To New York’s Lower East Side, and a night of astrology themed burlesque at old school variety club The Slipper Room. Introduced by celebrity star-gazer Ophira Edut of www.astrostyle.com, Kiki and her Paper Dolls Troupe channeled the sexiest traits of each sign into their tease-me-please-me performances. For the audience, it was kind of like reading your ‘scope through the eyes of a randy teenage boy – and seeing your sign stripped bare (literally).
Here, each Doll in turn describes the inspiration behind her star turn. We’ll leave the actual astro burlesque outfits (or lack thereof) to your imagination…
Over to you girls, Numi x
www.paperdollstroupe.com
@PaperDollTroupe
Vivi Le Voix (Taurus)
“I sang Vissi d’arte from Puccini’s Tosca as Taurus. In the aria, Tosca passionately sings; “I lived for art, I lived for love. Who, God, do you reward me with grief and misfortune?!” Tosca must offer up her flesh in order to save her lover from an unimaginable fate, and both she and Taurus are sensual, passionate earth creatures. Taurus also rules the throat, so an operatic aria seemed appropriate.”
Jen Kovacs (Gemini)
“I played around with the notion of the Gemini twins and the duality of the sign by using faster music paired with slow moves. I also chose to perform on an aerial hoop and use a half black, half white costume to represent the Chinese ying yang symbol, which is also associated with the sign.”
Lindy Lollipop (Cancer)
“I took the notion of Cancer as homemaker and used that to create a performance in which the lovely housewife is actually a powerful and sexy vamp who rules the roost. The final piece of inspiration was linking the texture of humdrum rubber cleaning gloves to some kinky, thigh high PVC boots.”
Kiki (Leo)
“I chose a famous Leo from history, Napoleon Bonapart, who is an excellent representation of the leadership trait inherent in Leos. As the leader of the Paper Dolls troupe, and a Leo myself, I thought it was fitting to make a dramatic entrance with military costume and then transform in to a wild jungle lion. The entire piece was playful, dramatic and full of energy, which is very symbolic of my sign. Roooooaaar!”
Betty Stage (Virgo)
“I’m drawn to the purity and feminine mythology of my sign, Virgo. But don’t be deceived by appearances, underneath the innocent veneer is an earthy goddess just waiting to be unbound…”
Hazel Honeysuckle (Libra)
“I knew the Libra was a seductress, but I wanted to do something fun with the them and thought the scales would be a fantastic prop. The idea to try and balance the scales with various pieces of my costume as I removed it soon became obvious…”
Samantha Slithers (Scorpio)
“Scorpio snake dancer dominatrix? Scorpios are represented by scorpions and snakes, ruled by the reproductive organs, are lovers with powerful sex drives, who love to take control. Proceed with caution ladies and gentlemen…”
Masae (Sagittarius)
“Sagittarius is my real sign, and the song “Son of Sagittarius” by Eddie Kendricks led me to the idea of a psychedelic disco afro-centaur.”
Ivy League (Capricorn)
“This particular number is one I’ve done several times. As a Capricorn myself, it’s already somewhat an expression of a masculine aspect of my sexuality and so I figured it would work well in the show.”
Kealani (Aquarius)
“As the troupe’s resident Polynesian dance specialist, the watery imagery of Aquarius was a perfect fit! My vision for this act was a scene in which a tropical maiden is transformed into an Aquarian goddess by her proximity to the sea. As an Aquarius myself, it also represents my own transformation from classical Polynesian dancer to neo-burlesque performance artist.”
Boots Lamae (Pisces)
“Mermaids are romantic and playful, just like easygoing Pisces. An act about a mythical mermaid transforming into a human also seemed like the perfect reflection of Pisces’ tendency to get caught up in fantasies and illusion.”
And as for Aries? No show, people – because the show’s host, Ryan Willard, wears that particular starry crown. “It made sense for me to represent Aries, because I came on first – and Aries always comes first.” Oh Aries, isn’t it always win, win, win…
