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Goodness, gracious me. These ballerinas aren’t just dropouts. They’re miscreants shedding the rigidity of the form and bringing their strength and sass to cabaret.
I loved that, true to modern burlesque, we didn’t see just the typical ballet figure. What a fabulous middle finger to society it was, to see the curvy girls show off their en-pointe skills with grace. Truly majestic.
The performer of the night was undoubtedly the glorious Dee Dee Luscious. She had us all in stitches with her comic stylings and refreshingly brazen self-confidence. Honestly, I think she might be one of my new favourite burlesque queens.
I was also wowed by Madame Demi Diva’s fancy footwork en pointe and out of pointe. Autumn Daze nailed the look for her nutcracker-inspired number and her delicate movements remind me of vintage Disney cartoons.
A couple of acts didn’t hit the mark for me. One in particular was a bit too crass for my liking, and made me wonder if it was pushing the definition of burlesque a tad too far. I feel that this ballerina was expelled as opposed to being a drop out.
There were a few issues with sound at Connections on the night, which did taint some of the performances. However, like true divas, all performers pushed through it with good humour and gusto. I do hope that these issues do get resolved for future performances as there were points when the overwhelming bass were distracting.
All in all, it was an entertaining hour out. If you’ve ever participated in dance as a hobby, sport or profession, you will appreciate the athletic prowess of these performers and cheer for their creativity in reimagining their skills.
Catch these ballerinas at Connections until Sunday, 26th Jan.