Night of burlesque a big teaser

A TASTER of the upcoming Australian Burlesque Festival is coming to the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute this weekend.

A burlesque variety night, The Big Teaser, will be staged in the Minerva Space on Saturday 23 September from 7.30pm, and festival director Dolores Daiquiri said audiences can expect diverse performance styles.

“We have classic burlesque, pretty showgirl costumes, rhinestone encrusted outfits, drag within the burlesque genre, we’ve got comedy, variety, darker pieces, and group acts,” she said.

“We’ve even got people travelling from Alice Springs and Brisbane to perform at the show, people from all around Victoria, and a couple of locals as well.

“This show is our lead-in before the festival officially opens on the 6th of October, and we’ve got a lot of variety in the show so people can see what the festival’s about, in small doses.

“There’s lots of fun, a bit of tease, it’s sparkly and not-so sparkly. We do remove some garments, but it’s all tastefully done.”

Daiquiri said The Big Teaser will have something for everyone, from the novices who have never been to a burlesque show before, to those who love the genre.

“We say come along, there’s lots of energy, it’s a lot of fun, and you should go home having had a pretty good night,” she said.

Reaching audiences outside metro areas is important to festival organisers, Daiquiri said, as they prepare for a national tour.

“The Australian Burlesque Festival is now in its 14th year, and we’re trying to expand into regional areas,” she said.

“We want to give more people the opportunity to see the festival that may not be able to get to a city show.”

Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to attend the showcase and visit bit.ly/45XEt0M for tickets.