Burnaby talent is shimmying onto the stage for Vancouver’s biggest weekend of burlesque.
Dee Twenty is a non-binary drag and burlesque artist who has been performing and racking up awards across the Lower Mainland and Western Canada for nearly 10 years.
Identifying as a nerd, Dee (who uses gender-neutral pronouns) chose their stage name because of a 20-sided dice used in the popular role-playing fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons.
Having grown up with interests in theatre and dance, Dee never considered getting into burlesque until they went to the Vancouver Burlesque Festival for the first time. There, Dee witnessed and connected with the comedic aspect of burlesque.
They bring a uniqueness to the burlesque community through their use of clowning, an art form they’ve been practising since high school that includes using comedy and body movements to connect with an audience, similar to those of a mime.
“When I’m on stage, I use my body, and my face especially, to tell a story and usually a very, very comedic one,” they said.
Dee has performed on many stages including Wet Coast Burlesque, the Edmonton Burlesque Festival and the Taboo Revue. They are also one of the founding members of Ghost Light Vaudeville Society and currently sit on the board of the Screaming Chickens Theatrical Society.
Dee said most of their family and friends are not aware of the extent of their performer life as they said there is still a stigma against burlesque and drag.
Dee volunteered at the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival last year and will continue to volunteer this year, but with an added twist: they’re also set to perform for the first time at this year’s festival.
“You’re going to find some really unique acts, not just classic burlesque, but there’s going to be some amazing nerd acts,” they said.
Dee will be performing on Friday, April 5.
To perform in the festival, Dee, as well as other performers, submitted videos explaining their act. Dee said there were upwards of 250 applicants from all over the world vying for an opportunity to perform in one of the festival’s 30 spots.
Put on every spring since 2006, the festival invites audiences to check out four days filled with workshops, talks and, of course, burlesque.
The festival’s board president, who goes by her stage name, Sparkle Plenty, said the festival aims to show audiences that burlesque is not limited to one traditional style, explaining that the art form is also “satirical, nerdy, dirty and beautiful.”
“We want to put the best burlesque on the stage,” she said.
In its 14th year, the Vancouver event is Canada’s longest-running burlesque festival and features a mix of local and international talent. This year’s festival is emphasizing the idea that “every body is a burlesque body,” something that fits into its diversity policy, which ensures the visibility and inclusion of all sizes, genders, races, sexual identities and ages.
The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival runs at the Vancouver Playhouse from Wednesday, April 3 to Saturday, April 6. See www.vibf.ca.
