Dan's Papers - July 4, 2008 - Sugar Shack Shakes Up Montauk

Is the East End ready for burlesque? Runaround Sue, producer of Sugar Shack Burlesque based in New York City, seems to think so. If not, she hopes to shake things up, as she prepares for her group's first show at Solé East in Montauk. Along with two other girls - Legs Malone and Rubie Fizz - she'll be performing at the hotel for free every other Saturday night through September. Their first show is July 5, at 11 p.m.

"I'm excited. It's definitely new [for the East End,]" said Runaround Sue, who's been waiting tables at the hotel for just under a month. Hanging up fliers around town, she's seen nothing but interest from the locals. "The older generation knows about burlesque and the younger generation is like, 'What's that?' It should be a unifying experience. I think we'll get a good cross section of a lot of different people."

She added, "Burlesque is not really threatening to people. It features all different types of girls, all different body types. There's nothing elitist about it. It's just not threatening."

What you can expect July 5 is a classic burlesque show. Runaround Sue's specialties are fan dancing and balloon dancing. Legs Malone's portion of the show is punctuated by her wry, native-New Yorker sense of humor and Rubie Fizz is a real show girl, a costume designer by day, Runaround Sue says. And each show will feature a different sideshow performer. Their first will be hosted by Nelson Luga, a graduate of the Coney Island Side Show School, trained in skills such as sword swallowing and glass eating. He'll also perform.

And those who consider burlesque dancing to be akin to stripping, think again. It's actually an incredibly artistic and creative medium. The girls have to create all of their own costumes, often from random scraps of fabric, and also choreograph their own performances.

Runaround Sue, who moved to New York City from Virginia in 2000, later attending the New York School of Burlesque, has only been doing burlesque for two years. But for years before that, she had attended shows on a regular basis. "It encourages you to scream, hoot, holler and cheer. Kind of like when you're 16 and at a school pep rally," she said. "When I'm at a show, all I want to do is dance. It makes me feel so good."

Burlesque has deep roots in the history of the entertainment in our country, especially New York City, though over the past couple of decades, it's seen a decline. Runaround Sue estimates there are only 150 burlesque performers in New York City these days.

But because the burlesque community is so tiny, it creates a sense of kinship amongst the performers, despite the fact that burlesque girls don't know each other's real names, usually. They know each other only by their stage names, as do their fans, in order to perpetuate the characters they create. But the girls are still incredibly close. "You get all these women together, you think they'll be catty, but they're not," Runaround Sue said. She said the other girls often help each other prepare for shows, helping by tying corsets and helping other dancers figure out what they should wear.

For such a short career, Runaround Sue has accomplished much, starting her own production company, performing regularly in the Berkshires and New York City - including a residency at Shaken and Stirred at Niagara, the only burlesque dance party in the city. In fact, she's close to making burlesque a full-time gig.

Now she can add Montauk to her list of regular shows. And remember, the show is free. "We're working for love and tips," she said. "So feel free to tip."