The art of the tease

Best of Midwest Burlesk

WHEN: Jan. 28-30

WHERE: Varsity Theater (Thursday)/The Ritz Theater (Friday-Saturday)

WHEN: 9 p.m. — Thursday/7 & 10 p.m. — Friday-Saturday

Burlesque, just like its dancers, is having a long, drawn-out moment in the spotlight. Before the Pussycat Dolls were a third-rate girl group, they were a posse of glamorous burlesque dancers who took the stage at nightclubs from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and invited celebrities like Gwen Stefani and the late Brittany Murphy to join in on their sexy (but not skanky) fun and games. Throwback superstar Dita von Teese has based an entire career on writhing around in a champagne glass, and currently Christina Aguilera and Cher are in the midst of filming a movie called, what else, “Burlesque .” In the local sphere, Minneapolis just happens to be home to a thriving troupe, the ladies of Lili’s Burlesque, who will be celebrating the time-honored tradition of the striptease at The Best of Midwest Burlesk Festival. So what makes the movement, often thought of as a relic of the past, so popular?

Nadine Dubois — Lili’s emcee and narrator for the festival — finds the burlesque revival a tribute to the innocence of the past. “It’s an antidote to the in-your-face sexuality now, and there’s a journey and a connection between the audience and the performer.”

The festival, now in its third year, showcases not only local talent, like the ladies from Lili’s, but also spans the nation. “It’s awesome because you’re seeing a huge variety of performers,” said Dubois. They’ll be coming from all corners of the country, St. Louis to Minneapolis. “We’ve got the Queen of Carnaval from San Francisco. We’re paying tribute to an art form of the past,” Dubois said.

One performer comes to us from New York City, but her roots are right here in the Twin Cities. Minnie Tonka, so named in honor of her Midwestern heritage, told A&E she plans to do a “Mary Tyler Moore ” themed act. She didn’t want to give away the surprise, but like any good burlesque girl delights in the excitement a good tease can bring.

Lili’s performer Gina Louise, who was an English teacher before retiring to perform burlesque and choreograph on the side, finds the practice “smart and sexy.” “When something is intelligent it’s always more interesting,” she says. “It’s power.”

This year, the festival boasts not only scantily clad ladies who can shimmy, shake, tease and titillate with the best of them, but “boylesque” (a male version), drag kings and vaudeville performers, too. In total, 75 performers will take the stage in any number of acts. The festival runs through five nights as to best pack in all the pasties and feather fans the burlesque enthusiast can handle.