artiste Jan/Feb | Page 13

inger Lee and Mia Moore are voluptuous. They are classic beautiful women. They ooze intelligence and confidence. They are members of the Boom! Boom! Burlesque Troupe.

Downtown revelers can’t stop attending their performances. February 8th, 2014 is the date of the next show. La Voyage de L’amour at Cite Des Arts.

Each show brings more adoring spectators. They have had 4 shows since their decision to bring burlesque to Lafayette. The first show

was attended by 200 people at the Feed and Seed, with the band Rareluth opening for them. The second show was a Halloween show called Things That Go Boom! in the Night with the Von Dukes. It was playfully dark and smart. There was a piece that alluded to Macbeth and a Beetlejuice-themed piece. Cite Des Arts opened their doors to the troupe to perform the Halloween show again. The women mentioned that the show felt different in a theater as opposed to a bar setting; the music venue felt slightly more raw and raucous, while the theatre offered a more refined show, complete with lighting changes and more formal seating. The last show was apart of Cite Des Arts’ Steampunk and Maker’s Fair. When I asked about that show the women giggled and said it was “unusual”. For the opening act the troupe created a machine with their bodies and gave birth to a performer.

What can you expect when you attend a show? It is a sexy variety show. It is not like going to a strip club. And lets make that perfectly clear. Ginger Lee and Mia Moore passionately tell me that Boom! Boom! Burlesque is about empowerment. It’s about owning your body, knowing how beautiful it is, and deciding to share it with the audience. They have a

group of performers that include: dancers, singers, poets, actors, fire eaters, and pole artists.

Boom! Boom! Burlesque is run like a creative business. They have a creative board, a graphic designer, set designers, costume designers, contracts for performers to sign, pitch meetings, auditions, and a serious rehearsal schedule. I was impressed. They want artists of every gender and body type with special talents to audition, especially males.

What does the future look like for Boom! Boom! Burlesque? Ginger Lee and Mia Moore got downright giddy when I asked this question. They exchanged glances and Mia Moore got goosebumps. The troupe would like to give back to the community, especially women’s causes. They want to continue to spread the idea of empowerment. They also have a dream of opening up a nightly Cabaret business. This idea is why I do these interviews. I want Acadiana to blossom with art. And Boom! Boom! Burlesque is beautiful art.

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For more information and Pictures on Boom! Boom! Burlesque Find and Like thier Facebook Page at

www.facebook.com/lafayetteburlesque

Photo provided by:

Zoom Photo Studio

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