Lookalikes, snake milkers, mattress testers and Netflix subtitles. In this section we interview the people with a non-standard answer to the standard question: What are you actually doing? This time Fay Loren, burlesque artist.
- Who: Fay Loren
- What: Burlesque Artist
- Most famous act: The ‘champagne act’
Fay Loren accidentally walked into a burlesque show when she was sixteen. There she was immediately so impressed by the dancers that she decided on the spot that she also wanted to become a burlesque artist. She had to wait until she was eighteen before she could put on a show herself. But she was already able to get started behind the scenes through an acquaintance of her parents.
What attracted her to burlesque? “Burlesque celebrates femininity, showing how strength and feminine energy go together perfectly.”
Burlesque is a sensual dance that originated in the United States in the 1920s. Unlike strippers, burlesque performers never go completely naked. “We get rid of our costume in a sensual way,” says Loren. “But we always keep shorts and nipple brushes on.”
In addition, according to her, burlesque is not specifically aimed at male visitors, as stripping often is. “Our goal is to inspire men and women and make them feel sensual.”
Mother and grandmother as biggest fans
“When I first started, I often had to explain to people what exactly burlesque is,” recalls Loren. “But now more people know what it is and it’s really known as a form of female empowerment.”
Her own mother was very enthusiastic from the moment Loren started as a burlesque artist. Her grandmother also came to visit often. “The first time she came, she stayed until four in the morning! She loved it that much.”
Loren now dances not only at parties and in theaters in the Netherlands, but she has also performed on stage in Las Vegas, Istanbul, Paris and Montreal. But she also performed in Algeria, where she was the very first burlesque artist to ever perform there.
“I really like the energy a performance can give you,” she says. “Often I am also booked by women. You can see that they are inspired by my show to further explore their own sensuality and become who they want to be.”
“I am often told that people are completely carried away in a dream world and imagine themselves in an old Hollywood movie, for example.”
Fay Loren, burlesque artist
Self responsible for the entire show
One of Loren’s most famous acts is the ‘champagne act’. In addition, she sits – often during a dinner show – in a huge champagne glass and dances. “You can yell, shout and clap and that is what happens. I am often told that people are completely carried away in a dream world and imagine themselves in an old Hollywood film, for example.”
What makes burlesque even more special, she says, is that the artist is ultimately responsible for her entire own show. “In many other dance forms, the dancer is only the performer. But in burlesque I develop my acts myself, arrange my own assignments and do the shows.”
This independence sometimes also entails uncertainties. “One month you are very quiet, the next month you are busy again. You have to be able to handle that.” Her dream for the future is to devise and perform a theater show about burlesque. “With performances by various burlesque artists and dancers from other disciplines.”