Burlesque Throwdown for the Ages

By now we’ve all seen (or at least heard of) the “Blurred Lines” parody music video by Mod Carousel, the trio of male burlesque stars from Seattle. Now the boylesque sensations are bringing their talent to the Twin Cities with a Burlesque Throwdown.

The wind takes Mod Carousel many places, from Alaska to New York and from London to Germany. So, when Macalester College approached Mod Carousel with the opportunity to showcase their work and lead a discussion about gender in performance art, they jumped at the chance. “We love to interact with people intellectually as well as ecdysiastically,” says The Luminous Pariah, one of the group’s members.

From that opportunity, the Burlesque Throwdown was born. “When we visit an area that is known for great burlesque, we often reach out to the local community to see if collaborating on a show might be something viable and interesting to everyone,” says Luminous. “We seek out folks who we’ve been impressed by and have the urge to work with.” The hand-picked cast of the production is going to feature the best of Minneapolis against the best of Seattle in a one-of-a-kind burlesque event, billed with the tagline “May the fierce be with you.”

“Our goal this time was to blow Minneapolis away with our boylesque antics and collaborate with other creative, top notch, unconventional performers,” Luminous says.

The Minneapolis participants are just as excited for this mashup opportunity. “Having been a part of the national and international burlesque scene for the last decade, I have long been a fan of the mind-blowing quality of the Seattle community of performers,” says Nadine Dubois, the producer of the throwdown and a member of Grown & Sexy. “Professionally-trained dancers, immaculate costuming, polished technique, and a ridiculous amount of charisma – it’s a wonderful sight to behold!”

Dubois, who decided to create some high stakes energy in a live burlesque throwdown, contacted the best of the best in Twin Cities burlesque. “Twin Cities fans are lucky to have a lot of exposure (pun intended) to burlesque,” Dubois says. “So we wanted to create something unique, fun, and compelling to a wide range of people.” Featuring the talents of DJ Shannon Blowtorch, Sweetpea, Red Bone, Mistress Victoria Deville, and Jeez Loueez (from St. Louis), a range of Twin Cities burlesque troupes are represented. If that wasn’t enough to draw you to the throwdown, the event will be hosted by Foxy Tann, The Boss of Burlesque – who better to provide a bit of hilarious “trash talk” and a fierce persona than her?

Come November 22 at 10:00 pm, head to Hell’s Kitchen for a burlesque event you won’t want to miss. Add in every shade of gender, sexuality and talent and it’s a recipe for an amazing night. “Channel some RuPaul.  Feel the pressure.” Dubois says. “Then, know that these world-class performers are going to pull out every trick in the book to each bring the house down! If you’ve never seen burlesque before, this is the show to see.  If you’re a seasoned fan, this show is not to be missed.”

Purchase VIP tickets at  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/518061