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The Tuesday Tease: Burly Meets Derby This Weekend!

Arts >

High-Heel-roller-skates-1I’ve always felt that there were a lot of similarities between the roller derby community and the burlesque community. Both are predominately run by women. Both take something that was once exploitative and  and turn it into something that is empowering. Both seem to have sprung out of the punk and retro scenes and both require adopting some sort of moniker; tough names for roller girls and sexy names for burlesque girls.

Both communities also seem to love Brown Paper Tickets! We’ve had a long-standing relationship with both derby and burlesque and we’ve seen both grow at a rapid rate over the last decade with practically every town boasting its own roller derby league or burlesque troupe. We like to think that we helped that growth but the full credit should be bestowed upon the hard-working, DIY-minded producers that have put their blood (literally in the case of derby!) and sweat into building their local communities, often for little or no monetary reward.

Of course there’s even more overlap between the two communities with many roller girls dabbling in burlesque and vice versa, so this week I thought I’d highlight two upcoming shows that bring these two worlds together.

285250-250Friday, December 13 I Rat City Rollergirls 2nd Annual Black Eyed Ball & AuctionSeattle, Washington

There’s no better party in Seattle to kick off the holidays than spending a night with the Rat City Rollergirls at their annual Black Eyed Ball!

Think you can’t bring back the past? “Why of course you can, old sport!” The 1920’s will be in full swing at this prohibition-themed fundraiser at 1927 Events in Belltown. Forget your troubles for a night, and dive into a decade where the parties were bigger and the worries were fewer.

Enchantment awaits! Get dolled up and jazzy in your most glamorous attire for an evening of burlesque and live music performed by your favorite skaters. Dance the night away while bidding on amazing silent and live auction items, hosted by Laura Michalek.

Proceeds from this annual fundraiser support the Rat City Rollergirls training facility, travel, and uniforms.

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If you haven’t already, please join the Facebook event page to stay up to date on all of the event happenings.

Saturday, December 14 I Port City Roller Girls Nice and Naughty Burlesque ShowStockton, California

The Port City Roller Girls are the original, most experienced and most established league representing Stockton, California, and the surrounding parts of the Central Valley. They are fierce athletes contributing their share to a grassroots, skater-owned and operated organization while having fun and staying involved in the community. As of 2012, they are proud to call the Stockton Indoor Sports Complex home, where they pull in huge crowds of derby fans.

This is the Port City Roller Girls December fundraiser and you don’t want to miss it! Head on down to the Whiskey Barrel Tavern for your chance to see just a little bit more of your favorite Port City skater.