BODACIOUS BURLESQUE

StyleStation | Feb 13, 2010 | 0

On Saturday evening I was privileged to attend the Crystal Boudoir in Sydney`s GPO, a magnificent multi story historic building at Martin Place in the heart of the city. GPO is home to 14 of the city's most diverse and awarded restaurants and bars in Sydney. It was a rainy evening signifying the wind down of a fabulous Aussie summer. I dashed under cover, followed the red carpet and ventured downthe tunnel with vaulted ceiling to the Crystal Bar. Va va voom, this haunt is plushly decked out as a glamorous Parisian 1920`s lounge club.  

A little slow to begin but eventually the crowds, (of primarily women) ventured in and the mouth watering cocktails on offer were shaken, stirred, lit on fire and poured. The show commenced with a saxophonist accompanying melodic ambient music, setting the tone for a seductive evening celebrating dance in all it`s burlesque beauty.  Delectable dancers began to appear from the darkness and a string of seven mini chapters were played out on the stage before us over the course of the next two hours.

Choreographed and directed by the talented and passionate Michael Boyd (So You Think You Can Dance, Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Moulin Rouge ), Crystal Boudoir is very carefully staged. Precision is key and there are so many stylized subtleties to this show that I sincerely appreciated. The seven acts include a sophisticated tango between two women, a sassy n` sizzling vocalist with liquid vocals and pipes with throttle, an intensely fierce androgynous high energy piece with wigs and masks and a man in thigh high heels! (Diggin the floor work intricacies).

Perhaps my favorite moment of the show was when one of the dancers spun upside down and performed full blown splits on the ceiling! Miss Martine was marvelously impressed!! Equally as impressive and down-right jaw dropping are the talents of Bree Robertson, a contortionist extraordinaire. Cirque are you listening!? She is just so incredible. Donning a rhinestoned velvet cat suit, like something our Lady Gaga might appear in, Bree is a human pretzel! I have seen contortionists before however this young lady exudes elegance and control like no other. For that matter, all of the female dancers just glide across the stage with grace, composure and saucy sensuality.

The music is spot on for every piece, with off the chart versions of Sweet Dreams, 7 Nation Army, Body Language and more. The costuming is absolutely glamorously divine and somewhat cheeky. Wink, wink!  Interactive and simultaneously so very untouchable, the Crystal Boudoir show provides a tease and leaves the audience hungering for more.

Kudos to GPO for presenting a show if this caliber in one of the world`s most incredible cities. Shows like this put tasteful high end performance art on the map. I have seen and participated in a hundreds of shows around the world and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the out of the box mentals behind Crystal Boudoir, it was definitely calling for more and to be taken to the next level. I`d love to see it really go there.

Also where are the men? Women were all up in the audience but guys where were you?

You can blog me here, email me at danceruniverse@mystylestation.com, follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/stylestation or join my Facebook group, STYLE STATION. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=83493543989&ref=ts

Martine x

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Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Modern, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Retailer, Studio, Competitions & Conventions, Performance, Summer Study, burlesque (all tags)