Burlesque art spices up The Lodge

A mess of glitter, lace and nipple tassels surrounded Lola Von Ella as she perfected her blonde up-do and shouted orders between sips of white wine.

“Get rid of that pottery,” she told fellow burlesque performers backstage at Space 101/The Lodge. “All of that delicate art sitting out there, I’m terrified someone will ruin it.”

The night before, Von Ella and her high-heeled, corset-clad colleagues sang, strutted and stripped at a show in Columbus, Ohio. Fifteen hours and several bottles of hairspray later, the group arrived Saturday in Bloomington for the Hoochie Coo Burlesque Party, an event that filled The Lodge from brick wall to brick wall.

“We had no idea it’d be so packed,” said Katrina Dohl, member of international pole-dancing duo Gravity Plays Favorites.

Dohl and partner Michelle Mynx, outfitted in red and black fringe-lined lingerie, were one of many acts to turn heads and provoke gasps with erotic flair and gymnastic athleticism.

Similar to Von Ella, the pair performs about 42 times a year. They were recently named the Most Scandalous Burlesque Performers at the 2009 Golden Pastie awards in New York.

“It’s such a rush, but I enjoy most what comes after shows,” Dohl said. “I can talk to people and drink without worrying about turning upside down.”

The evening commenced with pleading from event coordinator Jada Barbry.

“Please everyone, clear the center so the performers can make it on stage,” she said. “They can fly, but not like that.”

After the crowd made way, Von Ella emerged in a glittering evening gown and serenaded the crowd with her rendition of “Fever.”

Multiple stripteases accompanied by live jazz followed, receiving whoops and cheers from guests sitting on the floor, standing against walls and dining at tables.

But the acts weren’t limited to female performers.

Chris Lemon, a circus performer from Lacore Valmon Cirque in Gosport, Ind., glided onto the performance floor as stagehands traded a shiny silver pole for a contraption with a large hook positioned at ceiling level.

“I’m a fifth-generation circus performer, and my act was originated by my mother several years ago in Mexico,” he said. “I’m the only one in my family who can do it since.”

Lemon, announced as “the man with wire hair” by Barbry, removed his hat to reveal a steel hook embedded in his ponytail. Other performers lifted his body to the hook above, where he attached himself by his hair and proceeded to dangle mid-air while spinning, juggling and throwing glitter into the audience.

“I have to concentrate,” he said. “When I’m doing my tricks, I don’t have time to feel pain.”

After Lemon and other acts, including numbers from Bloomington’s own Burlesque Brigade, Von Ella reappeared on stage and began to slowly remove a glittering, white corset.

“I love nudity,” she said before the show. “And nudity with sparkles and rhinestones on top is even better.”

Von Ella said that dancing is a religious experience for her, and the stage is her place of worship.

“It’s like the church of sexy fabulousness,” she said. “I love the carnival kind of pageantry, the rush of adrenaline. It’s my favorite drug.”

Audience members gasped and clapped as men and women contorted their bodies on poles and clothing articles collected on the floor.

“I was incredibly impressed by the strength of the women,” said Tim McLaughlin, a sophomore at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis.

McLaughlin, who had traveled from Indianapolis to sip beer at the event, said burlesque dancing is infinitely more classy than late-night acts at a strip club.

“The overall show was very impressive and just unbelievable,” he said. “Everything was done with taste and elegance.”