I was so impressed with Liz Beth at last year’s Nasty Burlesque Festival in Italy, where she was duly crowned (or should I say stetsoned) as the winner of their annual contest. She’s gone on to win more titles and charm audiences overseas with her wild and whimsical performances. I’ll let her introduce herself, below, and you can find out more about this rising star in her responses below.
“I am 26 years old, and for 20 years I have devoted my life to dance, which is like oxygen to me; I couldn’t live without it. I have practiced many dance styles, but especially classical ballet, Argentine tango, and jazz. Yet there was something missing in dance for me, something I found in burlesque: freedom of expression. I fell in love with burlesque when I saw a show by Lola Itsy, who later became my teacher. In her performances I saw the true power of the body as a means of expression. I studied with her for three years and was fortunate enough to start performing right away. On stage I present performances inspired by the world of cabaret and musicals, by the effervescent yet melancholic 1920s and 30s.
I have won several festivals, and although I believe that an artist’s value should not be measured by the number of awards received, these were personal victories for me that gave me an extra push to believe in my dream. Now I have performed in the United States, and I still can hardly believe it.“
Here’s her 21.
1. How would you define yourself in three words?
Dreamy, determined, deep.
2. Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Keira Knightley as in Pride and Prejudice: stubborn, passionate, but also sweet.
3. What is your biggest strength?
Determination: I have never given up doing what I love or on my dreams, and this allows me to live off my passions and wake up every day with desire and grit.
4. What is your biggest weakness?
The need for approval: despite having a strong character, at times I have let myself be influenced by the need for my art to be appreciated and approved by others.
5. When are you most happy and inspired?
When I feel most centered and focused, and when I have a clear goal.
6. What is your favourite on-screen burlesque moment from film or TV?
Liza Minnelli singing Mein Herr on top of a chair in Cabaret. She is, for me, the ultimate expression of a strong and seductive woman who also has the courage to express her fragility.
7. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Never abandoning my character in order to conform to others.
8. If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be?
I would never trade my life for anyone else’s.
9. What’s the biggest myth or misconception about burlesque?
That burlesque is an easy way to make art. I love burlesque because it is inclusive: it does not discriminate and welcomes all skin colors, all ages, and all bodies – but this does not mean that to do burlesque at a professional level, study, training, creativity, and talent are not required, and above all the ability to truly bare oneself. Burlesque is not an easy way to make art.
10. If you could only perform to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could perform to only one song, I would stop performing; for me it is too important to express everything that I am and it wouldn’t be possible with just one song.
11. What surprisingly useful things do you have in your show case?
In my performance suitcase I always have a sewing kit and a fan-repair kit.
12. Do you have a backstage ritual?
I am not a superstitious person so I don’t have any specific ritual, but I always need to listen to the track I will enter the stage with, to immerse myself in the music and embody the character.
13. What advice would you give to new performers starting out today?
To listen to the advice of teachers and the great figures of burlesque, but always listen to your own instinct, believe in your choices, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
14. What is your proudest achievement?
Distancing myself from people who tried to confine me and prevent me from shining as an artist.
15. What is your biggest regret?
I have no regrets; I have all the time to do what I didn’t do in the past.
16. What is the biggest challenge facing today’s burlesque scene?
One of the greatest challenges we face is recovering from a crisis that has forced many venues around the world to close or to stop producing burlesque shows. It’s painful to see how, little by little, the love for live performance seems to be fading, as we find ourselves living in an increasingly digital age.
17. If you could go back and tell yourself one thing when you started out in burlesque, what would it be?
Believe in yourself.
18. What is a cause or issue that’s very important to you?
A very important theme, in my opinion, concerns the power dynamics that arise within some venues, where very talented people are devalued in ways that increase their insecurities and lead them to stay there without ever truly growing.
19. What are you currently reading, watching, and listening to?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, a book recommended to me by a performer friend that talks about awareness and the power of living in the present.
20. If you could share a dressing room with one performer for the rest of your career, who would it be?
Lola Itsy. I have shared so much with her that I can’t imagine anyone else; beyond being my teacher, she is a friend, a professional I greatly admire, and the best problem-solver I know.
21. What would you like your life and career to look like in 10 years time?
In ten years I would like to live exclusively from burlesque, travel and perform all over the world, but also have the opportunity to build a family and dedicate time to the people I love.
Follow Liz Beth on Instagram.