RISING STAR Esmé Bianco, burlesque performer
AS OLD-FASHIONED CABARET AND BURLESQUE RETURN TO THE HEART OF NIGHTLIFE, ESMÉ BIANCO TELLS US WHY SHE’S GOING TO BE BRITAIN’S ANSWER TO DITA VON TEESE INTERVIEW: SOPHY GRIMSHAW Esmé Bianco – surely it’s your stage name? No, it’s my real name. When I was little I hated it and thought, ‘Why do I have [...]
AS OLD-FASHIONED CABARET AND BURLESQUE RETURN TO THE HEART OF NIGHTLIFE, ESMÉ BIANCO TELLS US WHY
SHE’S GOING TO BE BRITAIN’S ANSWER TO DITA VON TEESE
INTERVIEW: SOPHY GRIMSHAW
Esmé Bianco – surely it’s your stage name?
No, it’s my real name. When I was little I hated it and thought,
‘Why do I have to have such a fancy name?’ But now that I’m
a performer, the unusual name has come in handy.
How did you get into burlesque?
After graduating from drama school I did some modelling,
but I have curves and people kept telling me I had the look
of a 1950s’ pin-up. I started to pose for old-fashioned pin-up
photography and to learn about burlesque. Soon, I was
putting shows and costumes together. I’ve done swimwear
and lingerie campaigns for Agent Provocateur.
Do you have a signature show?
Yes, it’s called White Wedding – I jump out of a giant
white cake, wearing a wedding dress I found at Beyond
Retro [a vintage clothing chain with shops in London;
www.beyondretro.com]. I’m getting married in September
and people ask me if I’ll perform, but that’s my day off. My
fiancé isn’t in show business;
he’s a psychiatric nurse.
Who are your style icons?
Old-school Hollywood stars
like Rita Hayworth and
Marlene Dietrich, and girly
1950s’ models like Bettie
Page. A lot of women still
relate to them. And women
are the ones who come up to
me after my shows to say
they love my shoes and
costumes.
Dita von Teese repopularised burlesque. What do you think of her?
I know Dita and she’s fantastic. Her attention to period detail is
like no one else’s. My shows are perhaps more contemporary.
She introduced me to Marilyn Manson when she was married
to him, and he and I are in talks for me to organise the launch
party for his film this summer, Phantasmagoria: The Visions of
Lewis Carroll.
What are your own movie projects?
I’m currently filming a gangster movie with Steven Berkoff,
and Chemical Wedding [co-written by Bruce Dickinson of Iron
Maiden] in which I play a pin-up, is out this month.
WHERE TO SEE BURLESQUE IN LONDON
The following venues host regular burlesque nights; check their
websites for details.
Paradise By Way of Kensal Green
19 Kilburn Lane, Kensal Green,
+44 (0)20 8969 0098; www.theparadise.co.uk
Volupté
9 Norwich Street, near Chancery Lane,
+44 (0)20 7831 1622; www.volupte-lounge.com
Bloomsbury Lanes
Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way, Bloomsbury,
+44 (0)20 7183 1979; www.bloomsburybowling.com
The Pigalle Club
215 Piccadilly, +44 (0)20 7644 1420; www.thepigalleclub.com
STAGE STRUCK
Esmé Bianco, 26, studied
drama at Goldsmiths College
in London before becoming a
live burlesque performer and
a pin-up model, fronting
campaigns for lingerie label
Agent Provocateur. Her
recent work includes
choreography for showgirls
in Las Vegas, inspired by the
musicals of Busby Berkeley,
and bespoke shows for the
UK’s upcoming Latitude
festival (17-20 July; www.
latitudefestival.co.uk), which
will feature live sheep dyed
different colours, humanely,
voyager hastens to add.
