BY C A RM EN D.
H RY N C HUK
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Burlesque and brunch? Absolutely. Burlesque and duelling
pianos? But of course. Burlesque and history lessons about
the amazing women who have all-too-often been footnotes
in textbooks? You better believe it!
If you don’t already know, the burlesque scene
in Edmonton has never been more exciting. And
at its core is Delia Barnet (LeTabby Lexington) of
Send in the Girls. We had the pleasure of chatting
with her about being a performer, a history nerd,
and beyond judgement. Welcome to Burlesque…
As a storyteller and actor, what drew you
to burlesque? I love that burlesque is a true
celebration of individuality. When you’re in
theatre, rarely do you have complete control over
your work—unless you’re the playwright, actor,
director, costume designer, etc. As a burlesque
performer, you get to come up with your own
concept for your act, make or have your costume
made to your vision, choose your own music, and
create your own choreography. I feel like each of
my soloist numbers is a part of myself.
I also love that in burlesque it doesn’t matter
what you look like—there’s room for all bodies. I
always say you can’t hide any so-called flaws… you
might as well flaunt them, and then they really don’t
feel like flaws anymore. Burlesque is so empowering.
It’s the most comfortable I am on stage.
You co-founded Send in the Girls Burlesque.
Is it typically a female-run industry? It is a
predominantly female-driven industry. There are
several amazing performers of other genders, but
the majority of the producers are women. In fact,
Send in the Girls just closed Soiled Doves, which
was the first 100% femme theatre production in
the Edmonton theatre scene this 2017/18 season.
Growing up in a world where women are the
minority on stage/film, it’s amazing creating art
with women.
How did Send in the Girls come to be? In 2009
I was performing an art piece at NextFest’s
Smut night—a performance-art nightclub that
happens every year. That night, I met Ellen
Chorley (a playwright and producer), and we
talked about wanting to do burlesque. We did
our research, saw every troupe in town, and,
luckily, Raven Virginia (my childhood friend and
Calgary burlesque artist) gave us a crash course
in my living room. From there we talked about
mixing burlesque with theatre, and Send in the
Girls was born.
What do you think is the biggest misconception
about the burlesque scene? I think people
assume it’s tawdry. Yes, striptease is a strong
element in the art, but burlesque comes from
an Italian word that means “to satirize or make
strange.” It’s all larger than life—very playful
in nature. To me, burlesque is also a political
action. In our society, I feel women are looked
down upon for their bodies… if they feel good
about themselves, people need to tear them
down, shame them. In burlesque, I’m beyond
judgement—a strong woman who doesn’t fear
judgement for her body. Burlesque is all about
safe spaces and is super politically progressive.
How did you come up with the idea for telling
the stories of historical women? I’m a huge
history nerd, so I suggested a show about Henry
VIII’s wives. We started talking about their stories
BURLESQUE
MEET
DELIA
BARNET
OF SEND
IN THE
GIRLS
Delia Barnet
(LeTabby Lexington),
of Send In the
Girls Burlesque