presentation. 

The application for The Historical Society of Ohio is now filled and ready for submission pending the city of Cleveland letter of project approval since the side walk is city property we are moving thru the right channels with the city since our project was approved. Once the letter is submitted the site is reviewed and the background history checked by The Historical society of Ohio. We will have a marker ready to be made. The costs of have multiplied quickly and our funding has slowly decreased with multiple hours of research to the archives at The Ohio State University collection of burlesque donated by Charles H. McCaghy available to the public by appointment only along side paper work and other expenses that have come out of pocket. This is a work of love! 

Why The Roxy Burlesque Theater and Short Vincent? 

The Short Vincent block was the first entertainment district in Cleveland formed to accommodate The Hollenden Hotel and the Large Amount of population seeking entertaiment it was a short strip of bars and restaurants similar to E. 4th Street presently. The Roxy was known as The Family Theater in 1907 on address 1882 E 9th Steet- Later Revamping To The Orphium that was opened for 13 years then it's third renovation in the 1931 with the tittle The Roxy Burlesk Theater (Learn More by watching The Rustbelt Bump and Grind mini Documentary) The Theatrical was a huge staple in Cleveland and it's Jazz history lasting till the 1990's before the closing of the Jazz bar- Currently this building still stands but it's now The Theatrical Parking Lot (The Letters are no longer hung). 

Paying tribute to our past is important, We have hired an artist for this very particular project.  Drew Auld to put together a nostalgic flyer for this very year.  He took the picture below and transported current burlesque performers Bella Sin, Lushes La Moan (Detroit) and Doll Bambino to the very site of The Roxy

Even the back of the flyer holds inspiration of the old Cleveland Roxy campaigns on the Cleveland Press.

This campaign was also printed in black and white to make sure we get the nostalgia of our famous burlesque house intact exactly how they would have it. We took much care to book this show as the burlesque theater would have once booked it, We also shaped the whole night into the very theater show it would have had in the 1940s including Jazz, Burlesque, Variety, Vaudeville, Sideshow and Female Illusion. Packed with group numbers, duets and so much more! 

There will be also a commemorative print made by Artist Drew Auld will have for sale at the show!

 What a "Remarkable" Memory! 

Who is on cast? 
We search with in our city and our rustbelt to bring you the best old school burlesque possible and here we put present performer photography and yesterdays performers and their photographs so you can see the detail work of our cast and their dedication to the craft of the bump and grind! First Lushes La Moan from Detroit, Bella Sin from Cleveland, Special feature Doll Bambino from Cleveland and our side show guest from St Louis Xander Lovecraft. 

Sideshow and Vaudevillian Xander Lovecraft from St. Louis! 
Featured on The Humans of New York and multiple international festivals soon to be part of the famous Coney Island Sideshow!

Our Masters of Comedic ceremonies will be Abby Downton and Sonshine La Ray!
our show also includes The Tease and Thank You's Burlesque, Eliza Sidecar, Fantasie D'Light, Freddie Pearl, Dahliah D'Luxe, Mahsitti along with many more surprises. 
Help Us Make Our Dream a Reality! 

Reserve Seating and VIP Available

Come join us! 
TICKETS ON SALE NOW JUST CLICK
#ROXYCLE
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

"Celebrating The Love of Old School Hollywood Glamour!"- Says Bella Sin Producer of The Sweetheart Showcase

The show will be held February 14th, 2014 at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern but this is not a geared valentines day event, This show is highlighting the golden days of cinema and the iconic woman and men that served the this period of time that left such a mark on todays vintage revival.

When one speaks of icons as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Veronica Lake, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren the first thing that comes to mind is elegance and poise as well as a splash of naughtiness. 

 " We are beyond excited about our upcoming year in production, We have joined forces with lighting, film and photography teams locally to make our production go to another level. This show is the kick off our our 2014 production year as well as the build up for our 10th year anniversary show on March 8th, 2014"  

Let's Talk Cast! 

This show is an international affair 

Bianca Boom Boom a songstress from Toronto, Canada known for her burlesque signing and pealing acts. She has been all over Canada and The States performing at shows and festivals. This will be her first time in city and state. 

She tells us of her love of vintage and who is her favorite silver screen actress-
The quality and beauty of the articles are much higher than a lot of what you can find now. The detailing is extraordinary. There is so much personally and uniqueness to each piece you find and you know it has a story behind it that you are continuing. There is also a very special, indescribable feeling you have when wearing a gorgeous vintage dress that not only fits you perfectly but that you know none else will be showing up to the party in! I love Marilyn Monroe! 

From our state capitol Columbus, Ohio  Cherie Blondell 
She has been to a number of amazing festival from Chicago to Ohio's, She knows her history well when it comes to burlesque. 

She tells us Why she loves vintage & 
who is her favorite silver screen actress?.

 I love vintage because I'm incredibly nostalgic by nature.
Things were made more beautiful and interesting "back in the day". Women were true ladies, and their clothing, accessories, hairstyles, makeup- all reflected that. I love vintage because it is part of our history, and being a huge history buff, I like knowing that there is a story behind my vintage dress or tea set. My favorite starlet is      
Marilyn Monroe (of course)!"- Cherie Blondell

Introducing as a feature from Cleveland Miss Doll Bambino
 She is just simply ravishing on stage with that iconic smile, She has such and energy on stage that sets her apart for the pack. 

She tells us Why she loves vintage & 
who is her favorite silver screen actress?.

"I love vintage because i really enjoy how the style of bygone eras is so feminine, and still powerful. and you could still wear red lipstick every day without people thinking you were crazy! my favorite starlet is probably jayne mansfield or elizabeth taylor, such classic beauties!"- Doll Bambino

Cleveland's own Burlesque Queen Bella Sin 
Is joining the cast with her high energy hip shaking and bumping and grinding, Her old school burlesque routines are extravagant. 

She tells us Why she loves vintage & 
who is her favorite silver screen actress?.

My love for the nostalgia of the old comes from my love of books and clothing, I remember looking at old movie stars in my country and seeing them with these amazing costumes and gowns. Breathtaking! When i looked into american vintage i just feel in love with Sophia Loren when i saw her.. that elegance and pure sex appeal! Love her! 

The cast of the show includes belly dance, hula hoops dancers, magicians and so much more! 
Hosted by Abby Downton from London, UK! 

The first 20 people get vouchers for 
The Cleveland Burlesque Academy sponsored by Ambiance.
Raffle Tickets For The 10th Year Anniversary Burlesque Show

Thank You to Our Sponsors 
Yelp Cleveland, Ambiance The Store For Lovers, Cleveland Music City, Jakprints, Subpar Productions

The show will be held February 14th, 2014 at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern Tickets are on sale now 18+ $15.00 adv and $17 at the door with complementary admission to show in the tavern. 

For Online Information www.ohioburlesque.com or 216-264-9965

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.