Shimmy Shake

Co-producers of the Australian Burlesque Festival Dolores Daiquiri and Sapphira present ‘Shimmy Shake’!

Bringing you Melbourne’s Burlesque elite this monthly event features sassy chorus line showgirls and opulent classic tease performed to a decadent New Orleans Jazz Band which is showcased with an emphasis on glamour and sophistication.

Indulge your senses with our resident artists and special guests whose desire is to leave you gasping for more.

THE PERFORMERS

SAPPHIRA

Sapphira is an international teacher and performer of belly dancing and burlesque. She is an artist who pushes boundaries and championed the union of the belly dance and burlesque communities in Britain, despite strong opposition from conservative circles. Sapphira is a well known face on the international circuit. She has performed under the desert stars at the renowned Burning Man Festival in Nevada, been interviewed on radio in San Francisco for her show & Shimmy Shake UK was filmed for the Belly Dancing MobiDiaries on Nuts TV.

Sapphira is co-producer of the Australian Burlesque Festival and is proud to contribute  to a scene she enjoys so passionately. As one who believes in the therapeutic elements of movement, costume and dance, Sapphira teaches women to embrace their curves and move sensually through her courses titled BECOME A BURLESQUE BOMBSHELL. Feedback from her students resonates with positivity around the globe.

Under the banner of burlesque,  Sapphira  combines all her creative talents as a singer/songwriter, classically trained pianist, belly dancer and avant-garde  showgirl. She draws inspiration from her work as both a performer and teacher.

DOLORES DAIQUIRI

Dolores Daiquiri is co-producer and partner as Shimmy Shake launches in Melbourne. She comes with a wealth of experience as founding member of Australia’s premier burlesque troupe Hi Ball Burlesque who has been at the forefront of the burlesque revival since 2002. As a distinguished member of the first burlesque troupe in Australia Dolores has performed at an extensive range of events and shows, captivating audiences with her glamorous brand of classic vintage-flavoured tease!

 In addition to performing Dolores has created and produced a vast array of successful shows and events with Hi Ball Burlesque including Melbourne’s hugely successful regular burlesque revue ‘Red Door Burlesque’. Dolores is co-producer of the Australia’s First Annual Burlesque Festival which achieved sell-out success in it’s debut year, a testament to an established network in the Australian arts community.

ROSY RABBIT

Take one part cheeky, two parts shimmy shake, add a dash of hubba hubba and you have Australia’s Darling, Rosy Rabbit!
With a strong background in musical theatre and ballet Rosy brings to the stage her very own brand of burlesque which is as elegant as it is vibrant and shows her enigmatic flair.
Beginning her burlesque career in 2006 as a performer, Rosy has since had the pleasure of performing at some of Australia’s premier burlesque events from touring with the Gangsters’ Ball, to headlining Euchronia New Years Eve Ball, to Go-Going onstage at the Big Day Out. In late 2009 Rosy set off on a Northern America and had the opportunity to perform at events such as Devils’ Playground (Los Angeles) and Kitty Nights (Vancouver).
Rosy Rabbit has also produced several shows of her own, from the unmistakably saucy Cristal Burlesque Weekly, to the concept event High Noon Ball.
To Rosy Rabbit burlesque is not only about tease and titillation; she has found there is something deeply empowering in the sensual art, that women of any day and age can both identify with and admire... Burlesque embraces femininity and celebrates the beauty and grace of being a woman in an art form that is as timeless as it is ever-changing.

FOXTROT INDIA

Foxtrot India has had a long love affair with burlesque . With over 16 years as a student and teacher of jazz ballet, Foxy began an infatuation with old world glamour and the choreography of dancers such as Gene Kelly and Bob Fosse.

Watching her first burlesque show she was intoxicated by the style. There and then she decided to move to London to become a burlesque performer and began performing within months of her arrival in early 2007.

Since then she has performed on stages around Europe and in the US, honing her skills as an entertainer.She now resides in Melbourne, Australia and is key artist on the scene, recently featured at the Australian Burlesque Festival and can be found at many venues across the city, known especially for her tassel-twirling skills.

POPPY CHERRY

“She’ll charm your pants off and pop your cherry! Melbourne‟s mischievous minx, Poppy Cherry teases with playful theatricality and a cast of very naughty characters.”

Poppy Cherry is a Melbourne based burlesque performer. She is known for her original routines involving a cheeky demeanour and audience interaction. Poppy has appeared at numerous Burlesque events around Melbourne, and is a resident performer at Burlesque Bar as part of Madame Natalia’s -Cirque de Femmes. She is managing a side business creating Poppy’s Pasties, and will be acting a lead role in the upcoming feature film ‘Burlesque’.

With Special Guests...

The Shuffle Club

Despite being a firm fixture in the Melbourne Music scene for close to ten years the Shuffle Club are still able to surprise those who know them whilst blowing the minds and feet of those who are new to the experience.

Their style is most easily described as a hot blend of jazz, swing, blues, and boogie but that hardly does justice to their raw energy and enthusiasm, the kind of energy that will bring you to your feet and onto the dance floor before you even quite know what is happening.
This four-piece line up of sax, double bass, piano and drums, is not the kind of band to sit back on their laurels, all the performers play a vast array of instruments and are singers as well and whilst they work together to create the kind of musical harmony some bands can only dream of, every solo from any player is also pure delight.

It is not only Melbourne's audiences that have fallen under their spell. The Shuffle Club have spread their influence and fan base by successfully touring in the UK, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and Japan. Regulars on the festival circuit in Edinburgh and Australia, their name on a bill brings everyone from professional swing dancers and curious old timers to overexcited teenagers. Every performance is pure enjoyment and madness, the kind of night that leaves you with a stupid smile on your face for days.

The Shuffle club will be joined some of Australia’s premier burlesque performers in what is sure to be a night of high energy, jazz fuelled mayhem!