We’ve been a bit preoccupied with the moon lately, what with its recent eclipsing of the sun, the planned Artemis lunar landing and the federal government’s request that the moon get its own time zone.
But since ancient times, the moon has been believed to control our fertility, predict our fortunes and even drive us crazy. Its association with the feminine and divine was Marla Paulina Richardson’s inspiration to create Moonlight: Electro Burlesque With the Moon Muses, currently running twice monthly at Reno’s Lead Dog Brewing Taproom.
The dancer/singer/choreographer, who goes by Marla Paulina in her creative endeavors, is a Reno native who’s been dancing since age 3. After completing her dance studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, she began auditioning for productions here and around the country, performing in shows at casinos here and in Atlantic City, as well as venues such as the Magic Castle in Hollywood.
“For about 10 years, that was my life—full-time dancing in heels in casinos every night,” said Paulina, who is 35.
Of course, COVID-19 changed everything, bringing an end to performing arts productions, particularly the big casino shows. Yet the break gave her time to be thoughtful about her next move and be realistic about her physical limits.
“When shows started dying off, I was sad about it, but I also was excited to transition into singing more,” she said. “I was getting older. I was in my 30s and getting knee injuries. I didn’t know if there was longevity in my dance career, and I really wanted to keep performing.”
A trained singer with relatives who’d sung professionally, she opted to follow that passion when making her next move.
“I wanted to put together a small, underground theater production that would work with the 50-person maximum-capacity rule we had at the time,” she said. She initially did shows at The Office of Hughes and Porter, a downtown Reno bar. It was the ideal intimate venue.
At first, it was tough finding willing dancers, as many of them had stepped away from performing to concentrate on other pursuits. But thanks to word of mouth among her Reno-area dance connections, she managed to assemble a small troupe, and Paulina Productions was born. She rearranged the bar’s furniture and brought in some aerial rigging, additional lighting and an improved sound system, and premiered her new company’s first show, with herself as choreographer and singer, in the summer of 2021. Acts included aerialists, live music from a guitarist and saxophonist, and dance featuring classic Reno burlesque aspects.
The intent was to present only a handful of shows, but every performance sold out, so she extended it to 13. With that success under their belts and theaters fully open without caps on capacity, the company went on to produce a Moulin Rouge-style musical the following year, renting space at local theaters on nights when they were dark. While this allowed for more ticket sales and better overall production values, theaters’ sparse and unpredictable availability made them less than ideal.
Fortunately, this season’s show, the company’s third, was the charm. On a friend’s recommendation, Paulina approached the entertainment manager at Lead Dog, and soon the taproom’s expansive back room became home to Paulina Productions on the second Wednesday and last Friday of the month. Moonlight opened this winter, receiving a boost from a dressing area and lighting provided by Lead Dog, as well as a lifted stage and a bar on which dancers perform.
“We had scheduled it to run through April 26,” Paulina said, “but we have been selling out (with) standing-room only every single show.” Thanks to high demand, the show was extended until July. She hopes to also arrange an Artown encore performance.
Paulina admits she’s wrestled with the “burlesque” label because of its often-negative, amateurish and crass connotations. Paulina is committed to presenting her version as a polished, professional art form. Indeed, the burlesque of Moonlight alludes to the medium’s more glamorous origins. The performances, while sensual in nature, aren’t baldly sexual; they’re instead meant to tastefully showcase the artistry of dance and the beauty and skill of the performers’ bodies.
Moonlight is a revue comprised of a variety of acts that loosely follow the lunar theme, with acts ranging from songs performed by Paulina and company member Savannah Bishop to high-energy dance numbers performed in lavish costumes; impressive acrobatics; and a thumping soundscape of house music provided by DJ Maribel Garcia, with elements of burlesque woven throughout. The venue’s spatial arrangement enables a high level of intimacy with the performers, or “moon muses,” who frequently interact with and get close to the audience.
Though the company is largely made up of women, it features a few males and even a canine—Miss Bianca, dancer Carly Roberts’ Lhasa Apso, who utterly charms audiences by docilely allowing herself to be dressed up, held, squeezed and cooed over. Altogether, the production is electrifying, visually beautiful—and a whole lot of fun.
Moonlight is performed at various dates at Lead Dog Brewing, 415 E. Fourth St., in Reno. Tickets, available via Eventbrite, start at $30. For more information, follow Paulina Productions at www.facebook.com/moonmusesencored or www.instagram.com/paulina__productions.
Hello!
I am a local showgirl and a lover of burlesque, and I read your review of the Moonlight: Electro-Burlesque, and I was inspired to reach out.
The “joy of burlesque in a brewery” missed the mark on some key elements of genuine Reno burlesque. From the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of burlesque is “a mockery usually by caricature,” and, “theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts.”
In other words, at the heart of the art form, burlesque mixes comedy, parody, and the art of the tease.
Using this accurate description, there are a collection of local burlesque shows that keep the spirit of true burlesque alive: The Divine Feminine, Bad Pussycat Review, Sweet and Lethal, and Bohemian Burlesque to name a few. Interestingly, there is also a phenomenon where Reno producers put on enjoyable cabaret, revue style shows that they then incorrectly label “burlesque”. It is an understandable mistake, since this town has a strong foundation in showgirl productions, and showgirls and burlesque performers are related, but they are not the same. All bodies are burlesque bodies, and a genuine burlesque production will showcase a diverse cast that represents a wide range of shapes, sizes, and color. This level of diversity is not typically seen with showgirl productions.
