London Burlesque Week Awards

“Tonight, we’re gonna make love to you individually and collectively. You’re gonna want an adult but you’re not gonna get one. It’s an evening of inventory and it’s only gonna get stranger from there,” was the playful opening taunt from Ringmaster Armitage Shanks, as he introduced the Annual Burlesque 2010 Awards at the Café de Paris, in London’s Leicester Square.

He wasn’t wrong there…

In a house packed to the rafters with the best-dressed cream of the international burlesque scene, we were treated to a range of tantalising and titillating burlesque acts from across Europe – the UK, Holland, Germany, Belgium and Cardiff – by way of Paris.

The evening opened with a nod to the Parisian Folie Bergere from high-stepping, high kicking dance troupe the Folly Dollies, kitted out in the red, white and blue colours of the French flag.

One of the high points was Banbury Cross’s Marilyn Monroe act. With her white platinum hair, white feather bustle and playful demeanour, she teased us and sashayed through her number before shaking and spraying a magnum of champagne onto the entire front row, who cowered in the stalls screeching with delightful anticipation.

But this performance was surpassed by Siren Stilletoe being carried on stage sedan-style by two buff, Chippendale lookalikes while singing Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend before slyly whisking off their shorts to reveal two tight packages from which hung two large crystals, in graphically different sizes.

Later on Captain Anchor sang, Start Spreading your legs, to the tune of Sinatra’s New York, New York and Catherine Delish cast off her outfit while mouthing along to the words of Judy Garland’s hit songs, Get Happy – at one point whisking a US flag out of her corset.

London did well out of the night. The diminutive Pixie Frisk in her fringed twenties flapper dress won Best New London Act and the evening was rounded off with a triumphant roar when Ginger Blush, also from London, was announced as winner of Best Solo UK performance this year. By then, the wine was flowing freely and there was truly a party atmosphere in the house.