You know the best fest has to be the Edgy Women Festival, a flare of feminist performance art presented by Studio 303, that lasts only a couple of weeks, but challenges and inspires you for-freaking-ever.

Starting the festival in full swing last night: Neon Nightz with The Scandelles (Toronto). Sasha Van Bon Bon, Kitty Neptune, and Countess Christsmasher, took the audience for a walk down memory lane, or a slide down the memory pole, revealing insights of the strip clubs of the 90s in Montreal.

Neon Nightz is a three-woman frottage, harnessing the electricity of the rub where fantasy, feminism, sexuality, art and athletics meet in the world of stripping. The play explores the “paradox of intimacy” through a series of funny, touching and damn sexy vignettes. Drawing on her experiences as a professional dancer, Sasha Van Bon Bon shares her wealth of insight and reveals an incredible compassion and humour for the clients and colleagues she encountered during her career… oh, and did I mention Kitty Neptune’s frequent and fucking-hot pole dances?!

The Paradox of Intimacy
“Creating the paradox of intimacy,” Sasha Van Bon Bon stated at the after-show artists’ talk, “are our emblems of womanhood and our inability to be more diverse in our sexuality.” Sasha started stripping in 1991 and stopped when lap dancing became legal. At that time, she noticed that “the social aspect of the club changed” as lap dancers and clients went off into private booths for dancing, instead of working at clients’ tables. Plus, she wasn’t keen on the undefined physical limits of those early lap dance years and the prospect of on-the-job asshole fingering!

“I like the intimacy of the lap dance,” Kitty Neptune shrugged, “but then I’m more of a slut than she is [gesturing at Sasha]!” The audience laughed…

Reverence and Ritual
What I found most inspiring about Neon Nightz was the eloquent intelligence of the script, rooted in feminist perspective. At the artist talk, Sasha was asked about the link between religion and strip clubs that is referenced throughout play.

“There is an atmosphere of reverence and ritual in the dance clubs that shows a parallel with the reverence and ritual of religion, for example towards the Virgin Mary. Also, there is a strong parallel in the single-facetted portrayal of womanhood, in both the Virgin Mary and the Stripper,” Sasha replied. The theme was wonderfully presented and challenged throughout the performance… Brilliant!

In the full-house audience at the Mainline Theatre, were an impressive count of fellas, a huge cross section of theatre lovers, local burlesque beauties, renowned queer writers, much-loved Montreal-based artists, a couple of drag kings, and a host of fabulous crowdsters. All were enthralled by the charisma and authentic talent of the performers in Neon Nightz, opening the Edgy Women Festival with a bang.

What a fantastic show! A toast to Sasha Van Bon Bon, Kitty Neptune, and Countess Christsmasher for a great night! Congratulation are also in order for the organizers of the 17th Edition of Edgy Women…

I highly recommend you check out the Edgy programming and read all the edgy blogs at www.edgywomen.ca/blog/

~ Aaron for Edgy Women

3 Responses for “A slide down memory pole”

1. fuzzytheory

   Great write up, engaging us in the spirit of the evening with your witty prose. Sadly, I was unable to make it this show, and I may regret it for some time. It looks amazing. The insights reflected upon in the show about this particular manifestation of sex work seem counter-intuitive, challenging and yet endearing. Quite disappointed that I missed it.
2. topper

   man, I’m sad I missed this now! Great review Aaron! I love Edgy Women!
3. Aaron

   Thanks for the comments, guys! Every blogger loves feedback!! Aaron