“In this revealing documentary, Carol Doda was a daring young woman who ignited the flame of the 1960s sexual revolution when she became the first dancer to go topless and in the process became an international icon and symbol of sexual liberation.”
When Carol Doda: Topless at The Condor premiered across the United States, the film’s team reached out to burlesque entertainers in select premiere cities to produce “Doda-esque Burlesque” – live dancers performing in the style of Carol Doda and the 1960s as an opening act before the main feature. Burlesque dancers across the country performed to the same audio and video visuals, creating a nationwide buzz and camaraderie through each interpretation in homage to and celebration of “America’s first topless dancer” – Carol Doda.
The Michigan Doda-esque Burlesque was produced by Mila la Machina and featured fellow Michigan burlesque staples Lushes LaMoan and Josephine Shaker. Held at the State Theatre in Ann Arbor, the event also included a post screening Q&A panel with directors of the film. When an audience member asked a question regarding the current employment conditions of strip clubs, the directors passed the mic to Mila la Machina to speak from over a decade of first hand experience.
Read Mila’s blog post about the experience and view media from the event below.
I’m not great at timely sharing but I still wanted to post about this experience last year with @caroldodamovie and @statetheatrea2 producing the Michigan “Doda-Esque Burlesque” as a special pre-show performance w @josephineshaker & @lusheslamoan!
This look at Carol Doda perfectly encapsulates an era & flavor of entertainment that is often omitted from the understanding of burlesque history and it’s modern day revival as a niche performing art.
"Exactly what the burlesque industry needs right now"
There is a disconnect from the performing arts world of contemporary burlesk & the adult industry of str!p clubs. The modern interpretation of a showgirl is often somewhat of a historical reenactment that omits the context that the showgirls who created the industry were performing for men.
I explain to people feature entertaining is the modern evolution of “classic” burlesque. Feature entertainers like myself are str!ppers that deliver thoughtful, detailed, high impact production value on gentleman’s club stages, while contemporary burlesque tends to play in theatres, bars, music venues, etc as a niche performing art.
Feature entertainers are the modern day version of your Lili St. Cyrs, your Blaze Starrs… your Jo Weldon, Kalani Kokonuts and Dita von Teese. Carol Doda and the other women featured in Topless at the Condor are LITERALLY burlesque history and our feature entertainer foremothers. The pioneers of being t!ts out & delivering the party to the people!
It was so refreshing to see this part of the industry celebrated for both the hard realities and the wondrous magic of what it is. That’s showbiz, baby!
At the Michigan event, there was also a Q&A w directors of the film. When an audience member asked a question regarding the current employment conditions of clubs, I was handed the mic and got to speak from over a decade of experience & passion. That was such a phenomenal feeling – especially bc it was my parents first time seeing me live & for them to also hear me speak made it a really treasured experience.