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SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque Thrilled Ready Room Crowd Wednesday

SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque performing at The Ready Room Wednesday. Photo by Keith Brake Photography.

–By Ashley Cox

–Photos by Keith Brake

The line was queued up outside the door of the Ready Room and leading around the corner Wednesday evening for the SuicideGirl’s Blackheart Burlesque tour. The sold out show had ample seating but a majority of it was reserved for VIP ticket holders and the ladies of MyFreeCams, the tour’s sponsor.

 

I was lucky enough to grab one of the remaining seats. A non-smoking venue, chairs, and a clean restroom? The Ready Room in The Grove is my kind of place. Be prepared to get your parallel parking on, if you want to be close to the venue.

 

My first experience with Blackheart Burlesque was back in college so I was excited to see how the troupe had progressed. The crowd was about what you would expect… women outnumbered men, young women with brightly colored hair and deep colored lipstick, even a few scene kids that looked like MySpace had brought them out of storage.

SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque performing at The Ready Room Wednesday. Photo by Keith Brake Photography.

 

Sunny Suicide, our host and sometimes dancer for the evening, introduced the opening act, comedienne and fellow SuicideGirl, Lindsey Jennings. The jokes centered mostly around pot usage and sex, unsurprisingly. She dealt with a consistent and drunk heckler throughout her set. Her joke about abortion was actually very funny but even in the more liberal atmosphere, she was met with some disapproving Midwest frowns.

 

Then the main show began, 5 dancers came onto the stage dressed in kigurumi to loud applause. Slowly the kigis were shed to reveal matching lingerie, tattoos, and lots of skin. You might think that given the nature of SuicideGirls.com, the emphasis would be more on T&A aspects of burlesque but it was obvious that most of the girls had structured dance experience.

 

After our introduction to all of the girls, the next dances were small groups such as the Adventure Time themed trio or solos such as LirycSuicide’s Black Panther themed dance. Liryc is the creative director of Blackheart Burlesque and it is obvious. One of the best dancers, she constantly looked like she was having great time.

 

Then came my favorite dance of the night, a fan dance to Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High)” The trio which include SunnySuicide, RawnaSuicide, and a lovely teal haired girl whose name I could never find (I am sorry!!!), featured pot leaf decorated fans. I love the SuicideGirls aesthetic and culture adaption to the very classic, iconic fan dance. Truly burlesque isn’t just about boobs and ass, it has long history stretching back to the 1930s when burlesque slowly transitioned from vaudevillian comedy acts to the striptease focus we know today.

SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque performing at The Ready Room Wednesday. Photo by Keith Brake Photography.

 

In addition to the opening comedy act and dances, there were other nods to the burlesque shows of yesteryear including SunnySuicide’s parody of the Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World,” though I don’t know what Ariel would do with a Rabbit Vibrator in her Cave of Wonders. AbbySo did an absolutely knockout version of the late Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” that I at first thought she was lip singing. Her performance was met with the loudest and longest cheer of the night. Absolutely breathtaking.

 

Other amazing acts included RawnaSuicide’s Drive solo with poi, Slave Leia featuring the mysterious blue haired dancer, and group dances that were Sailor Moon, Rick and Morty, Stranger Things, and bondage themed.

SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque performing at The Ready Room Wednesday. Photo by Keith Brake Photography.

 

Audience members were brought up for the chance to win yearlong memberships to SuicideGirls.com, which has turned itself in a social network site with groups, blogs, and member pages. Liryc taught the 5 steps to the perfect lap dance to a couple… for those of you wondering it is as follows: the pop and drag, the slam dunk, spreading your partner’s legs, the slip and slide, and for the grand finale the ubiquitous twerk. Audience member Tyler had to complete a reading comprehension test while Abby So gave him a lap dance, somehow he actually got all the answers correct. Finally, the ladies of the audience were invited on stage for a dirty dancing competition.

 

Sadly, all good things must come to an end; the finale was a dazzling number featuring the dancers as bedazzled storm troopers and host Sunny as Boba Fett.

SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque performing at The Ready Room Wednesday. Photo by Keith Brake Photography.

 

In total, the slightly over two-hour show featured 15 dances with nods to pop culture, tattoos, and body positivity. The tour will be coming through St. Louis again in the fall, come for the tits but stay for the talent.

 

 

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