Backstage of a Femme Fatale show

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Tina Bo'bina

Being a burlesque dancer in Kelowna can seem daunting, but Tina Bo’bina has mastered the art of it.

Bo’bina is a burlesque dancer and that's her stage name, but she is also the owner of Femme Fatale, a producer, a trainer, sometimes even a DJ, a graphic designer, and a costume designer and maker.

A day in the life of a burlesque dancer comes with its fair share of challenges and misconceptions, but it also comes with a lot of fun, inclusivity, and empowerment.

“I kind of do everything myself, I am not a graphic designer but I pretend to be, I do marketing, emailing, email campaigns, Facebook ads, all that administrative work. Then I’ll make costumes: rhinestone-ing, applique, sewing underwear for myself and my students. When I teach, I prep in the studio or at home which is about an hour then I eat, I take a break in the afternoon, eat early, teach, then go home and go to bed,” Bo’bina says. “On show days it’s different, obviously there’s preparation, hair, makeup, costume, all of that but a big thing is the intake of food. On show days, it is so important, you have to eat something that agrees with your body but also fuels your body and fills it up so that you don’t pass out on stage. Then getting to show, I have to get in the right headspace and make sure that all my students are also in the head space and getting ready to have a good show and a good time.”

Tina Bo'bina on stage

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Tina Bo'bina

Bo’bina considers herself fortunate to spend her days immersed in the art of burlesque and everything that comes with it.

“I am really privileged to be able to do this as a full-time job, typically burlesque or drag is a side hustle and it’s for fun because it’s very expensive to do burlesque, it’s very infrequent to see people do good money and sustain themselves just on that,” Bo’bina says. “Where I can do this full-time is because I am teaching, producing and performing full-time.”

Backstage costume preparation

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Tina Bo'bina

Burlesque has deep historical roots that are inherent to the art form. This dance form started in England and was brought to America in the 19th century. At the time, it was a way for women to take on feminine as well as masculine roles on stage — as men often did prior — and do so in a satirical way while also embracing their femininity and sexuality.

“I really love the history of burlesque, where it’s come from and how it’s changed over time and all the things it has brought to the world of performing and dance. if it wasn’t for the legends of burlesque then I wouldn’t be able to go on stage and do what I do, so we always do our best to pay our respects and learn our history.”

Burlesque remains deeply misunderstood and comes with hidden challenges.

“I wish that people knew that Burlesque the movie is not burlesque. I love that movie, only one number in that movie is actually burlesque-inspired. Burlesque is the art of strip tease, often starting in a bigger, fancier, maybe expensive, very fun, very extravagant costume and teasing it off one at a time. There is nudity, it is in the same realm of sex work as stripping and yes we’re not getting fully naked but we are taking off most of our clothes for money. Burlesque is an art form, it is not just a sexy dance in our underwear,” Bo’bina says. “The ability to make it fun, flirty, sexy, weird, raunchy, playful…there’s not one thing that makes burlesque “burlesque” and it’s fun as an adult to be able to perform in any capacity I want to. A popular misconception is that because we are dancing in our underwear in a sexy way it is for the male gaze. Actually, my favourite thing about burlesque is that it very much is not for that. Most of our audiences are full of women, and we’re not dancing to be looked at by men, we’re dancing for the art form, for ourselves, and there’s a huge shift in dancing for someone rather than dancing for yourself.”

In fact, men can often complicate the shows simply because nudity and sexuality is involved.

“An issue with burlesque and performing, in general, is getting across consent, consent as performers. We’re putting our bodies and our art out there and we want to show it to people, but lots of the time the rule of consent isn’t always listened to and we’ve all had experiences where we’re performing and people touch you or grab you in a non-consensual way. Some people think consent is a bad word, but it really isn’t. When we say that we have control over who touches us we mean it. Some people think we want to be touched because we’re naked, it’s all part of that “she was asking for it” narrative, and really, we really aren’t asking to be touched just because we’re in our underwear.”

Doing burlesque in a community like Kelowna also holds specific challenges, but, ultimately, there is room for burlesque anywhere.

“The biggest issue is about finding respect in the community. Kelowna is, has been referred to, as a small, conservative city. I used to own a different business and getting into this line of work while owning that business was very difficult because the clientele I dealt with was more of a conservative folk, so having a career where you take off your clothes in a fun, sexy way wasn’t well regarded. However, as I continued doing this, your community just kind of finds you and it becomes more accepting,” Bo’bina says. “I do truly feel that any kind of art like burlesque or drag is for anyone who wants to take in that art, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to…once I realized that people are making the conscious decision to go to a burlesque show and are there because they enjoy it I really started enjoying myself more. People have control over what art they want to consume.”

Tina Bo'bina on stage

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Tina Bo'bina

While burlesque performers face all these challenges daily, other parts of burlesque make performers love the art and persist through these challenges.

“Burlesque is a very inclusive dance form. Dance, in general, isn’t always inclusive of all body types and all ages and burlesque is for all sizes, ages, gender expressions, ethnicities. It is so cool to go to a festival and see hundreds of bodies, and ages, and not see one person that looks the same and it’s all sexy. That’s my favourite part about burlesque,” Bo’bina says. “It is so cool and so moving to see these bodies that don’t traditionally dance, dance.”

Tina Bo’bina faces challenges on a daily, but, ultimately, the love of this art form overcomes all.

“At the end of the day, sometimes things happen that really frustrate me or annoy me but when I take a step back and see what I get to do for a living, it’s so much fun. It’s a lot of work and a lot of weird work, but at the end of the day I get to go on stage and do what I love the most and I get to meet a lot of really cool people and perform with a lot of iconic humans and it’s such a pleasure, and I really don’t take it for granted.”

Femme Fatale is a dance company that offers online and in-person classes in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton and Kamloops and welcomes all adults to join them for classes and discover this special art form. Dancers from Femme Fatale perform at shows all over Western Canada. The company will soon be celebrating it tenth anniversary.

For more information on Femme Fatale, visit the website here.

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