Their talent is busting out!
The 15th annual New York Burlesque Festival will kick off its clothes — and four nights of shimmying strip-tease — with a “Teaser Party” at the Bell House on Sept. 21. The host of the sexy starting show is a veteran mover and shaker in the burlesque scene: the World Famous *Bob*. The former Brooklynite, who recently relocated to Austin, Texas after 21 years of living in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, said she is excited to return home and to host the festival’s first night.
“It’s exciting to be at the beginning of the event,” she said. “We get to pop the cork on the champagne bottle and the rest of the weekend is watching the bubbles come out.”
The opening evening will feature more than 20 performers from near and far, including Brooklyn burlesque teacher and international performer Darlinda Just Darlinda, who *Bob* praises for her unique performance style.
“She’s an incredible burlesque star that mixes heavily elements of performance art, which lend an unexpected layer to her work,” she said.
And for those who prefer some beef with their cheesecake, the Thursday night show will highlight boylesque stars Chris Harder, a well-rounded performer who is also a playwright and actor, and Jacques Patriaque, who launched Europe’s first boylesque festival in Vienna.
The second night of the festival will also take place in Brooklyn, with the “Premiere Party” going down at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Bowl on Sept. 22. The show will feature alt-burlesque performer Velocity Chyaldd, who *Bob* said brings an unorthodox style to her strip-tease.
“She’s a very outlandish performer,” she said. “She’s very liberating.”
The festival will conclude with several performances on the distant island of Manhattan. In total, the four-day event will feature five shows and more than 100 performers.
*Bob* has been a regular at the festival every year since its inception, but stopped dancing five years ago to focus on her hosting career.
“After 16 years of doing burlesque acts, I realized I was really in love with hosting,” she said.
She encourages newcomers to burlesque and longtime fans alike to come out and see some of best performers on the scene.
“This is really a rare opportunity where people travel from all over the world to be on the same stage at the same time,” she said. “It’s just showstopper after showstopper. These are people that have a lot of skill under their G-strings, for sure.”
The Teaser Party at the Bell House (149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, www.thene
