14 OctOber 3-9, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Bottomshelf Burlesque prides itself in pushing its performers to experiment. BY SARAH PERKEL W hen Lili LeWaste, who had fallen freshly in love with burlesque, moved to Miami from Bos- ton, she encountered a problem: She couldn’t find anywhere to perform. So when she launched Bottomshelf Bur- lesque in March, it was partly out of love and partly out of frustration. “I realized that Miami needed a space for brand new performers, whether it’s bur- lesque or drag or any type of performance,” LeWaste tells New Times. “That space didn’t exist, so I just started going for it, made con- nections with little indie places that are great for these types of niche performances, and started putting them on.” LeWaste wanted to create a space allow- ing experimentation, which was a difficult pitch for established venues. “I wanted a place where I didn’t have to be decked out in rhinestones and didn’t have to be super pol- ished and clean,” LeWaste explains. Bottomshelf started with a “burnt-out chick” in a backyard, LeWaste adds, with in- terested performers coming together to showcase their talents and have fun in what- ever venues were available to them. “I was kind of insatiable, in a way,” she says. “I went to as many scenes as I could as a newbie trying to fig- ure it out and then couldn’t really break in fully all the way, or I broke in and was like, I still want some weirder stuff.” So far, the troupe has put on several shows, including its most recent one at Fumee Smoke Shop on September 21, with the theme “Meet Us Behind the Bleachers at Bottomshelf High.” “These kinds of events are perfect for new artists,” says King Vyper, a drag king who performed at the recent show, his first with Bottomshelf. “In a way, it’s like character de- velopment. You start to understand where your drag artistry lies, what kind of artistry you want to do in the future, how you want to be perceived, what numbers you want to do.” Its events don’t feature any headliners. In- stead, Bottomshelf puts out an open call for performers. “The most exciting part is all the perform- ers that decided to sign up this month,” says Susana Zenith Garcia, who goes by the stage name Goddess Zenith. “That was really un- expected. It’s a lot.” Garcia, a self-described “drag-lesque” per- former and member of Bottomshelf, says the organization has consistently grown since its inception. People’s interest might partly be due to the diversity of its casting calls. “We really want to be in- clusive,” Garcia adds. “When we talk about bur- lesque, we’re meaning drag, we’re meaning comedy, singing — whatever your talent is. There’s diversity in the form of expression and whatever your style is. For my- self, sometimes I bring in drag, sometimes I’m fem, sometimes I’m masc — it just depends.” In Bottomshelf’s short six months of exis- tence, Garcia feels the troupe has built signif- icant momentum. “I think we’re getting popular within the community of performers and producers,” she says. “There have been other producers trying to get us venues and support because they believe in what we’re doing, too. We’re hoping to just keep growing.” Dominick Trixx, a drag king who started performing with Bottomshelf early and now helps organize events, says they plan to con- tinue hosting shows, hopefully on a monthly basis. For Trixx, Bottomshelf helped him break free of his fear of performing and showed him an easy path into the scene, and he thinks it can do the same for others search- ing for a place to start. “We want to make Bottomshelf more known to inspire people to perform and not to be scared of a community, you know, not to be intimidated,” he adds. Despite the organization’s early success, the team behind Bottomshelf remembers why it was created in the first place. “We try to be community-focused and to provide a space where it’s stress-free, so peo- ple can just experiment and play,” Garcia says Above all else, everyone is welcome to bring any and all talents to the table — their best, weirdest, and most genuine perfor- mances. The team behind Bottomshelf says they’ll make space for it. “A lot of the charm of it is it’s called Bottomshelf for a reason,” LeWaste says. “It’s where you start off. It’s a little bit wacky and disorganized and crazy, but that’s kind of my persona and character anyway, so it all works out.” Bottomshelf Burlesque photo HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? Bottomshelf Burlesque focuses on spotlighting a diverse cast of performers. “In a way, it’s like character development. You start to understand where your drag artistry lies.”
