The Canary Cage
Blue Bar, Albert Dock
Tuesday 1st February
Enjoying a glass of wine with the girls from my burlesque course and catching up with friends such as Heather Marie, I was excited to sit myself front row at the Canary Cage last Tuesday.
Opening the evening were the Boxcar Children, a singing duo who brought some comedy to their act by telling the audience lots of funny stories in between songs. Performing an array of pieces from country classics to Careless Whisper, the leading lady had a powerful and velvety voice and was received warmly by all of the audience.
Next to debut her burlesque pieces was fellow Burlesque in the Blitz starlet Cerise Derriere. A local girl, Cerise flaunted her snow white skin and retro lingerie to Feeling Good by Nina Simone and Fever. Exuding confidence and engaging her audience, Cerise went down a storm and was greeted with cheers and applause.
In the middle of the evening, the audience was divided into groups and each group given a balloon. Our task to pop, the balloon held a challenge for each group and was in some way inspired by burlesque. The winners (a group that created their very own Canary Cage with little supplies) won tickets to next month’s event.
Finishing the Canary Cage was hula hoop artist extraordinaire Tess la Coil. One of the most truly unique and beautiful performance pieces I have ever seen, Tess performed a hula hoop burlesque act to the 16 Bit remix of Britney Spears’ Toxic. She began her piece in a lovely lingerie outfit with a lit up hoop, and no sooner had the music started than the lights had been axed and the glow of the hoop was all that there was to illuminate her frame. This created an almost haunting silhouette as she performed her strip tease, meaning that lots was left to the imagination but the art the tease could still commence. I am delighted to say that I will be taking a hula hoop class with her this Saturday and will report back with news of my experiences.
Be sure to enter the Canary Cage next March… it is kept unlocked on the first Tuesday of every month at Blue Bar on the Albert Dock. For more information, fly over to the Canary Cage website.
