The Queen of Burlesque is a competition among the world’s sexiest, talented, and glamorous burlesque dancers. Focused on classic and traditional burlesque, each contestant performs a striptease with the accompaniment of a live traditional jazz band. A panel of celebrity judges select the title-holder at the annual New Orleans Burlesque Festival.

The Queen of Burlesque competition will be Saturday, September 17th at 8pm at Harrah’s New Orleans. It is presented by Secrets In Lace, and is produced by Rick Delaup. The New Orleans Burlesque Festival jazz band is Matt Bell (bandleader/guitar), Doc Richards (drums), Jim Thornton (trumpet), Mike Jenner (sax), and Greg Schatz (upright bass).

	Mistress of Ceremonies KITTEN ON THE KEYS (San Francisco, CA) aka Suzanne Ramsey, has been seen on E!, HBO,IFC, NBC,  Queer TV, Bravo, MTV, and on countless French and Italian TV shows. She embodies the spirit and style of those days of decadence gone by. Pianist,, singer, and Mistress of Ceremonies – expect a racy ragtime romp when this little kitty sharpens her claws on a meow mix medley of mad cap gems from yesteryear with a naughty whimsical edge.  She’s toured internationally, plus opened for legendary punk band The Damned, toured with the Teaseorama Roadshow, MC’d for the Burlesque Hall of Fame, and returns to emcee the New Orleans Burlesque Fest for its second year. She recently performed with Cabaret New Burlesque in the French film “TOURNEE” with award-winning actor and director Mattieu Almaric (2010). The film was an official entry at the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival where it won a best director Palme D’or, and the Foreign Press Award. Kitten was pleased as punch to walk the red carpet with the rest of the cast. She has several of her ukulele and piano tunes on the film’s soundtrack.
	COCO LECTRIC (Austin, Texas) Burlesque Superstar Coco Lectric is a classically trained dancer, actor, and vocalist. With an absolute love of performing, she graces stages all over the United States. She is a founding member of The Jigglewatts Burlesque (Austin, TX) and the Headmistress of The Austin Academy of Burlesque. She holds the title of “Texas Performer of the Year” from the Hotrods and Heels festival. Coco performed in “Cointreau presents Dita Von Teese with Special Guests, in association with Bustout Burlesque” at the House of Blues (New Orleans). She has also performed Opening Night at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas. In September, Coco Lectric will crown the new Queen of Burlesque for 2011
	PERLE NOIRE, the Black Pearl (New Orleans, Louisiana) jump-started her burlesque career with Bustout Burlesque in 2005. Her tribute to Josephine Baker is so electrifying, she was labeled “Feminine Phenomenon” by the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Since then, she has gone on to win the “Queen of Burlesque” competition at the 2009 New Orleans Burlesque Festival, as well as titles at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas. Perle Noire has appeared on television in the Travel Channel’s Extreme Competitions, and on film in the feature documentary Burlesque Undressed. In July 2010, she performed on the bill with Dita Von Teese in “Cointreau presents An Evening with Dita Von Teese and Special Guests, in association with Bustout Burlesque.” Since then, she has performed in two other Dita Von Teese shows at the Roxy Theater in Hollywood. This year, Perle headlined the Show-Me Burlesque Festival in St. Louis, and will be performing in Madrid, Spain this summer.
	DEBBIE DAVIS (New Orleans, Louisiana) Debbie has been singing with Bustout Burlesque for five years. She also sings with the New Orleans-based Pfister Sisters. Gambit Weekly says, “Debbie Davis is old school!” Offbeat Magazine wrote, “Of all the New Orleans vocalists pursuing the retro torch singer route, Ms. Davis is the most convincing because shes got the powerful pipes and the voluptuous body.”
CONTESTANTS
	BURGUNDY BRIXX (Vancouver BC, Canada) Prior to becoming a burlesque artist in NYC in 2006, Burgundy Brixx worked as a professional singer, dancer and actress in New York City for many years. She has performed in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, worked as a principal singer for Norwegian Cruise Lines, and performed in regional professional theatre and tours across the US.  She’s performed as a solo artist at The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, The New York Burlesque Festival, The Best of Midwest Burlesk Fest, and Tease-O-Rama’s “Best Of The Best in New Burlesque” at the Triple Door in Seattle. In Vancouver, Burgundy Brixx has been featured in burlesque shows everywhere, including the weekly cabaret “Kitty Nights West,” which she also produces. She has brought burlesque into the world of mainstream arts in Vancouver in various dance and theatre works. She offers classes in classic burlesque at her studio, “The School of Tease,” and serves on the board of directors of the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival.
