“Come with your sense of humor and get ready to ogle, hoot and holler. Every show features hot bods, pasties, outrageous costumes, a lot of humor and, of course, bumpin’ and grindin’!” says Dottie Lux, producer of SF’s Longest Running Weekly Burlesque Show, “Red Hots Burlesque saw 5 successful years of shimmies in New York City and in 2007 they made the cross country journey to bring you a show with out boundaries including bizarre beauties and senseless sideshow. Not for the faint of heart or weak of humor. We are SF’s longest running weekly Burlesque show and are now 4 times every week!” The performers featured in our illustration above are Alotta Boutte, Shells Bells, Caramel Knowledge, and Clara Bodacious—regulars of the Red Hots burlesque stage.
But how else do you celebrate 10 years in the bay this month? Red Hots is proud to present a three show run at the Shelton Theater meant to inspire the powers and dangers of the mind and body. The midnight cabaret is an extended hand to bask in the beautiful absurdity in the center of the alternate universe that is San Francisco. The performers embody the cerebral, hypnotic, artistically mesmerizing, sinfully intriguing and decadent spirit of the San Francisco underbelly. Unapologetically displaying all forms of gender expression and performance mediums, bodyTABOOdefiance is a show best experienced under a halo of neon lights and midnight chimes.
Of course, when you go to any burlesque show, there are a couple rules. 1.) Cheer as loud as you can, cheering makes a performer better. 2.) Only looking, no touching: if you even think on laying a hand on any of the performers you’ll be out of there. And 3.) tell the performers how gorgeous they look because they are. Easy?
// Illustration by Jordan Eric Mitchell. Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter Street, Union Square, March 24, April 28, and May 26; partyearth.com.
