A night with the arts

Members of Thunder Bay’s only burlesque troupe say their performance is about three things – empowerment, a good time and teasing the audience.

Les Coquettes Rouge started three years ago with the theatre group Frankly Scarlet Productions. The performers dance, act and use physical humour while scantily dressed. The troupe participated in An Evening with the Arts, a collaboration of more than 16 other artists held at the Paramount Theatre on Court Street Saturday.

Troupe manager Alison Miecznikowski said before the show that the group does a variety of special events all year round but wanted to become involved in the one night event that featured local talent.

"It’s fun to shake it," Miecznikowski said on Saturday. "Burlesque is all about empowerment and fun. It involves a lot of body humour, we do a lot of comedy sketches. The three years with the troupe has been great."

Unlike modern burlesque shows that are far more revealing, Les Coquettes Rouge attempts to retain a classical style by keeping most of their clothes on, she said.

"It is all about the tease part," she added. "We never take anything off in Northern Ontario because it’s too cold."

Jessica Vamplew worked as the troupe’s graphic designer before she decided to perform. The troupe decided to invite her to perform when they saw her sing at the annual Dragon Boat festival, she said.

At first, she was nervous, but after a few performances, those butterflies in her stomach disappeared, she said.

"Who wouldn’t want to do this," Vamplew said with a smile. "The whole performance thing freaked me out a the beginning but you get over that pretty quick when you’re in front of people with no pants on."

Nicole Armstrong, co-ordinator for An Evening with Arts, said she started the event because she saw a need for local artists to collaborate. The 24-year-old dance educator wanted to re-energize the arts community through one big show.

With the big night looming ahead, Armstrong said she didn’t feel nervous because she had faith in the many talents of those artist and expected more than a 100 people to come.

"I wanted an opportunity for artists to network together," Armstrong said. "Sometimes artists pigeonhole themselves into one genre or one specific area. I think if everyone looked at the bigger picture they would get a much richer experience."

Depending on the success of the night, An Evening with the Arts may have a repeat performance next year, she added.