Erin Eat Your Heart Out has been dancing in the Nelson community for the last 12 years, but her upcoming burlesque showcase at Bloom Night Club is the first time she’s produced her own show—and she couldn’t be more excited.
“I’ve been involved in samba bands, I’ve been a belly dancer, and I’ve danced at all kinds of community events like MarketFest and Streetfest. Lately I’ve been participating in burlesque with the Heavy Petal crew, and I thought now was the right time to do this because I’ve had so much interest from the community in developing a showgirl class,” the performer, whose real name is Erin Thomson, told the Star.
The event, called Post-Modern Jukebox Burlesque, will feature songs from a variety of eras.
“I get to work with the idea of a jukebox, so we’ll have songs from the 20s, the 40s, the 60s, all of them with a modern jukebox twist. The style of dancing will change from piece to piece, with lots of retro-vintage stuff, and it will be very eclectic. This is new territory.”
The main attraction of the night will be The Showcats, a group Thomson has been performing with for about a year and a half, consisting of Velvet Jones, Sherry Perry, Sage Anise and Stacey Lockdown.
Thomson said the group is ready to take their performances to the next level.
“Three of these ladies I’ve danced with for over three years, and some of them for even longer with samba and my global rhythms dance troupe. It’s through their dedication we found each other.”
The show will also feature the Show Kittens, participants in Thomson’s dance class. For many of these women, it will be their first time on stage.
And each will get to do a solo.
“We’ve also invited some other artists from the community, such as Lola Lane, Ivy Strange, and Kelly-Rae with her troupe The Martinis. As well, we'll have Brian Kalbfleisch and the Handsome Liars,” said Thomson.
The show will be followed by an “afterglow” party by DJ Just-B.
One of the things Thomson is most excited about is the inclusion of burlesque legend Judith Stein, who will perform during the show.
“We are so thrilled to have her in our show. I can’t wait,” said Thomson.
The show is on Tuesday, June 30 at Bloom Night Club. Admission is $20 and the doors will open at 9 p.m.
For more information visit the Showcats on Facebook.