Stage Stars Productions' Rock & Roll Burlesque Show has sold out Crossroads in Garwood, Long Branch Distillery in Long Branch, Stonewall Inn in NYC and more. The show will be at Big Lee's in NYC on May 13 and will return to Stonewall Inn in NYC on May 14. The following is a Q&A with the creator and producer of the show.
How did the show begin? As a creative and a producer, my brain is just full of a constant stream of ideas. This one has been on my mind for a long time and in a very specific way. I had a clear vision and was waiting for the right time, people and venue and when I knew it was right, I jumped in. We had two weeks and one rehearsal for our preview show at Crossroads in Garwood last January. We blew the top off the joint in a massive snow storm no less, packed the place and made fans out of everybody who walked in. We nearly cancelled due to the weather but decided the show must go on. I am so glad it did because the feeling I got when we were about a quarter of the way through, looked around the room and saw and felt this collective rush, I had tears in my eyes and knew we had something really, really special.
Can we expect to see traditional burlesque? I really wanted to create a different burlesque experience. Being a trained dancer and choreographer, I wanted to do dance choreography. There are so many shows out there doing traditional burlesque so well, we wanted to come straight out of the gates roaring. I’d say you can describe it as dance choreography meets burlesque. Our show has trained dancers with stellar dance credits dancing choreography that has elements of jazz, hip-hop, commercial dance, breakdancing and even ballet, lyrical and modern. We even had some tap burlesque numbers in a few shows. I wanted to do something really different but of course give a nod to traditional burlesque as well.
What kind of themes do the numbers have? Each theme is built on the song. Sometimes I have ideas for the theatrical theme first and then decide on the song that fits it best. I always want the other dancers have a hand in the choices as well and they have all done such an amazing job with costuming and themes. The way I work with all the shows I produce is that I love to just vibe and bounce ideas off my cast. I obviously have ideas and things I know I want right away but I think it’s great when we openly communicate and create together. I want everyone to live out dreams with this show and do things they have always wanted to do. We are going to be changing most of the show up in June and look forward to bringing some new ideas to life.
How many musicians and performers are in the show and how many numbers does each dancer perform? We have four or five band members, depending if we need horns in the set list. A full, live band isn’t often seen with burlesque shows so we are really excited that we do this. We have a power-house, strong female lead vocalist and other mega-talented vocalists, both male and female, who have some features throughout. Depending on the size of the venue, we have up to five or six dancers and flow artists who perform solos, group numbers and duets. We have some male dancers joining the show in the next few months too. I’m so excited about that, these guys are sensational dancers.
There have been quite a few women who talk to you after the show, send messages and ask questions. What do they think of the show? There’s a common misconception that burlesque objectifies women. The women that have been to our shows have found it to be the opposite: freeing and liberating. We have had countless women contact us after the show to let us know that they felt empowered and inspired by it. Knowing we have a growing fan base of women who come away from the show with confidence and a stronger self-image is really incredible. That’s what lets me know that I’m doing this right.
What is flow arts and how is it incorporated in with burlesque? Flow Arts is a general term used to describe the intersection of a variety of movement-based disciplines including dance, juggling, hooping, fire-spinning, and object manipulation. Depending on the venue, you can expect different flow disciplines each time. The broad category of Flow Arts includes a variety of pursuits that harmonize skill-based techniques with creative expression to achieve a state of present-moment awareness, known as flow. In our show, flow is incorporated with burlesque.
Who is your fan base? The great thing about this show has been that we see a really wide range of audience members who span age, gender, and location. A few weekends ago we had some fans follow us from Long Branch to NYC the same weekend. It’s been awesome to see both familiar faces and meet new people.
Tell me about the dancers. Each dancer brings something different to the show. It’s like the Spice Girls of burlesque. Everyone has such a unique style, look and talent. It’s a really well-rounded group whose members shine individually, but can also mesh well together for the duets and group numbers. It’s cool to see the rock and roll, non traditional burlesque looks and performance pieces we have created come to life. These are professionally trained dancers who have a ridiculous list of credits and I am so happy to have them all.
What is the best part of the show? The best part is that there is no best part. Every element is just melded together and compliments each other in a way that makes this very much a live experience, not just a show you sit down to watch. Whether it is the choreography, the elements of traditional burlesque, the music, flow arts or the vocals, no part of this show takes a back seat. That is how you know you’re working with top-tier talent; we just all vibe together so well. It’s kind of like being transported into another universe full of sweat, glitter and rock and roll. You get tossed about for a few hours and then, unfortunately return to real life, until the next show of course.
Where do you perform this show? We have a regular home at the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, NY, which is such an honor. We have some shows coming up in the Niagara Falls area, The Stress Factory in New Brunswick, The Hard Swallow in the East Village, NY and The Rail in Readington. We just sold out shows at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ and The Long Branch Distillery in Long Branch, NJ. We are constantly talking with and exploring new venues for this production. The goal is to keep expanding our reach further.
Where can people find more information and dates? On our Facebook and on Instagram pages.
