Photo courtesy of Basement Burlesque
FLORENCE – Burlesque, beginning in 19th century variety shows, but Basement Burlesque began as a small number named “Shake & Bake,” a Burlesque and bake sale fundraiser created by Madam B. in the fall of 2010. The fundraiser was such a success that the Basement Burlesque Troupe was formed shortly thereafter to keep up the charity work and to continue to express themselves on stage.
The purpose of the troupe according to their Facebook page is “The sultry and talented ladies (and gents) of the Basement Burlesque Troupe are focused on bringing classically beautiful, funny, sexy burlesque performances to North Alabama’s Shoals area and beyond!”
In an interview with the Quad-Cities Daily the troupe’s head Madam B. and second in command is Betty Brazen, say that the mission of the troupe is to “inspire and titillate crowds while encouraging every member to embrace their sometimes comic, sometimes serious, and always sensual stage persona’s.”
In the upcoming show, named “Kings and Queens” that will be featuring classic androgyny as well as beautiful drag queen and king clothing, will take place on Saturday, February 22 at Pegasus Records Garage. Admissions will be $10.00 and 50% of all proceeds will be donated to a charity for LGBTQ support.
According to Madam B. the power is knowing that pre-conceptions just don’t matter. She says that burlesque is about loving your body and your self enough to stand up in front of a crowd, or even alone, and perform. “Everyone has a different body type and personalities, we all embody unique characters and create our own performance numbers, but together we are a celebration of our community of individuals who truly love and support each other and our art.”
Photo courtesy of Basement Burlesque
