A Reason to Have Pride: 'Girlesque'

[William769]

The cherry-lipped, singing, dancing Pin Up Girls have been performing for years now (a sort of sexier, gayer Pussycat Dolls) on TV (Logo, MTV, Spike TV, Showtime) and onstage in three cities (New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas). The Pin Up Girls’ latest videos (in which they sing, not lip-sync) are “Girl Candy,” a cute lesbian romp starring Elaine Hendrix from Superstar, and “Pretty Things,” a “retro burlesque, dark, and dirty video with a wicked story line” by director Joe LaRue. We caught up with founder Vixen Romeo to talk about butch burlesque, straight audiences, and life on stage. We even got her to reveal her secret identity.

The Advocate: The show I went to a few months ago really had a speakeasy feel to it. Was that intentional?
Vixen Romeo: Yes, we were trying a new format in a new space. It was the first time we danced in window frames, doorways, in choreographed patterns through the room, hopping on tabletops. Group numbers were broken into sections performed on the floor and on a bitty runway stage. It was very different for us!

How long have you been doing this? Did you do this solo before creating The Pin Up Girls?
I started dancing when I was 3 years old. I started teaching dance when I was 16. I've been in dance companies, I've performed solo, then came The Pin Up Girls — which has been a wild unexpected ride!

Unlike a lot of neo-classical burlesque troupes, you also sing and perform in your own music videos. How do you define yourselves as a troupe?
We began as a burlesque, tribal belly dance company with a touch of hip-hop. We made a dance studio out of my bedroom. My roommate at the time, my BFF Russell, was a doll about the whole thing. When you don't have money you improvise but you must always do what you love. We evolved into what I'd define as a burlesque girl group. I never imagined what it would become.

http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2012/05/18/reasons-have-pride-2012-part-4?page=0,0

Yes, CELEBRATE!

[msongs]

1. when Hugh Hefner does this kind of thing he gets criticized nt

[William769]

2. I am by no means a "Hugh Hefner"

But I am a big supporter of celebrating diversity.

[xchrom]

3. Excellent! Nt