The second of Jazida’s quarterly variety shows featured burlesque, belly dance, salsa, fan dancing and boylesque. 80 very happy patrons packed themselves into the sold-out small venue to settle in with their drinks and enjoy the two hours of performances.
Emcee Jazida was elegant and chatty and looking utterly glamourous in her $12 “second-hand shopulence” black gown. The first set opened with Kokoloco Dance School presenting an American style cabaret showgirl group routine in a salsa styled Charleston that was flirty and fun. They later performed a second routine full of bumps and shimmies and their almost perfect timing was a real pleasure to watch.
2017 Burlesque Idol winner and Canberra local Rainbow performed twice, starting with her well-known ‘cheap wine’ cold chisel routine and her second act as Patsy from Ab Fab was insanely funny and over the top. Pulling a cigarette and phone from her underwear, she ended the routine by pulling out one tit and doing this insane backbend to tassel twirl. It was spectacular and hilarious and the crowd loved it.
Lilith Von Dahlia (Newcastle) also performed twice; her gothic costuming, large black feathered neck pieces and sequinned gloves matched beautifully with the painted ram skull prop in her first routine. Her second routine in a giant organza ball gown was stunning and with lots of poised floor work, her routines were sultry and very pretty.
Local Chocolate E Claire performed three times; two routines featuring classical bump ‘n’ grind, striptease, boa work, bunny hops and a great amount of tassel twirl at the end. Her third performance was her hilarious ‘Under the Sea’ act, with hand-painted silk wings, and very clever costume gimmicks that included floating jellyfish fans, octopus that crawled over her body, hidden silk fans and a strategically placed oyster shell with a hidden pearl.
Maple Rose (Melb) was a standout in all three of her performances; her clever costuming gimmicks, sassy facial expressions, crowd interaction and dance moves absolutely wowed the crowd. With large amounts of butt shimmying, tassel twirling, fan tossing, and classic strip tease – Maple Rose bought high class burlesque to the Canberra stage.
My favourite routine was Canberra local Robbie. He performed a very simple but highly quirky undress routine; removing his three-piece suit in a naughty and camp style, he stripped completely nude using his briefcase for modesty and it then ‘accidentally’ falls open to reveal a sketched portrait of his genitals. The crowd roared their applause.
Other performances included Jazida’s fan dancers and an emotional tribute song ‘Starry Starry Night’ sung by Tammy Paks whilst Jazida and Rainbow’s delicate fan dance brought emotional attention to the ongoing pain that suicide leaves us with.
Thank you Jazida – myself and the crowd were very entertained and I think that was your best show yet.
