Nerdlesque Combines Burlesque and Nerd Culture Into One Tantalizing Show

Let's hear it for the nerds, the fearless dreamers who prove that following your imagination and showing up with confidence are the sexiest things you can do.

The allure, ingenuity, and inclusivity of nerd culture are highlighted at Nerdlesque, a live show featuring burlesque, dance, and variety performers at Bar Nancy on August 23. Produced by Miami-based performance artists Sofia Luna and Sin Silva, Nerdlesque encourages participants and audience members to release their worries and unleash their inner nerds.

"I want the audience to get lost with us," Luna says. "It's my goal to create escapism through what we do and transport people to a time and place where none of the outside worries of the world matter. They can just exist and enjoy. That's what's most important to me."

For Nerdlesque, Luna will perform a burlesque act as La Prima Latina, as will her collaborator Silva, also known as "the Ass of South Florida." The pair of performers will be joined onstage by the Skintillating Siren Lila Starlet and the Seductive Sorceress Alice Dee, who will each put their signature spin on burlesque, a centuries-old art that combines song, dance, comedy, strip tease, and femme empowerment into one riveting, live experience. (Though admission is free, Luna recommends bringing cash to tip performers and RSVPing in advance, as seating is limited.)

"Nerdlesque references pop culture, so it's not only comic books and superheroes — it can be movie references. Last time, someone did a Grimace act. Lila Starlet may be doing her Catwoman act, which involves a milk bath. That's going to be hot," Luna says. "You never know what you're going to see, but it's always going to be character driven."

In addition to showcasing South Florida's wealth of professional burlesque, drag, and variety artists, Nerdlesque also serves as an opportunity to obtain new stardom for Miamians who feel ready to take the stage for the first time. Luna says the open-stage portion of Nerdlesque is limited to seven slots, and those interested in participating should email [email protected] well before the showtime. (Acts involving fire will require to show proof of insurance.)

"I think it was kind of necessary for us to make this event an open stage apart from the show because there are no [open-stage events] in the South Florida burlesque and drag community," Silva says. "The euphoria you can get from performing onstage is something everyone should be allowed to experience."
According to Robert Allen, author of Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture and a professor of American studies, history, and communication studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, when burlesque took American stages by storm in the mid-1800s, the art form "forever changed the role of the woman on the American stage and later influenced her role on the screen."

"The very sight of a female body not covered by the accepted costume of bourgeois respectability forcefully, if playfully, called attention to the entire question of the 'place' of women in American society," Allen wrote in his 1991 book.

Luna, who has been a burlesque performer for 13 years, feels passionate about maintaining a place in Miami for this historic art form largely due to burlesque's capacity for empowerment, versatility, and inclusivity.

"I want audiences to fall in love with burlesque, so we can keep the art form alive. I don't think we have enough burlesque in the city. It's a very rare art, and it has a rich history of being an underground and marginalized art, which I don't think a lot of people realize," Luna says. "I love how liberating burlesque is. You can take it the super glamorous route, the circus route, or the comedy route. And burlesque is similar to drag — it's so accepting of every type of person. People get to feel free by watching us do what we do. This form of entertainment tries to incorporate the audience into being part of the space. It's just magical, and it's super empowering. Burlesque has the power to transform an ordinary life into an extraordinary one."

Silva says in efforts to form a community based on shared tenets like acceptance and freedom, audience members at Nerdlesque — in addition to all other shows they produce with Luna — are encouraged to show up and show out in their best costumes or cosplay looks.

"I think it's important for this to happen to make a sense of community. Being able to dress how you want and portray whatever you want in a nonjudgmental space is something that people should be able to experience without any repercussions," Silva says. "I hope audiences feel empowered about who they are and feel that no one can tell them what to do with their bodies and sensuality."

Can't make Nerdlesque but need more burlesque in your life? Luna says stay tuned for another live show at Bar Nancy on October 13, in which "all of the dancers agreed to make a pact with the devil" and will be performing to the music of Led Zeppelin.

Nerdlesque. 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 23, at Bar Nancy, 2007 SW Eighth St., Miami; nancy305.com. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.