Burlesque inspires creative outlet for Island performer

The first time Alicia Denison performed burlesque in front of an Island audience, the experience was "a little bit awkward."

"You really build a relationship and you feel the energy being exchanged. But, Island audiences are very quiet, so it's a little bit difficult to work with audiences like that," said Denison, founder of Charlottetown Burlesque.

'A great creative outlet'

On Thursday Denison, known on stage as Amphora Rhodes, will be performing with other Canadian and U.S. burlesque dancers in the Towers of Tease show at the Guild.

"It's a great creative outlet for me. I get to pick my own choreography and pick my own music," said Denison on CBC Radio's Mainstreet. 

"And, I really like having a theatrical element in all of my numbers. So, I'm not just putting music on and dancing and taking my clothes off. There is definitely a story there."

Comfort zones

Charlottetown Burlesque has performed four times, including twice at the Island Fringe Festival.

"I would say our shows are maybe a little bit less risque, just because we know our audience. But I always try and push Island audiences maybe outside of their comfort zones," she said.

"So, there is strip tease in our show, but it's not the 'be-all [and] end-all.' We focus mainly on the music. We have live musicians and some fantastic singers and group dance numbers," she said.​

Towers of Tease

Prior to moving to the Island, Denison performed burlesque in British Columbia. She is excited about the Towers of Tease show because it will show how burlesque is done outside of P.E.I.

"I think you're going to see a lot of fantastic acts. A lot of these performers have won awards and they've travelled the world performing. So, this is going to be like a world-class quality show," Denison said.

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