The SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque touring group will bring their sexually charged, cult-classic show to the High Dive stage Thursday night.
Doors for the late-night show open at 9 p.m., with the show beginning at 10 p.m.. Tickets for the performance are available at Ticketfly.com, but they are going fast. Advance purchase standing tickets are already sold out. Standard seating tickets are available for $38, and seating in the first two rows will set you back $65 a ticket.
Attendees may also purchase a VIP package for an additional $60, allowing them to spend an hour with the SuicideGirls in advance of the show, take pictures and have an item signed.
The SuicideGirls Blackheart Burlesque show incorporates comedy, music and dancing with pop culture and a bit of nudity. Some themes within the show include “Star Wars,” “Rick and Morty,” “Game of Thrones,” “Westworld” and more.
“(Burlesque) is a celebration of the art of tease…. You’re not just naked, you’re not just taking your clothes off. You’re doing it through a parody of sorts. There’s a character you’re playing,” performer Sunny Suicide said.
Burlesque dancing is nothing new; the idea of a comical strip-tease show has been a popular niche art form for decades. Sunny said during the economic crisis of the Great Depression, it was the light-hearted burlesque shows that saved Broadway theatre from going under.
The SuicideGirls have taken that tradition and thrust it into the modern age for a new audience, while still nodding at the past.
“It’s sexy. It’s silly. It’s beautiful. It’s highly choreographed and highly entertaining. It’s a form of entertainment you aren’t likely to see many places,” said SuicideGirls founder Missy Suicide.
The burlesque touring group has performed around the world on and off since 2003 as a branch of the SuicideGirls website.
SuicideGirls describes itself as an online community devoted to the celebration of alternative beauty standards. The nearly 17-year-old site’s content features thousands of “models” and “hopefuls” sharing sexually charged photos with their members-only community.
“SuicideGirls features nude, pinup style photos of women with piercings and tattoos, crazy colored hair, girls of all body types really…. It was a way that we could come together and be appreciated and appreciate other women for their own unique style and beauty,” Missy said.
Through traveling with the Blackheart Burlesque tour, Sunny said she is constantly reminded of the impact of the SuicideGirls online community by the fans that she meets.
“Not only do we get feedback online, but daily we meet women and men alike who are like, ‘Thank you. Thank you for being a real woman. Thank you for celebrating real women.’ I get emails from women personally saying, ‘Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for being on a stage with cellulite and shaking it like that, because I didn’t like my butt, and now I do and I want to celebrate it,’” Sunny said.
Missy is dedicated to nurturing a community that is open, empowering and respectful for all members. With more than 3,000 official SuicideGirls coming from every continent, including Antarctica, Missy said any girl logging in is likely to find a woman who looks like her.
“That’s an infectious, contagious sort of sentiment. Women, they feel empowered and they feel beautiful because they see women who look like them, feel beautiful and empowered and comfortable and confident,” Missy said.
The SuicideGirls, who have toured worldwide, will take their show to the High Dive on Thursday.
