DENMARK — Join EmCee Vanilla HoneyBush and more than 10 dancers for a stripped-down evening of fun, from Maine’s newest Burlesque troupe Stripwrecked Burlesque at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at the Denmark Arts Center. Special guests include Vivian Vice (of Whistlebait Burlesque), and Tiffany StrangeBeauty Tutor (of the Hoop Vixzens).

Imported to to the U.S. from Victorian England in 1860, Burlesque’s semi-erotic performances focus more on the “tease” than the “strip” with an emphasis on entertainment. A distant (and perhaps shyer) cousin to modern strip-club shows, Victorian-age burlesque saw increasing popularity in the 1920sand ’30s, until a crackdown on burlesque clubs in the ’40s perpetuated its demise.

It was not until the new millennium that hipsters,with the ravenous need to appropriate vanished cultures, rediscovered burlesque alongside turntables, Polaroids and the Edison bulb. Portland, with its abundance of hipster-cool, has produced some of the best burlesque troupes in recent years and is influencing a revival in Maine, making it the fastest-growing entertainment in the state.

With an emphasis on sexy rather than sexual, this neo-burlesque includes a wider range of performance styles than simply the original striptease, now incorporating modern dance, theatrical mini-dramas, vaudeville, props, and comedic mayhem.

With a sold-out show last year, the Denmark Arts Center has invited Stripwrecked Burlesque to strut their stuff. Expect feather fan dances, classic vaudeville acts, drag queens and striptease, but not necessarily in that order.

DAC is at 50 West Main St. Admission is suggested $10 at the door. For more information, call 207-452-2412 or visit denmarkarts.org.

HOW TO MAKE MOVIES AT HOME

The day following the burlesque show at the DAC will feature a made-in-Maine film about filmmaking. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 12, join members of the “Band” behind this raucous, chaotic, Maine-loving ode to low-fi filmmaking, made entirely in the coastal town of Biddeford. Structured as a series of “how-to” lessons on the fine art of low-fi filmmaking, this film tells the story of what happens to a small town when a big, brash Hollywood production shows up to use it as a location. With the popularity of video-sharing sites like Youtube and Vimeo, the DIY film movement has grown tremendously in the past decade. “How to Make Movies at Home” provides the Average-Joe with the tools necessary to make the film they always wanted. Ingeniously made and hilariously informative, this film is for the avid film-fan as much as it is for the amateur filmmaker. Suggested donation of $5 at the door.


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