	LOULOU D’VIL (Tampere, Finland) LouLou D’vil is Finland’s premier burlesque performer, persuasive in her presence.  Notorious in Scandinavia for her fierce reincarnation of seductive vintage glamour, and bump’n'grind burlesque, LouLou D’vil performs skilled striptease with a sultry nod to the legends of Old Hollywood. She started her career as one of the pioneers in Finland. Very quickly, she found herself entertaining people all over Finland, and then the world. She performs regularly in Switzerland, Italy, UK, Denmark, France, and Holland. She has been performing at prestigious events such as the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend, London Burlesque Week, Paris Burlesque Festival, Amsterdam Burlesque Festival, and Helsinki Burlesque Festival. This year she’ll be competing in Las Vegas for “Best Debut” at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2011.
	COCO FRAMBOISE (Toronto, Canada) Coco Framboise – Oh, she’s a dish all right. With her apple bottom and saucy glance, you never quite know what she’ll serve up! This pint-sized dynamo is known for her outsized stage presence. She takes audiences on a thrill ride from the saucy to the surreal to the sublime. An internationally sought-after artist, Coco has performed in London, Zurich, Amsterdam, Rome, New York, Los Angeles, and the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas!  She is the visionary founder of the Coco Framboise School of Burlesque – now in its seventh year – offering the most extensive burlesque curriculum in Canada.   She is one of the producers of the Toronto Burlesque Festival and headmistress of the festival-affiliated Toronto Burlesque University.   Keep your eye on this one, folks!
	RUBY JOULE (Austin, Texas) Ruby Joule is “The Gem You’d Love To Polish!” A star of stage and screen, she is a founding member of The Jigglewatts Burlesque in Austin, and has performed her award-winning routines all over the country from Las Vegas to Bourbon Street. She was awarded “Texas Performer of the Year” at the 2011 Hot Rods & Heels. Ruby can be found in the pages of Bachelor Pad Magazine, and in countless feature films and TV shows. A pin-up model, music video queen, film actress, and writer for Rockabilly-Online Magazine, there aren’t enough hours in the day for this lone starlet.  She is also the winner of the “Most Original” and “Best Costume” awards at the Texas Burlesque Festival and has been called “damn hot!” by Clutter Magazine.
	PEEKABOO POINTE (New York, New York) Recognized the world over as the “Fastest Tassel-Twirler from East to West,” Peekaboo Pointe is undoubtedly “Seducing the World, One Stage at a Time.”  She has performed all over the globe, most recently The Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Vive La Cabaret), Sweden (Hootchy Kootchy Club), Dublin, UK, Australia (The Bureslsque Ball 2010), Italy (MTV), and Spain (The World Famous Pontani Sisters). Peekaboo has toured with Lucha VaVoom, regularly with Burlesque-a-Pades, and has headlined the Dos Equis Midnight Revue Tour.  At home in New York City, Peekaboo performs anywhere there’s burlesque! Voted one of the Top 20 Burlesque Performers in the world, and winner of the Golden Pastie Award for “Most Sensual,” Peekaboo is celebrated as one of America’s most dynamic and seductive performers.
	MEDIANOCHE (New York, New York) Medianoche has been described as appearing in the New York City burlesque scene “out of nowhere, fully formed, like Athena from the head of Zeus.” Born and raised in southern Spain, trained in flamenco and tango dance — she brings a distinctly European je ne sais quoi to venues as varied as Duane Park, Highline Ballroom, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Hotel Empire. Although always at her best when emerging from Isis wings, rhinestoned flower petals, or her signature red pheasant feathers, Medianoche also dances Argentine tango professionally in theaters and ballrooms in New York and Philadelphia. Medianoche has toured with the World Famous Pontani Sisters and has charmed audiences in New Orleans and Texas as part of Dita von Teese’s Strip Strip Hooray! cast.
	GINGER VALENTINE (Dallas, Texas) Ginger Valentine performs in, and co-produces the Ruby Revue. She won “Best Tease” at the 2010 Texas Burlesque Festival.  In 2010, she competed for the title of “Queen of Burlesque” in the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. She also appeared in issue #14 of Bachelor Pad Magazine. In 2011, Valentine was selected to compete for Best Debut in the Burlesque Hall of Fame/Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas. She performs regularly in Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and all around the country.
	LOLA VAN ELLA (St. Louis, Missouri) Lola van Ella is an international burlesque singer, dancer, producer, instructor, and emcee. She is often cheeky, but always sexy! Considered the Queen of St. Louis Burlesque, Lola produces the annual Show-Me Burlesque Festival, as well as the popular Beggar’s Carnival with Sammich the Tramp. She is the owner of VanElla Studios and Productions, and leads her delicious student troupe, The Bon-Bons. In 2008, Alive Magazine named her one of St Louis’ most influential people. She has performed and taught burlesque all over the world. She is the proud 1st Runner-Up title holder in the 2010 NOBF’s Queen of Burlesque competition, and has been voted #9 in the 20th Century Burlesque’s Top 50 performers worldwide, two years in a row. With a sultry voice, devastating shimmy, and a flirtatious smile; this adventurous ecdysiast has garnered a lot of attention and the tagline “The Derriere Beyond Compare.”