I myself didn’t understand burlesque until my wife opened my eyes to the art form. She is a local burlesque performer, Titanium Tina, and she has studied burlesque for years. We have attended burlesque festivals, visited the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Vegas, seen burlesque legends perform, and watched burlesque documentaries.
This is why I have deep concern when local producers think that burlesque has a “negative, amateur, or crass connotation”. The art of burlesque has been muddied by improper use of the word “burlesque” to describe what is actually cabaret or variety shows. Ignorance is what makes people think that burlesque is in any way amateur or a lower art form.
Also, with a deeper understanding of burlesque, I also have learned that the art of Drag and burlesque go together! They both make a mockery of something. This is why the fabulous drag queens Maria and Shania Twampson often feature burlesque in their drag brunches, and they actually used to have a residency at Lead Dog. It was the Twampsons’ use of that space that originally inspired Marla to reach out to the venue for her show.
Lead Dog USED to be a safe space for Queer art, but Drag Brunch with the Twampsons was cancelled with new ownership in April of this year. However, the Moon Muses show was not cancelled, and was in fact extended. This business decision by the new owner reflects how the country is becoming less safe for queer people.
The art of burlesque is divine, and there is so much to learn. I hope anyone who appreciates burlesque will continue to educate themselves about this beautiful art form.
Thank you!
With all due respect, I must disagree. Having been a long standing member of the first Burlesque troupes in Reno from their origins, to also dancing in many professional casino shows labeled by numerous other producers as ‘Burlesque’ (including but not limited to Tassel at GSR, Flaming Hearts at Harvey’s, Sweet Talk at Montbleu, and Most Wanted Country Rock Burlesque). This art form has gone through many interpretations and expressions to present day and has particularly morphed in Reno in ways that cannot be boxed by a dictionary.
I’ve seen classic burlesque strip teases with absolutely no mockery whatsoever in local shows, and I have seen comedy acts in international burlesque shows with no tease element involved. I’ve seen brilliantly funny, creative, and wonderfully entertaining acts, and I’ve also seen it done very very poorly. I’ve seen incredible stage presence and energy from those with little to no dance training, and I’ve seen pro dancers be given the wrong material. I’ve seen it all. With this now being so prevalent and widely interpreted in our city, negative connotations and impressions may form when the public experiences the other end of this, which perhaps stems from over sexualization or content and language that is straight distasteful. I’ve seen drag also be polarized in my experience as an audience member, done really well or very poorly, and therefore applaud those that are striving for the higher bar like the Twampsons.
I support and go to a lot of local shows and have been a part of them for most of my life. People truly are more offended than ever, and the general message that I believe was trying to be conveyed here is that our intentions are to bring some of the thoughtful elements of choreography and professional entertainment that casinos have provided in the past back into the equation of our blooming local show and burlesque scene.
Amateur, may imply in this context, that maybe some burlesque participants are not trying to make performing a semi full time profession. And ‘lower art form’, well those are your words not the writer.
Maria, other Queens, and members of other local burlesque groups in town have been a part of my shows because they are professional and skilled artists who I admire and respect, as well as other cast members of different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations. In fact Maria and I are teaming up on each other’s shows at venues who welcome queer and straight alike, which is missing the point here.
The intent was from a space of taking deep pride in the work, the presentation, the talent, the skill, the rehearsal, and everything else that goes into it. I see a lot of solos strung together too often for the sake of time and organization in regularly running programs. Burlesque is very much a part of the description of what audiences can find in one of our productions, as well as many other things. Having been a part of burlesque for the last 16 years, I can assure you the ignorance is not on my end, and I do encourage locals to go experience all the variations of burlesque that this town has to offer.
Being a part of the Burlesque community for over 16 years from its origins here, AND having been in many many casino shows labeled as burlesque by other producers, there is a large frame of interpretation as this art form continues to morph and progress. Our show offers the tease, the surprise, and the comedic elements, along with the precision and conceptualization of a cabaret style casino show. I don’t believe it is either or, and our productions most definitely incorporate both.
Many of the dancers in our show make a living as a performer in many different facets, as well as participating in other local burlesque shows, which I have performed in myself and continue to go to and support.
I’ve seen burlesque and drag, like any other art form, done really well and done really poorly. Any misconceptions are encouraged to be challenged by attending all the variance Reno/Tahoe has to offer firsthand.
One would think someone who has been in the scene so long would have the decorum to not take such a low swing at fellow performers, many of whom have shared a stage with you. The Reno burlesque community provides an outlet to a diverse range of performers. While not everyone has had the privilege of professional training and paid, long-term performance opportunities, we all treasure what we bring to the stage. We put our hearts and souls into every performance and pour every ounce of energy we have into it. Your use of words like crass, amateurish, distasteful, and over-sexualized reveals not only a fundamental misunderstanding of burlesque, but also a mean-spirited nature that doesn’t belong in an otherwise warm and welcoming community.