Written by:
Amanda Hollinger
“Chicks were born to give you fever …” — Peggy Lee
“We had no idea when we got together last November, carrying bags of feather boas and underwear and learning basic dance moves, that this would become so big,” says Ami Worthen, who plays Allison Wonderpants in the Rebelles, a new all-female burlesque troupe that has taken the small Southern town of Asheville, N.C., by storm.
The Rebelles (emphasis on “belles”) opened its original production, Through Sick and Sin, over the 2003 July 4 weekend to sold-out crowds that lined up around the block. The second run over the Labor Day weekend sold out in less than 24 hours. Fans showed up in lawn chairs to wait in line for tickets. A similar phenomenon occurred when the troupe played their first out-of-town performance in Chapel Hill, N.C.
“What attracted me to burlesque is the way it lampoons popular culture, politics, and sex — topics and issues that are taboo,” says Christine DiBenedetto, Rebelles founder.
The Rebelles’ motto is: “For a good cause, wrongdoing may be virtuous.” When burlesque first emerged in the 1920s, it challenged traditional images of women who still wore corsets and lacked the right to vote.
The wrongdoing back then was clear. In today’s culture, where showing skin is ubiquitous and sex sells everything from bottled water to tennis shoes, the wrongdoing is more elusive — but no less powerful. “Even though sex is everywhere,” says DiBenedetto, who plays starlet Simi Rocket, “we are still a prudish society when it comes to sexual issues. There’s one standard of how sex is supposed to be, and you’re not supposed to fall outside of that.”
The 15-member cast is made up of all women — all amateurs who hold day jobs ranging from real-estate agent to hairdresser to coffee-shop barista. Characters include Alita Loca, the dark-haired vixen who claims to be the illegitimate granddaughter of revolutionary Che Guevara; Kitty Coming, a sweet-faced blonde seductress; Double Oh Sexy, a French-speaking master of disguise; and Frau Lippenstift, the dark and dangerous German dominatrix and leader of the Rebelles. Drag kings play supporting male roles that require being tied up, shaken down and trampled upon.
“Through Sick and Sin is a funny show, and it’s meant to make people relax, laugh and get turned on,” says Isabelle Guzman, “but it’s also serious. We’re pissed about our diminishing civil liberties and our repressive society. We’re sick and tired of seeing women and sex objectified in ways that are not powerful, not sexy and just plain vulgar. The Rebelles are all about reclaiming the tease.”
Through Sick and Sin includes a strip tango, a screen dance, the ancient art of belly dancing with a twist, a fan dance, a parasol dance, and a balloon-popping act.
“It is amazing to me that even though sex is everywhere, women still come up to me after the show and say, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you have the guts to do that,’” says DiBenedetto. “To do what? The thing is, most people can’t do this because people are still very uncomfortable with sex and their sexual personae. I don’t care if people think, ‘Who is she to be up there doing that with that roll between her tits and ass?’ I just want to be a free sexual being with dignity.”
“Come on, girls,” says DiBenedetto backstage. “Let’s make sure these people want to go home tonight and fuck.”
|
