On Friday December 19th you can catch me and my partner in crime Betty Quirk in an amazing cabaret show by Meryle Trouble. Just as the poster promises there will be musical ditties and a lil bit of titties! Betty and I will be doing lots of backup dancing as well as our famous Go-Go Cat Fight burlesque routine.
Tickets are $15 in advance/$20 at the door
9pm at the Flying Beaver Pubaret in Toronto
Tickets are available in advance by clicking on the poster below!
I am so excited to announce that I will be performing next Tuesday December 9th at Kitty Nights at Cherry Colas in Toronto! I will be doing 2 brand new acts that have never been done for a live audience before. I hope to see lots of familiar faces in the crowd for a fun night of burlesque featuring…
Dolly Berlin
Kage Wolfe
Kkunt Factory
Go-Go dancing kitten by Harley Payne
Hosted by Belle Jumelle
DJ Johnny B Goode
Special Kitty Nights After Dark set by Esther DeVille
Doors: 8:00pm Show: 9:30pm
TIX: $10.00 at the door
The most recent burlesque costume I completed was a fabulous sci-fi inspired retro space girl look for the beautiful Aviva the Mirage. This look consisted of a cone bra with a large standing collar, tearaway short shorts, and g-string that attached with elastic to a choker. I had a lot of fun creating this look and was heavily inspired by my one of my all-time favourite films, Barbarella. Enjoy Aviva, the space girl, Mirage in these photos from Ruth Gillson and Chris Hutcheson, as well as some of my inspiration pictures!
Today I bring you my favourite photo set to date that I have shot with Geoff Larkin. With a look inspired by Amy Adams in American Hustle, we made use of the dramatic lighting in the bathroom at the loft in which we shoot. I love the plunging neckline with loose cleavage that Amy has in the film and was very influenced by that classic 1970s look. The results are sultry, sensual and seductive with cigar in hand. I hope you enjoy Madame Dolly’s mirrored gaze.
Early in 2014 I was working tirelessly on one of the biggest costume commissions I have ever had. My muse, Miss Laura Desiree requested a new costume for the Girlesque Festival in Toronto. Working with her dance partner, Sexy Mark Brown, Laura wanted an outfit that had three changeable bottoms to reflect the three types of dance they were performing. First a knee-length circle skirt for a romantic slow dance, then a pair of short shorts for their tap number, finally a long chiffon skirt for their ballroom waltz. I also made a bustier to go with all three looks that was heavily embellished with lace, beading and swarovski crystals. I absolutely love how these garments turned out and Laura looks absolutely lovely flowing through this dance. Please check out the video below for the full routine.
I thought I should start the week off with something fun; a little set of photos from my most recent shoot with Geoff Larkin! I made this robe many months ago for another photoshoot but I didn’t end up using it. I love the sparkly, shear fabric and was inspired by a classic 1960s evening robe look. Enjoy!
Our final Peepshow TO show by all means should have been a sad affair. It was the final time our amazing group of performers and friends would come together to put on the biggest and best nerdlesque show in town. The last time we would all gather backstage, getting ready and gabbing, swapping eyelash glue and pastie tape. The final collective feeling of putting on a show that was truly entertaining, inspiring and unique. But instead of feeling loss and despair I could not imagine a more electric evening. There was a buzz in the air from the minute the Great Hall began filling up. Every seat was taken and still people stood to watch what can only be described as one of the greatest shows that we have ever created. From start to finish the energy was palpable. Not one lull or low moment was felt and the volume of cheers and laughs echoed endlessly through the night. Every performer brought their best and the roaring crowd pushed each of us to be that much better.
I feel so lucky to have such talented, inspiring and loving friends and to have had so many opportunities to work with these amazing people. Even though this was the last Peepshow event (for now anyways) I couldn’t be sad for even one second because my mind is filled with all the wonderful moments I have shared with this group.
Thank you Leelando, Sevvy and Betty for giving us a stage to perform on, for making it possible for us to come together as a team and for working so tirelessly to ensure each event has been more outstanding than the last. Thank you to all the performers who have constantly pushed each other to be more creative simply by being endlessly creative themselves. Thank you to Rena, Mong Tho, Amie and everyone who has worked backstage throughout the past few years. Without you we would be utterly lost. And finally, thanks to everyone who has come out to support our shows. Hearing the excitement in your cheers is the fuel that drives us.
The final curtain has closed. The show has concluded. But I promise this is not the last you will hear or see of the members of the PeepshowTO family.
My wonderfully multi-talented friend Ketzia Kobrah has begun working on a video project called the Brick Wall Sessions. This series of videos features burlesque performers doing titillating one minute stripteases. My lovely friends Betty Quirk and Leelando Calrissian and I were the first few participants in this series. We each did a solo routine and Betty and I also did our go-go dancing duet. I have my videos on www.missdollymonroe.com in my new burlesque tab but you can see all the videos from the Brick Wall Sessions here! Ketzia is still looking for participants in this project, so if you are a burlesque performer, in Toronto and interested in being a part of this series please comment below. For now I leave you with this cute teaser video…
Last Sunday I attending Sinful Sundays at Cherry Colas in Toronto! Two of my favourite ladies, Betty Quirk and Sevvy Skellington, were performing at this weekly burlesque show along with the lovely Miss Mitzy Cream. The trio of dyed dolls did 2 acts each and were so graceful, sensual and cheeky! Here are a few instagram shots I got from the evening. Enjoy!
“Sex is currency. What’s the use of being beautiful if you can’t profit from it?”
– Lili St Cyr
Beginning her career as a chorus girl in Hollywood, it didn’t take long before Lily St Cyr jumped out of the background and into the spotlight. Singing and performing her own choreography on stage soon turned into a sensational career in the world of burlesque. Lili St Cyr was one of the queens of burlesque in the 1940s and 50s, up there with the likes of Gypsy Rose Lee and Ann Corio. One of her signature routines involved taking a bubble bath in a glass tub on stage. Lili even broke into the film industry with roles in a handful of movies in the 1950s including The Miami Story and The Naked and the Dead. One of Lili’s biggest fans was none other than Marilyn Monroe. It was said that the overall look and many of the mannerisms of the Monroe character were inspired by Lili St Cyr. Just like her career, her love life was anything but boring with 6 marriages and as many divorces under her belt. She was even rumoured to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe, but that was never proven for certain. After a long, full life, Lili died in 1999 at the age of 80 leaving behind a legacy like no other.
CLASSICALLY CURVY 
