Since moving to Dayton from Austin, Texas, Guard has established herself as a burlesque master in the area. In fact, in 2016, she spoke about the magic that burlesque conjures in the lives of women no matter their shape, size or ethnicity in a TEDxDayton Talk. Through her Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue, she hopes to keep inspiring women to find the confidence that they may not have possessed before trying their hand at burlesque.
“When you don’t fit very easily into regular society molds, you are forced to do your own thing,” Guard said. “That’s why I’m a 40-year-old woman and still performing, even though the world says I’m too old and not small enough for this. In just being forced to do my own thing, I realized that there are a ton of people like me who have passions in addition to their family and their work. Since I wasn’t the only one experiencing this, I’ve been able to build a community and a business around burlesque.”
Credit: Cassie Guard
Credit: Cassie Guard
Unlike Femme Fatale Dayton, Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue will be centered around performances and will not offer specialty classes to customers. Each performance by the troupe will consist of up to 50 people and performers of all abilities are welcome to audition and perform in the shows. Despite the lack of classes, Guard hopes to offer workshops in the future for those who would like to be a regular part of these performances.
“The business is still an avenue for people who want to perform locally,” Guard said. “We have gotten very good at taking the average person who’s passionate and helping them get their feet on the ground with performing.”
Unlike other local burlesque performances, Guard aims to channel something a bit more theatrical. To achieve that, the Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue will be more vaudeville-inspired, which means that performances will include more group numbers and other forms of entertainment aside from burlesque, like comedy skits and magic shows.
Credit: Cassie Guard
Credit: Cassie Guard
Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue’s first performance will be held Friday, August 20 at The Brightside Music & Event Venue in Dayton. The debut will include burlesque and aerial performances. Tickets to the show will be available to purchase on Monday, June 21. More information about the tickets and performance will be posted to Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue’s Facebook and Instagram pages. The group’s second performance is set to take place in December.
In the meantime, Guard will be giving away prizes on Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue’s Facebook and Instagram pages every Tuesday for the next month. Those who like Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue’s Facebook or Instagram page and tag three people in the comments section are entered into the contest each week. The winners of each prize are announced every Sunday.
More information about Cirque Fatal Burlesque Revue can be found by visiting its Instagram and Facebook pages.
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