Tickled Fancy Burlesque, March 5, 2011

We braved the kind-of-a-surprise-but-I-should-know-better-by-March snow squall on Saturday night to go see the lovely ladies (and gents) of Tickeld Fancy Burlesque at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti. The crowd definitely wasn't deterred by the weather, because as soon as the show got underway, there seemed to be 5x more people than were there a few minutes prior. I don't know if it was the crush for better spots closer up, or the jockeying for space by the ton of photogs in front of the stage that made it seem like a lot, but I'll take those as good signs for an anticipated show either way.

The variety of pieces the performers brought to the stage was definitely a unique blend. Not your everyday burlesque! And the guest performers rounded out a pretty eclectic line up. While Satori Circus couldn't make it, his friend, Konrad Lee, Lounge Singer Extraordinaire was able to make it on short notice. He started out with some old school mellow Partridge Family, but the cast was up on stage dancing along by the last piece. Lady Gaga would be proud. And I never cease to be amazed at how many people spend their evenings at home learning the routine to Bad Romance. Well, amazed at how many people who are older than my 13-year old niece that is...

And I've seen a lot of hooping ladies at a variety of different shows lately, but Fox brought a completely different take on it, with industrial music and a tremendously impressive presence and talent. I'm a sucker for light up things that move quickly (ooo....pretty and shiny!), so I was sold at light-up hula hoop. I hardly have enough coordination to stand and watch someone manage 2 hula hoops at once, so kudos to her for a great performance.

 If this is a bad winter night in the D, I'll take it any day.