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Exotic World Day Four, The Miss Exotic World Finals

Today was the day we had all been waiting for and the buzz amongst the performers had reached fever pitch. Speculation was rife about who was going to win this year’s crown and with such a strong line-up, there didn’t seem to be a clear favourite.

When you’ve got such esteemed performers as Little Brooklyn, Immodesty Blaize, Diamondback Annie, Kalani Kokonuts, Bambi The Mermaid and a plethora of others on the same bill, the only thing that you know for sure is that you’re not going to forget the show in a hurry.

The event itself was held at Club Krave, a great venue with a perfectly sized stage which had great sightlines no matter where you were watching from. Not that Kittie and I had to worry much about that as we were led to the judges enclosure to take our seats amongst Kitten Natividad, Tura Satana, Satans Angel, Hesta from RetroRaunch and James from New York’s famous Slipper Room nightclub.

The first section was the Best Debut category which was a remarkably high standard. Pretty much any one of these performers could have easily headlined an event back in the UK – again a testimony to just how strong the field was. I have to confess that we actually missed the first two performances due to the scheduled bus service not actually arriving. This meant that we politely bowed out of judging the rest of this category as it would have skewed the results.Amongst some of the highlights in this category were Rene LeRoux who looked incredible in her costume (which she had also designed). As a larger lady, she conjured up inevitable comparisons with the absent Dirty Martini and the one thing I know for sure is that both ladies know how to shake it!

However, there can be no doubt as to the winner of the best debut category. The purple haired Violet Eva from Japan quite literally stunned the audience with her graceful high-flying poi routine and it came as absolutely no surprise when she was crowned the best debut performer.

The next category was the Best Duo act and the first up was Pinchbottom Burlesque who performed one of the most original routines that I’ve seen for a long while. Their quirky sketch involving a flower with the hots for it’s sexy owner was brilliant. There were stories about how this act had been ripped off by someone who had wrongfully claimed it as her own – well this was the night when Pinchbottom Burlesque claimed it back. This act rightfully went on to claim the ‘Most Innovative Routine’ award.

The winner of the Best Duo category were ‘The Heavenly Spies’ from Seattle. Their espionage routine, whilst it’s not the most original subject (I know of four UK performers who also have espionage routines), blew people away due to the superb quality of their timing and choreography.

Special mention has to go to the incredible burlesque of the movie Titanic which included one of the girls coming on stage dressed as the actual cruise liner!!! Like the boat itself, this act went down spectacularly well. I’ve never seen an ship tassel-twirl with such skill!

The category was concluded by a farewell performance from last years winners, Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey. I’ve heard a lot about this duo and they didn’t disappoint at all. Their mixture of sheer comedy and incredible dance choreography actually had me laughing so much that there is noticeable camera shake on the video. Their act was based around Bonnie Tylers ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ and it’s not hard to see why they won the best duo category last year.

The third category was the Boylesque competition and it was started off by Charlie Champale’s superb Charlie Chaplin routine. I’ve seen a variation of this performed in the UK and to be honest, I wasn’t holding out much hope for this routine at all. However Mr Champaine immediately had the audience eating out of his bowler hat due to his stage presence. This act went on to win the category and it’s certainly restored my faith in Chaplin-based burlesques.

My personal favourite in this category was Albert Cadabra who performed an amusing burlesque of Rocky – although this time his opponent was a Rubiks Cube which he managed to complete on stage. It might sound strange, but I got so carried away with the excitement of his victory over the puzzle that when the Rocky victory music came on, I actually felt a nostalgic tear of pride run down my cheek!

The category was concluded by a farewell performance by the flamboyant Tigger whose burlesque of a penniless diva clinging to the glory days of yesteryear was both emotionally provocative and EXTREMELY funny. The first two minutes of Tigger’s performance also happened to be the longest time during the entire event that he kept ‘Little Tigger’ under wraps!

The Troupe category showed the variety of performance that is possible with three or more people. Hot Pink Feathers started off the category with a Latin Carnivale routine that was as classic as it was choreographed.

Once again it was a triumph for Seattle as the Von Foxies rather self-effacing routine delighted the audience. Their routine managed to stick a firm two fingers up at the supposed glamour of the burlesque scene and the act was pure comedy. The Von Foxies showed that you don’t have to be dance-trained in order to succeed in the world of burlesque because as long as you’ve got the ideas and the personality to make them a reality, the options are almost unlimited.

Philadelphia’s Peek-A-Boo Revue also deserve a special mention as they were certainly the most professionally produced act in this section. I think that there were nine of them on stage (although I could be wrong) and the fact that they’ve been together for perhaps the longest of all the acts showed with the quality of their arrangement. The theatrical nature of their show was probably more suited to Broadway than Burlesque.

The category was finished off by the farewell performance of Minneapolis’ Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma’ams. I’d actually had the pleasure of seeing their distinctive up-tempo brand of burlesque twice before and I have to confess that I’d been looking forward to their appearance as one of the highlights of the event – and they certainly didn’t disappoint. I won’t harp on too much about their act – just check out the video, but one thing I will say is that if they are performing in your area any time soon, get out to see them, even if it means that you have to beg, borrow or steal a ticket to their event!

The final category was the big one – Miss Exotic World and the lineup read like a whose who of burlesque glitterati. Perhaps the most spectacular act belonged to Kalani Kokonuts, a runner-up for the last two years. Her Geisha inspired routine included several Japanese taiko drummers on stage and if the title was to be decided on sheer spectacle, Kalani would have won hands down as it quite literally blew everyone away. Unfortunately the aforementioned multitude of drummers made a slight mockery of the fact that it was supposed to be a solo category!

Other honourable mentions must go to Diamondback Annie whose amusing pastiche of a drunken choirboy raised the roof as she ascended into the heavens (well as she was hoisted up into the rafters anyway).

Little Brooklyn’s appearance on stage was greeted by tumultuous applause and judging by the size of her cheering section, I half imagined New York to be a ghost town due to everyone being in Vegas. She didn’t disappoint as she played both the hapless yet delicious vixen AND King Kong in a performance that even had her climbing a skyscraper.

Last years Miss Exotic World, Miss Julie Atlas Muz also performed her farewell act which involved trying to escape from a plethora of ropes. Having got to know Julie over the weekend, I was also thinking that the ropes were probably the only thing preventing her from floating out of the theatre and into the stratosphere. This young lady is both a highly original performer whose acts are unlike any of her contemporaries and I hope she won’t mind me saying that she’s a natural clown too! A funny, crazy person!

The deserved winner was the UK’s very own Immodesty Blaize who performed what was certainly the most classical piece of the evening. Her fabulously opulent attire covered a body that’s just built for the old style bump and grind routines and she didn’t put a foot wrong. Not surprisingly she also won the most classical act (although she was unable to accept this award due to the fact that she was starkers in the dressing room at the time)!

All in all a fantastic event which really set the standard for excellence. If anything Miss Exotic World has driven home to me the vast difference in standards between the professional burlesque performers and their hobbyist contemporaries. It’s all very well waking up one morning and deciding that you are now a burlesque performer, but these people are the ones whose dedication has taken them to the top of their tree and if new performers want to reach their levels, then these are the people to watch.

A proud night for British Burlesque!