A Yellowknife burlesque artist is set to be honoured for their work on a national stage.
As the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of burlesque art, the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas keeps a storied collection of costumes, props, and stories of the performers.
Every year, they give out the Sparkly Devil Memorial Scholarship. This reward aims to encourage a strong relationship between newer burlesque performers, and the ones who came before them. Those who receive the award are chosen for their commitment to the art of burlesque, and their willingness to guide newer performers as they make their first steps.
This year, the scholarship is going to Yellowknife’s Stella Gams, who shared how she was able to get into burlesque in the first place.
“2008 is when I first started exploring the art. My husband and I on our honeymoon cruise, we met a whole bunch of burlesque stars, which kind of ignited things. Then in 2009, Jennifer Knowlan and Krystal Thompson had a Veen launch for the Do It Up magazine, and they wanted to have burlesque. I was so excited, I was like “sign me up!” I have a lot of experience with performance and dance. I’ve been teaching dance and performing for thirty years, though not in this particular art form.”
Stella explained that even though she didn’t have access to today’s resources in costuming and community, she was still excited to join, and signed herself up for two performances. As she continued to explore the burlesque scene, she made friends with the performers who would later startup Yellowknife’s Brrrlesque group. While Stella herself wasn’t a founder of the group, she did help bring the neo-burlesque scene to Yellowknife.
Stella was chosen for their role in creating and leading Yellowknife’s diverse burlesque community, and her commitment in improving both herself and her colleagues.
Stella shared what the art of burlesque has come to mean to her.
“There’s always people behind you, and you want to pave that way for the artistry, the comraderie. Burlesque is an incredible art form, that is probably one of the most open and supportive communities out there. You can do a classic piece in burlesque, you can do a weird number, there are cabaret elements to it, there are drag kings and queens involved in the burlesque scene. It’s very inclusive.”
Stella will be receiving a full pass to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender, and free admission to all classes of the Finishing School.
Stella gave a special thanks to those who have supported her over the years, and who have come to be her “weirdo fans,” as she lovingly called them. She added that there will be a special fundraising event coming up on Saturday, May 11th.
