Séance of Sin

Reviewed by Vanessa Cate
Zip Productions
Through December 1^st

RECOMMENDED

Exceptions notwithstanding, burlesque as a art form has largely deteriorated over the years. You’ll be hard pressed to find a Gypsy Rose Lee these days, and the golden age of burlesque – from the early 1900’s to the 1940’s — can never be recreated. Most often now the novelty of a woman simply peeling off her clothes becomes the basis for an entire show.

Séance of Sin is directed by Kellie Holm, (or Sally Sin Cyr, the burlesque name she’s adopted) whose perspective adds substance as well as finesse to the performance. Six years ago, Holm got into a terrible car accident, and although she survived, she suffered serious injury and deep depression. “Burlesque has been my journey back to life,” she says. Perhaps for this reason, Séance of Sin focuses on death and resurrection. Each woman in the troupe has developed her own piece. In them Holm demands that each performer bare her soul, and the end result is a show whose hallmark is both vulnerability and passion.

The ensemble (Dominique Trix, Kitty La Petite Mort, Elise Scarlett, Dragona, Etoile D’or, and Sally Sin Cyr) have put together a diverse evening of NeoBurlesque, aerial performance, fire art, bondage, blood, and more. The show flows naturally from an opening ritual through more intimate and visceral places of the soul. While there is no plot, song and spoken word are interwoven throughout the evening to create a journey that is both unequivoocably exciting.

As dance, as performance, and as burlesque, this new troupe has something valuable to deliver and stimulating to watch. Future shows are eagerly anticipated, as an evening at the Séance of Sin is both sexy and cathartic.

Fais Do Do, 5257 Adams Blvd. Los Angeles; Thurs., 8:30p.m. (band), 9 p.m. (show); through December 1. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seance-of-sin-zip-burlesque-tickets-28749125408. Running time: Approximately 90 minutes with one intermission