Boom Boom Burlesque

By Jill Thompson

Cutline: Roxi D’Lite, 29,  will celebrate the release of her debut film “The Burlesque Assassins”
with a live show along with a crew of performers from around the world
including Toni Elling at the Boom Boom Room, Oct. 19 2012. Photo by/ Michelle Faye.

Reigning Queen of Burlesque and Windsorite Roxi D’Lite, 29, is making her on-camera debut in the award-winning film Burlesque Assassins.
To celebrate the occasion, Roxi will be performing at the film’s official release party Boom Boom Burlesque  Oct. 19  at The Boom Boom Room in Windsor. There will also be a special appearance by 84-year-old Burlesque Hall of Fame Legend, Toni Elling.
In 2010, D’Lite  became the first Canadian to ever be crowned Queen of Burlesque by the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. She has spent the past two years performing around the world and currently has her own TV series in development.  D’Lite said acting is part of a long-time goal for her.
“I’ve always wanted to be an actress since I was little so this was a dream come true. Hwever live theatre is very different – if you mess up there is only one take whereas in film there is more hurry-up-and-wait,” said D’Lite.
Co-owner of The Boom Boom Room, Remo Agostino,  brings world-renowned DJs and various performers to his night-club each month.  He is a fan of D’Lite and said he is pleased to have her perform at his club.
“Roxi is a world-class performer who should be championed in her home city. She brings so much integrity to her craft and her performances. Windsor is truly lucky to have her and so are we at The Boom Boom Room,” said Agostino.
D’ Lite who currently lives in Windsor,  travels across the globe doing appearances and performances.  She said stripping inspired her to pursue a career in burlesque.
“I started out as a stripper doing feature shows at a couples club called the Wild Orchid  above Cheetahs and always liked using vintage themes in my performances,” said D’Lite.  “One day after my show a lady approached me and said ‘Thank-you for bringing back burlesque’ and I was like ‘what is that?’  I went online right away and researched it, so I guess you could say stripping was my influence.”
The Oxford English Dictionary defines burlesque as “a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.”
A Detroit icon knows first-hand about what it means to perform burlesque and will join D’ Lite in her debut.
Toni Elling, 84, from Detroit was the first black woman to have been allowed to perform a burlesque act at an all-white club.  In 1960, at 32, she began working as a stripper and had to deal with racism. Elling proved herself in the business and was inducted into the Burlesque Hall of Fame, the world’s largest and most important archive of vintage Burlesque information.
“I want to be remembered as a great entertainer, not categorized as a stripper,” said Elling.
Elling teaches burlesque at trade shows in Las Vegas and would like to start teaching them in Detroit in the new year.  She will be making a guest appearance at D’Lite’s show and said she is a fan of her work.
“I just like to have fun and help others have fun,” said Elling.  “Roxi is a great, and I mean great in all capital letters, artist.  She is simply a wonderful performer and I have adored seeing her performances since I have come to meet her.”
Elling said burlesque is meant to be a classy and sensual show.  She does not approve of using blatant sex in burlesque shows and prefers to keep them more of a tease.
“A lot of people are working in burlesque and making money doing things that I don’t consider burlesque or stripping,” said Elling.  “It’s the way they’re doing things that I disapprove of, for instance I don’t think you have to be vulgar to be a good entertainer. I just cringe when I think about how vulgar some of these acts have become.  I teach burlesque and all you need is pole, parade and peel,” she said.
Ann Arbor, Mich. resident Emily Shuman, 25, will also be making the cross-border trip to see D’Lite’s show this month and said she appreciates burlesque performers because they are classy and entertaining.
“What I love about burlesque is that it’s incredibly sexy and if done right never trashy.  It’s a form of art that comes to life; from the costumes, makeup, hair, routines, photographs, choreography, tricks and music,” said Shuman. “A tongue and cheek performance that is sexy, not just sex in a demure playful way.  When I watch Roxi D’Lite, she truly captivates all of that and more because she has the ‘it factor.’ She is a star.”

In her debut film celebration at the Boom Boom Room Oct. 19, D’Lite  will play a character called “Bourbon Sue,” a rockabilly delinquent on the hunt for her first kill so she can obtain the title Burlesque Assassin. The film won best cinematography at the 2012 Alberta Motion Picture Association Awards on May 12.

D’ Lite plans to continue her career as an entertainer and will be joined with a host of artists from around the world at Boom Boom Burlesque.