The Suicide Girls Are Bringing Burlesque to the Masses
Our fave alt-burlesque babes are back and touring the country.
The Suicide Girls are embarking on their Blackheart Burlesque tour now and we caught up with the troupe’s leading ladies, Liryc and Sunny. They gave us the inside scoop on tour life and new dance numbers. Plus, the creator of Suicide Girls, Missy, jumped in to tell us the inspiration behind Suicide Girls as a whole and how the tours came to life!
So tell me how you got started doing Suicide Girls?
Liryc: I auditioned for the Black Heart Burlesque tour three years ago. I was a visual merchandiser at the time, but I’ve been dancing since I was 16. I decided to quit my job spontaneously and pursue my dancing full time. I kept getting turned away from auditions because of my alternative look, but I heard about Suicide Girls, auditioned, and I got cast. I’ve been doing it ever since!
What are some of your favorite numbers from the tour?
Liryc: I have a top three. In the opening number we come out in these cute animal onesies, and it’s funny because people think of these sexy, tattooed, hard rock models , but when we come out in the onesies and break into hip hop choreography it totally throws people off! The audience’s reaction is priceless. The next two I love are our new Star Trek and Stranger Things numbers! We make use of a lot of cool costumes and props for those which makes them really fun.
How has suicide girls changed you as a person and empowered you as a women?
Liryc: Suicide Girls has changed me for the better. If you had met me 5 or 6 years ago, I was the shyest person, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. When it came to dancing it was the only time I was confident. Touring with Suicide girls and meeting all of these fans and other suicide girls, I have people telling me that seeing me so confident on stage, helped them see themselves in a different light. That has made me see how I am building others up while also doing the same for myself. It’s a really amazing feeling.
How did you get your start doing Suicide Girls?
Sunny: Back in New York I had picked up working for the Puerto Rican Hispanic task force, working with legislators of the state on Latino issues. Then I moved on to working with the Vidal group getting the Latino community to vote and know their rights, things like that. I felt like it was really important work and I loved doing it, but another part of me loved teaching burlesque and it was always my passion. I saw one day that Suicide Girls was touring and quickly bought tickets to see the show. I got pulled up on stage and got to participate with the girls. I had the time of my life. About a month later, I saw they were holding auditions and knew it was something I had to do. The audition went really well and the rest is history!
That is so awesome. How do you stay active in the political community now?
Sunny: I’ll never stop being an advocate for women and women’s rights. I feel like talk and educating each other is a big part of being active. I’ll get the girls together at the suicide house and we’ll do clothing swaps to bring clothes to the woman shelters. Also, discussing which legislators they should be voting for or writing letters to those legislators and talking about how the political climate is affecting us.
How did you come up with the concept of Suicide Girls? How did it get started?
Missy: I was in my early 20’s and had just left a job in corporate america. I didn’t fit in in the work place and in general I was feeling kind of lost. The definition of beauty then was the stick thin/ model Kate Moss type or the buxom/silicone Pam Anderson type and I didn’t fit either of those looks. I wanted to create an environment for alternative women who looked like me, where they could come together and really be themselves. We didn’t know how much it would grow but we knew it would became a document of that unique kind of beauty.
Now it’s become this large world wide thing! How many girls are there?
Missy: There are about 3,000 Suicide girls now and over 250,000 hopefuls! We get about 50,000 applications every year from women who want to became Suicide Girls.
How do you go from being hopeful to a Suicide Girl?
Missy: It’s really up to the community. We put all photo sets into member review for the embers to sift through and give feedback/comments. The ones that people react to most strongly and think that the girl embodies something unique, those are the ones that make it. If you get a photo set of the day as well on your first set, we will then automatically make you official.
How long has the tour been going on? When does tis run start?
Missy: Well, we had a tour that ran from 2003 to 2007 and then we took a break. This Black Heart burlesque show has been going on since 2012 or 2013. We start April 13th in San Diego and go for 62 dates all around the US! It’s a lot of work and shows back to back, but we always have an incredible time.
What has Suicide Girls brought forth for you in terms of women’s empowerment?
Missy: I always say that confidence is your sexiest attribute. If you go on the Suicide Girls website anyone can find someone that reminds them of themselves. It’s so diverse, and seeing women so empowered and beautiful, inspires others to be their most confident self.
Photographer + Interview: Zoe Jackson
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