Bewitching burlesque brings spine-chilling seduction

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In the mood for a thrill? These are your ghouls.

The Sky Dancers, a local performance group, will be performing a Halloween-themed burlesque and variety show at the Palindrome in Port Townsend on Saturday, Oct. 22 presented by Indigo Sky Productions.

“We decided to do ‘Season of the Witch’ to celebrate witches in pop culture,” said Jade Evans, Indigo Sky Productions founder and one of the performers.

Indigo Sky Productions is a grassroots, Afro-Indigenous, woman-owned production company aiming to highlight women of color and multi-cultural voices through events, performance arts, film, and media. The group was founded when Evans was through waiting for a seat at the table after experiencing under representation and misrepresentation of women of color in rural areas.

“I found that every opportunity people approached me with in the arts community was calling for me to portray a Black stereotype for white consumption. I quickly realized that I would have to create the roles I wanted for myself and roles I want to see other women of color in, so my focus pivoted. I ‘built my own table’ so to speak, and I decide who sits at it now,” she writes on her website.

Along with eroding racial stereotypes, the group also works to celebrate the liberation of the female form, encouraging body-positivity for all women.

Attendees can expect traditional burlesque, pole dancing, and a variety of other spooky spins.

For this event, they’ll be taking their message into the realm of the mysterious, interpreting well-known witches through a new lens.

“Someone will be representing Maleficent for example, and I’ll be hosting as representing Marie Laveau who was the voodoo queen of New Orleans,” Evans said.

While the group will be decked out in divinatory duds, attendees can come in whatever ghoulish garb suits them best.

“There will be a prize basket for the best or most creative costume, including items from local makers like Kalma, an online ‘death positive’ retail shop. As well as an item from Azure Designs, a local online unique jewelry maker,” Evans said.

The group makes sure to note that consent and respect are of the utmost importance. While they welcome tips, they ask that money not be thrown at them or on the ground and firmly state that no performer should ever be touched unless it has been arranged beforehand as part of an act and agreed to by all parties involved.

Some performers may choose to go topless if they are comfortable doing so, but will remain in pasties which cover the nipples. At Sky Dancer shows, there are often suggestive and sexy outfits, but there will not be full-on nudity.

Those interested in such terrifying temptations can find tickets at indigosky
productions.com.