GeekTastic: Video Games Burlesque with Burlesgeek

burlesgeek poster # 7 burlesgeek poster

The seventh edition of BurlesGeek, organized by the Heroes & Boobs League, was, without any fear of exaggeration, one of the finest shows that yours truly has attended this year. The muggy weather of Montreal in July gave way to a sultry evening of sensual dance, shiny nipple covers and video game geekiness. Hosted at La Sala Rossa to a packed audience of geeks and burlesque enthusiasts of all ages, the show was awash with video game references and slow-burning striptease routines.

Sonic by Cherry Typhoon. BurlesGeek. Photo Jose Munoz

Sonic by Cherry Typhoon. BurlesGeek. Photo Jose Munoz

The first number of the night, performed by Shy Shy Shullie, deftly combined The Sims with Bessie Smith’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Needless to say that a number that combines strategic life-simulation and 1920s blues was the perfect way to set the mood for the rest of the evening.

Zelda intro by Sucre à la crème. Burlesgeek. Photo Jose Munoz

Zelda intro by Sucre à la crème. Burlesgeek. Photo Jose Munoz

Another of the highlights was the tribute to Montreal’s own video game industry, courtesy of Loulou la duchesse de Rière. Dressed in an outfit inspired by Assassin’s Creed, the blockbuster video game developed in Montreal, she offered one of the evening’s most salacious performances, while also swinging some knives around the stage.

Tomb raider - Lara Croft by Punani DiFranco

Tomb raider – Lara Croft by Punani DiFranco. Burlesgeek. Photo Jose Munoz

The troupe’s only male performer, Golden Thunderpants, treated the audience to a Mega Man themed striptease that saw him wrestle with his stretch blue onesie in order to take it off.

Magaman by Golden Thunderpants Burlesgeek. Photo Jose Munoz

Magaman by Golden Thunderpants Burlesgeek. Photo Jose Munoz

Throughout the evening the audience was on fire, but perhaps the moment of highest madness took place when Lulu les Belles Mirettes, also the show’s producer, took the stage with her Mortal Kombat routine. Roused by “Mortal Kombat” the iconic ’90s techno track, the audience went completely berserk as Lulu began her dance dressed as Scorpion. Halfway through her act and with most of her clothes gone, she revealed her second, skimpier outfit. This time dressed as Kitana, she treated the audience to a fan choreography before stripping down to the bare essentials.

Mortal Kombat by Lulu les belles mirettes

Mortal Kombat by Lulu les belles mirettes. Burlesgeek. Photo Jose Munoz

The last number of the evening was a heart-warming homage to Tetris. The whole troupe took cardboard cutouts of Tetris pieces and piled them up on the stage. It’s also worth mentioning that the whole shindig was gracefully hosted by Sucre à la Creme, who also took a break from her presenter duties to treat the crowd to a sexy Legend of Zelda dance.

As I said at the beginning, this was a terrific show and a great way to spend a muggy Sunday evening. If you’re already feeling hot, then you might as well sweat it out at a burlesque show. One of the evening’s key components was the energy emanating from the crowd, and I think we owed it to this great show that combines two of Montreal’s beloved passions: burlesque and video games.