Burlesque Reigning "Queen" of 2011 Miss Indigo Blue - and her Seattle Burlesque Academy in 'Gypsy' country
Seattle has long been a point of interest when it comes to the art form of American burlesque. After all, the Vaudeville to burlesque transition practically took place in Washington with the birth of Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-2011 R.I.P.), who spoke to and teased her fans while she disrobed on stage. The contemporary revival took hold pretty strong in Seattle due to the persistence and excellence of Miss Indigo Blue. As a performer, she includes all types of skills including: world class tasseling, comedy, theatrics, exotic dance and firey choreography. She has performed all over the world, and her bio can be seen on her website for those looking to be truly impressed [http://www.academyofburlesque.com/faculty.html]. Miss Indigo Blue is also the Executive Director, Co-Curator, and Team Relations Chair of the world annual Seattle festival "Burly Con". This festival is the only one of its kind and brings expertise, training and discussion of all things related to burlesque performance and history to a weekend open-to-the-public event. Burly Con will be from Oct. 20-23 in 2011 and the fourth year's presenters have already been announced. This year is very exciting for the veteran performer and instructor, as she was also just announced as Miss Exotic World 2011-2012, after her award winning performance in Las Vegas at the Miss Exotic World Pageant. This is the highest honor in the world one can currently achieve in Strip Tease and Burlesque performance. Just view one of her videos here http://www.missindigoblue.com/ (for ages 18+ only please). There are few performers with so many tricks up their proverbial sleeves as Indigo Blue, who is always an audience delight. This self-titled 'Nouveau Burlesque' entertainer is a powerhouse in the Pacific Northwest, the Nation, and the world.
In 2007, she was involved in a documentary on the Academy of Burlesque she runs in Seattle, a release in 2010. Not only does it address the fundamentals of why, how, and who does burlesque, but the film delves deep into the psyche of a performer deeply motivated by personal reasons for performing,or not.The film is truly amazing, and shows just what Indigo has been doing at the Academy for going on eight years. A Wink & A Smile is reviewed and profiled here in an article by Linnea Covington of the NY Times http://www.nypress.com/article-19738-burlesque-stars-are-born-a-wink-and-a-smile.html, and more information is available via IMBD.com at : http://www..imdb.com/title/tt1245369/. It is most readily available to Netflix viewers on their 'watch instantly' feature or by DVD, and may be purchased on iTunes, available now.
Director Deidra Allen Timmons shows ten students beginning and nine students completing the Academy of burlesque 101 class, and the performance recital that is the finale', I loved this movie. To her credit, the academy has inspired such amazing National burlesque acts such as Waxie Moon and The Shanghai Pearl, who are also instructors. Though many schools are opening regionally and world wide, few besides this and the NY School of Burlesque will have what it takes to produce the likes of talent that the Academy of Burlesque has.
It's getting time to go 'back to school', so why not make the Academy of Burlesque part of your curriculum? Burlesque and Boylesque are taught in the Burlesque 101 course, and you will be brushing with stardom and seeing what stellar international performers are made of. The next session starts September 19th, and can be registered via the website.
Find all things related to Miss Indigo Blue via her website at http://www.missindigoblue.com/
Find everything about the Academy of Burlesqe at this URL http://www.academyofburlesque.com/
