Thirty minutes before the lights go up and the show starts, Bettina May takes her red hair out of curlers and applies her stage makeup. Next comes the costume, covered in sparkles.May is a burlesque dancer for the Pretty Things Peepshow, the nation’s only full-time touring burlesque sideshow, and she said she loves her job.”I’m one of the luckiest people in the world,” May said. “I make new friends in every town I go to. It’s a lot of hard work, but I didn’t have to wait until retirement to do what I wanted.”The Pretty Things Peepshow, with a sideshow including a sword swallower and a juggling comedian, will perform Nov. 17 at the Varsity Theatre.Go-go Amy, Pretty Things Peepshow manager and dancer, said burlesque dancing is a classier, more vintage style of sex appeal that attracts a wider audience.”Burlesque is a striptease with more emphasis on the tease than the strip,” Amy said.May said it is a funny and sexy form of amusement with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor that people of all ages enjoy because it is true entertainment that emphasizes comedy as much as sexiness.Amy said she enjoys burlesque dancing because it combines everything she enjoys.”It’s a combination of a lot of things: I , write, make the costumes and dance for the show,” Amy said. “It’s a combination of every job I’ve had and liked.”They live on the road the majority of the year, performing for two or three months with a couple of weeks off where they visit family or friends. Amy and May live on the tour bus and don’t own apartments or homes, Amy said.But May said she wouldn’t have life any other way.”Life standing still is weary,” May said. “It’s weird to stay in one place for too long. I like being on the road and meeting new people. When you’re new in a place, you get the best out of it. You see the best in people. It’s inspiring.”They don’t often come across any negative feedback toward burlesque dancing, Amy said.”Once in a while, a venue won’t book because they think it’s too racy,” Amy said. “It’s a free country. If you don’t like what is in our show, then don’t come see it.”Amy said the burlesque shows don’t feature anything she wouldn’t invite her family to see.”Our show is totally PG-13,” Amy said. “It’s sexy, but it’s not crass or pornographic. No one gets naked. I would invite my grandparents to see it.”Amy said she is excited to perform at The Varsity Theatre next week and that it should be a great show.Katie Do, communication disorders sophomore, said she would be interested in attending a show if she had the opportunity.”I don’t really know too much about burlesque dancing,” Do said. “I’ve never actually seen it done, other than in movies. It looks very interesting.”Ross Kowalski, electrical engineering junior, said it would be exciting to see.”I think it’s artistic,” Kowalski said. “It’s not something I really watch. I think it would be very entertaining.”The Pretty Things Peepshow will take the stage at The Varsity on Tuesday, Nov. 17.Follow Catie Vogels on Twitter @TDR_cvogels.
 
 
 
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