JUDGES

	RITA ALEXANDER the Champagne Girl began stripping at the Sho-Bar on Bourbon Street as a teenager in the mid-Sixties. She was trained by headlining star Tee Tee Red. After getting breast implants, Rita developed an act in which she balanced small champagne glasses on her breasts and drank from the glass without using her hands. She soon became a headliner, with her image on everything from the window displays to table tents and cocktail napkins. She had the starring role in the low-budget film Hot Thrills Warm Chills, which was shot on location in New Orleans. In the early 1970s, Rita left for Las Vegas where she became a star in the Follies Bergere. She pursued acting in Hollywood and received roles in TV and film. Rita played a Vegas showgirl who gets killed in Charlie’s Angels, and a fembot in The Bionic Woman. She currently works as a psychic reader. Click here to see Rita in a clip from Hot Thrills Warm Chills!
	JAY THOMAS was born in Kermit, Texas, and raised in New Orleans. Thomas is perhaps best known for his recurring roles. On the sitcom Mork and Mindy, he played Remo DaVinci, the Italian deli owner (1979 until 1981). Jay played Eddie LeBec, the second husband of Carla on Cheers (1987-1989). He also appeared on Murphy Brown as Jerry Gold, a tabloid talk show host (1989-1998). Thomas has also knocked the holiday meatball off the Christmas Tree on The Late Show with David Letterman every year since 1998. His many film roles include playing the football coach, Bill Meister, in Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995), Hal in the Kevin Costner film Dragonfly (2002) and the wise cracking Easter Bunny in The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3 (2006). Thomas has worked as a radio DJ in many markets including New York City and Los Angeles. He hosts The Jay Thomas Show on Stars Too Channel 108/XM 139, the morning show on Howard 101 Friday mornings, and rocks your Saturday mornings on the 70’s on 7 on Sirius Satellite Radio. He is an avid fan of New Orleans burlesque, and is thrilled to return as a judge at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival.  Click here to hear Jay’s hilarious Lone Ranger story on David Letterman.
	QUINTRON has been making genre-defying noise and "Swamp-Tech" dance music in New Orleans for over fifteen years. The majority of his 13 full-length albums have the psychedelic soul of New Orleans garage R&B filtered through a tough distorted Hammond B-3 and a cache of self-made electronic instruments. He has also released strange soundscapes based on inner-city field recordings of frogs and neighborhood ambiance. Quintron regards his most significant creation to be his patented instrument called the THE DRUM BUDDY, a light activated analog synthesizer that creates murky, low-fidelity, rhythmic patterns. Notable DRUM BUDDY clients include performers Nels Cline of Wilco, Laurie Anderson, Fred Armisen, and DJ Mr. Dibbs. Quintron & Miss Pussycat's now-defunct underground club, Pussycat Caverns, hosted the city's first burlesque revival performances in the mid 1990s.
	GENNIFER FLOWERS was born in Oklahoma City. She is a charismatic songstress who started appearing professionally at age five. Since cutting her first record at age eleven for United Southern Artists, her eclectic career has taken her around the globe. As an actress, she has been seen on the New York stage, national tours, TV, and film; and most recently brought down the house in the New Orleans premiere of the comedy Hallelujah Girls. As a singer, Miss Flowers has toured Europe, headlined in Las Vegas, and appeared in clubs around the country with her solo act. Anchorwoman, model, spokesperson, lecturer, novelist, charity fundraiser and interior designer, are just a few of the titles Miss Flowers has lent her talents–but it is Gennifer’s soulful rhythm and blues voice mixed with her powerful onstage presence and charming wit that have left unsuspecting audiences yearning for more. This past February, her love of jewelry led to a collaboration with Houston designer TRea to create the Gennifer Flowers Jewelry Collection, hand-crafted pieces that appeal to the unique style of every woman. Click here to watch Gennifer Flowers in Boobs! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis.
	DAN WHITSETT is the CEO of SECRETS IN LACE ® . Secrets In Lace has been selling authentic nylon stockings and coordinating bra-garter belt- panty sets since 1984 and is the largest retailer in the world of 100% nylon stockings.  Designed for everyday wear (just like in the 1960’s and 1970’s), Secrets in Lace carry classic styles for every possible occasion and are the exclusive designers of the Bettie Page Collection, Dita Von Teese Stocking Collection, and the Pamela Anderson Couture Stocking Collection. Secrets in Lace got its start in storefront operations and today operates a mail-order catalog, and an online store providing easy consumer access and top quality customer service.  With their extensive private label nylon stocking collections plus slips, foundations, sleepwear, shape wear girdles and gloves, they have been Keeping the Romance Alive for over two decades. Click here to see some of their stockings!